Nurocyon Temporal range: Early Pliocene |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Canidae |
Subfamily: | Caninae |
Genus: |
†Nurocyon Sotnikova, 2006 |
Species: | †N. chonokhariensis |
Binomial name | |
†Nurocyon chonokhariensis Sotnikova, 2006 |
Nurocyon chonokhariensis (Chonokhariakh lake dog), the only species in the genus Nurocyon is an extinct member of the dog family (Canidae) from the Pliocene of Mongolia. The teeth of Nurocyon show adaptations to an omnivorous diet, comparable to the living raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides). The overall structure of the skull and dentition of Nurocyon are intermediate between the living genus Canis (dogs, wolves, and jackals) and the more primitive Eucyon.