Sardinian dhole on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Sardinian dhole (''Cynotherium sardous'') is an extinct insular 
The oldest fossils of the ''Cynotherium'' lineage on Sardinia, belonging to the species ''Cynotherium malatestai'' likely ancestral to ''C. sardous'' date to the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition, corresponding to faunal turnover between the older '' Nesogoral'' Faunal Complex and the younger ''
/ref>
ISPRA
Photo of ''Cynotherium sardous'' Canina (subtribe) Prehistoric mammals of Europe Fauna of Corsica Fauna of Sardinia Extinct mammals of Europe Pleistocene carnivorans Pleistocene extinctions Extinct canines Fossil taxa described in 1857 Mammals described in 1857 {{Paleo-carnivora-stub
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 ...
which was endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
to what is now the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
islands of Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
(Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
) and Corsica (France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
), which were joined for much of the Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...
. It went extinct when humans began to settle on the island. Its scientific name means "dog-beast of Sardinia", the genus name
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 nomenclat ...
from the and and the specific name from the , alt. form of .
The oldest fossils of the ''Cynotherium'' lineage on Sardinia, belonging to the species ''Cynotherium malatestai'' likely ancestral to ''C. sardous'' date to the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition, corresponding to faunal turnover between the older '' Nesogoral'' Faunal Complex and the younger ''Microtus
''Microtus'' is a genus of voles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. About 62 species are placed in the genus. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. They ea ...
'' ('' Tyrrhenicola'') faunal complex. The genomic analysis of a 21,000 year-old Sardinian dhole specimen indicates that the Sardinian dhole lineage and the Asian dhole lineage diverged from each other 885,000 years ago. Gene flow continued between the two lineages until between 500,000 and 300,000 years ago. The analysis showed low genomic diversity which may have led to the extinction of this dhole.
When the ancestor of this canid became confined to the island, its diet became limited to small and fast prey, such as rodents and rabbits. This lack of large prey caused the Sardinian dhole to evolve into a small sized (perhaps ) canid. This view of ''Cynotherium'' as a predator specializing in small, fast prey is supported by an examination of the animal's anatomy. The evolution of short, powerful limbs, a low neck carriage and increased head and neck mobility suggests an animal well suited for stalking and then quickly pouncing on or running down small prey.PDF copy/ref>
See also
*List of extinct animals of Europe
This list of European animals extinct in the Holocene features animals known to have become extinct in the last 12,000 years on the European continent and its surrounding islands.
Dependent territories of European countries in other continents, l ...
* Insular dwarfism
Insular dwarfism, a form of phyletic dwarfism, is the process and condition of large animals evolving or having a reduced body size when their population's range is limited to a small environment, primarily islands. This natural process is disti ...
* Corsican red deer
The Corsican red deer (''Cervus elaphus corsicanus''), also known simply as the Corsican deer or Sardinian deer, is a population of red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') found on the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France).
Chara ...
References
External links
ISPRA
Photo of ''Cynotherium sardous'' Canina (subtribe) Prehistoric mammals of Europe Fauna of Corsica Fauna of Sardinia Extinct mammals of Europe Pleistocene carnivorans Pleistocene extinctions Extinct canines Fossil taxa described in 1857 Mammals described in 1857 {{Paleo-carnivora-stub