Borophagus parvus
| Borophagus parvus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | †Borophagus |
| Species: | †B. parvus
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Borophagus parvus Wang et al., 1999
| |
Borophagus parvus is an extinct
Overview
Borophagus, like other Borophaginae, are loosely known as "bone-crushing" or "
Canis dirus. Early species of Borophagus were placed in the genus Osteoborus until recently, but the genera
are now considered synonyms. Borophagus parvus possibly led a hyena-like lifestyle scavenging carcasses of recently dead animals.
Taxonomy
Paracynarctus was named by Wang et al. (1999). Its type is Paracynarctus sinclairi. It was assigned to Cynarctina by Wang et al. (1999).
Morphology
Typical features of this genus are a bulging forehead and powerful jaws; it was probably a
hyena of the Old World. The adult animal is estimated to have been about 80 centimetres (31 in) in length, similar to a coyote, although it was much more powerfully built.[3]
References
- Alan Turner, "National Geographic: Prehistoric Mammals" (Washington, D.C.: Firecrest Books Ltd., 2004), pp. 112–114. ISBN 0-7922-7134-3
- Xiaoming Wang, "The Origin and Evolution of the Dog Family" Accessed 1/30/06.
Further reading
- Picture of an Osteoborus skull in a museum, from "World of the Wolf." (Accessed 6/19/06)
- Russell Hunt, "Ecological Polarities Of the North American Family Canidae: A New Approach to Understanding Forty Million Years of Canid Evolution" (Accessed 1/30/06).
- Wang et al., "Phylogenetic Systematics of the Borophaginae (Carnivora:Canidae)." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, No. 243, Nov. 17 1999. (PDF) (Accessed 4/11/06)