''Eucyon'' (Greek: : good, true; : dog) is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of medium

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

coyote-like

canid Canidae (; from Latin, '' canis'', " dog") is a biological family of dog-like carnivorans, colloquially referred to as dogs, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a canid (). There are three subfamilies found withi ...

that first appeared in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

during the late Middle

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

10 million years ago. It was the size of a jackal and weighed around 15kg. Its species ''E. zhoui'' was one of a number of North American mammals which invaded

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around 5–6 million years ago, followed by the genus going extinct 3 million years ago. This genus is proposed to have given rise to genus ''

Canis ''Canis'' is a genus of the Caninae which includes multiple extant species, such as wolves, dogs, coyotes, and golden jackals. Species of this genus are distinguished by their moderate to large size, their massive, well-developed skulls and de ...

'' 6 million years ago.

Taxonomy

''Eucyon'' was named by Tedford and Qiu in 1996. Phyletically it stood between ''Canis'' and the South American canines that would follow it. In 2009, Tedford revised its diagnosis and described two of its species, ''E. skinneri'' and ''E. davisi'', which was originally named ''Canis davisi'' by Merriam in 1911.

''Eucyon davisi''

The jackal-sized ''Eucyon'' existed in North America from 10 million YBP until the

Early Pliocene Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

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and

Tedford Richard Hall Tedford (April 25, 1929 – July 15, 2011) was Curator Emeritus in the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, having been named as curator in 1969.Staff"14 ARE APPOINTED AT MU ...

proposed that the genus ''Canis'' was the descendant of the coyote-like ''Eucyon davisi'', remains of which first appeared in the

(6 million YBP) in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. By the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Canis lepophagus ''Canis lepophagus'' (Latin: : 'dog'; : 'hare' or 'rabbit'; suffix : '-eating'; hence hare-eating dog) is an extinct species of canid which was endemic to much of North America during the Early Pliocene. It is notable because its lineage is prop ...

'' appeared in the same region and by the Early Pleistocene (1 million YBP) ''Canis latrans'' (the coyote) was in existence. They proposed that the progression from ''Eucyon davisi'' to ''C. lepophagus'' to the coyote was linear evolution.

Description

A medium canid the size of a jackal and weighing around .

Fossil distribution

The fossil remains are found in the Rio Grande,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

to western

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and Washington's

Ringold Formation The Ringold Formation is a geologic formation in Eastern Washington, United States. The formation consists of sediment laid down by the Columbia River following the flood basalt eruptions of the Columbia River Basalt Group, and reaches up to thi ...

, as well as northern

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

, along with

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Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

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and many other locations across the Old World.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1791493 Canina (subtribe) Prehistoric canines Miocene canids Miocene mammals of North America Prehistoric carnivoran genera Fossil taxa described in 1996 Taxa named by Richard H. Tedford Ringold Formation Miocene Fauna