Cynodictis (“in between dog”)
Fossil range: Early Eocene–Early Oligocene
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Amphicyonidae[1]
Subfamily: †Arctoidea
Genus: Cynodictis
is a member of extinct terrestrial carnivores belonging to the family Amphicyonidae, suborder Caniformia, and which inhabited Euroasia and Asia from the Late Eocene subepoch to the Early Oligocene subepoch living from 37.2—28.4 Ma, existing for approximately .[2]
Cynodictis descended from Miacids, as did all of the Amphicyonidae, and were ancestral progenitors of modern Canis familiaris (dogs), but their exact phylogenetic relationship is still not clear.
Cynodictis had a long muzzle and a low-slung body. It had carnassial scissor teeth for slicing chunks of meat off carcasses. It lived on the grassy plains of North America, but researchers think it may have climbed trees in search of prey. It was about 30 cm at the shoulder - a small, carnivorous, dog-like mammal that could run very fast and dig efficiently. It used its speed to chase down rabbits and small rodents, but may also have been able to dig them out of their burrows. Cynodictis lived on open, semi-arid plains that were crisscrossed by rivers.
Using its digging skills, Cynodictis would make itself dens in steep riverbanks, which it would line with mouted fur and vegetation. In here the female Cynodictis would give birth to a litter of around five pups, which she would feed and protect for several months, suckling them at first, then later bringing them food. Unfortunately, the dens would sometimes be destroyed by flash floods that killed all the animals inside, but preserved them as fossils.
Fossil distribution
Fossil specimens have been found from Mengjiapo, China to the Isle of Wight, Great Britain as well as Weisserburg, Germany and 3 sites in France.
From wikipedia