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Ischyrocyon

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Ischyrocyon is an extinct genus of amphicyonids that inhabited North America during the Late Miocene. It lived ~13.6—10.3 Ma ago, existing for approximately .

Wikidata facts

Parent taxon
Amphicyoninae
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taxon name
Ischyrocyon
taxon rank
genus
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Encyclopedic overview

3 sections
Contents
  • Behavior
  • Fossil distribution
  • References

Ischyrocyon is an extinct genus of amphicyonids that inhabited North America during the Late Miocene. It lived ~13.6—10.3 Ma ago, existing for approximately .

==Behavior== In a study published in 2006, examination of the relative grinding area of the molars of Ischyrocyon indicated that it was purely carnivorous, and not omnivorous as previously assumed. Both Ischyrocyon and its relative, Amphicyon possessed skeletal features that are characteristic of both ambush and pursuit living predators. As such, it is believed via this evidence that Ischyrocyon probably pursued prey for longer distances but at slower speeds than living ambush predators do. Upon catching up to its prey, Ischyrocyon probably grabbed its victims using its powerfully muscled forelimbs before killing them by tearing into the prey's ribcage or neck using its large, strong canines set in its narrow snout.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Ischyrocyon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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