''Tomarctus'' is a

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 ...

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 the extinct subfamily

Borophaginae The extinct Borophaginae form one of three subfamilies found within the canid family. The other two canid subfamilies are the extinct Hesperocyoninae and extant Caninae. Borophaginae, called "bone-crushing dogs", were endemic to North America ...

which inhabited most of North America during the late

Early Miocene The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to ...

to the Early Barstovian age of the Middle Miocene (23—16 million years ago). ''Tomarctus'' existed for approximately . This animal shared a period and ecology with a variety of

bear dog Amphicyonidae is an extinct family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-b ...

s, giant

mustelid The Mustelidae (; from Latin ''mustela'', weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines, among others. Mustelids () are a diverse group and form the largest family ...

genera, and the genus of bone-crushing Canidae, ''

Cynarctoides ''Cynarctoides'' is an extinct genus of the Borophaginae subfamily of canids native to North America. It lived from the Early Oligocene to the Middle Miocene, 33.3—13.6 Mya, existing for approximately . Seven species are currently recognised, ...

''. As the bear dogs and giant mustelids became extinct, ''Tomarctus'' were a hyena-like fruit-eating canidae.

Species

The genus currently contains two accepted species, ''Tomarctus brevirostris'' and ''Tomarctus hippophaga''. ''Tomarctus brevirostris'', synonymous with ''Aelurodon francisi'', was named by Edward Drinker Cope in 1873. Fossil specimens have been found as far south as

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

, east to Plum Point,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, west to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, and north to

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

.Paleobiology Database: Tomarctus brevirostris
/ref> ''Tomarctus hippophaga'' was first described by Matthew and Cook in 1909 from the Trojan Quarry,

Olcott Formation The Olcott Formation is a geologic formation in Nebraska. It preserves fossils dating to the Barstovian stage of the Neogene period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark ...

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 ...

. Specimens have since been found as far west as

and as far north as the

Alberta, Canada Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territ ...

line.Paleobiology Database: Tomarctus hippophaga
/ref>

References

*Martin, L.D. 1989. Fossil history of the terrestrial carnivora. Pages 536 - 568 in J.L. Gittleman, editor. Carnivore Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution, Vol. 1. Comstock Publishing Associates: Ithaca. *Tedford, R.H. 1978. History of dogs and cats: A view from the fossil record. Pages 1 – 10 in Nutrition and Management of Dogs and Cats. Ralston Purina Co.: St. Louis.
- Bio One Data Base - Tomarctus
Tomarctus brevirostris

Borophagines Miocene canids Serravallian extinctions Prehistoric mammals of North America Prehistoric carnivoran genera Burdigalian first appearances Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope Fossil taxa described in 1873 {{canid-stub