Hemicyonidae the Dog Bear

[brobear]

animals.fandom.com/wiki/Hemicyonidae

Hemicyonidae is an extinct family of Bear-like carnivoran living in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia during the Oligocene through Miocene epochs 33.9–5.3 Ma, existing for approximately 28.6 million years.

They were about 1.50 m (5 ft) long, 70 centimetres (28 inches) tall, with somewhat Tiger-like proportions and Dog-like teeth, weighing as much as 69 kg (150 lb).Hemicyonids are widely accepted to have been hypercarnivorous and highly predaceous. They walked on their toes with long metapodials. In these respects they were similar to dogs and unlike modern bears, which are plantigrade with short metapodials. This suggests that hemicyonids must have been active hunters and good runners, and presumably hunted on the plains, possibly in packs. Note that the hemicyonids are easily confused with the related and often similar-looking "bear-dogs" of the family Amphicyonidae.

Genus Adelpharctos
1- Adelpharctos mirus.

Genus Hemicyon
2- Hemicyon barbouri
3- Hemicyon californicus
4- Hemicyon cf. stehlini
5- Hemicyon gargan
6- Hemicyon goeriachensis
7- Hemicyon hareni
8- Hemicyon sansaniensis
9- Hemicyon mayorali
10- Hemicyon stehlini
11- Hemicyon teilhardi
12- Hemicyon ursinus
13- Hemicyon youngi

Genus Phoberocyon
14- Phoberocyon hispanicus
15- Phoberocyon dehmi
16- Phoberocyon aurelianensis
17- Phoberocyon youngi
18- Phoberocyon johnhenryi
19- Phoberocyon huerzeleri

Genus Plithocyon
20- Plithocyon antunesi
21- Plithocyon armagnacensis
22- Plithocyon barstowensis
23- Plithocyon bruneti
24- Plithocyon conquense
Plithocyon ursinus

Genus Zaragocyon
25- Zaragocyon daams  
 
Genus Dinocyon
26- Dinocyon thenardi 

[brobear]

Simplified... Hemicyonidae the "Dog Bear" is more closely related to bears. Amphicyonidae the "Bear Dog" is more closely related to dogs. At least this is the on-going common belief. Neither is a true dog nor a true bear.

[brobear]

There were "dog bears" and there were "bear dogs" which can be very confusing.

[brobear]

Almost a Bear: the Hemicyonidae were highly successful bear-like animals. As can be seen in the opening post, there were at least 26 species, but probably many more. 

[brobear]

WORLD OF PREHISTORIC CREATURES 
 
- Phoberogale depereti.
- Phoberogale shareri.
- Phoberogale bugtiensis.

Phoberogale shareri, a genus of bear dog from early Miocene California.
This animal was about 1 m. long.
by Nobumichi Tamura
                                                 

[brobear]

42- Phoberogale depereti.
43- Phoberogale shareri.
44- Phoberogale bugtiensis.

[brobear]

WORLD OF PREHISTORIC CREATURES

Denizens of Madrid’s Miocene Woods: The “Dog-Bears”

The so-called dog-bears, or hemicyonines were actually much closer to bears than to dogs; in fact, most specialists classify them as just a subfamily Hemicyoninae within the bear family or Ursidae, although there have been proposals to grant family status to the group, as Hemicyonidae.
But in spite of their close affinity with modern bears, these animals would have looked quite un-bear like to a modern observer, because of their body porportions and gait. One good example of this would be Hemicyon sansaniensis, a species typical of the group and widespread in the Miocene of Western Europe, including the Madrid region.
Hemicyon sansaniensis had the body mass of a small brown bear, but it differed from any bear in having a longer back and longer metapodials (foot-bones), which were straight and parallel and indicate a digitigrade posture. Such body proportions are actually more similar to those of a big cat, and it is likely that Hemicyon would stalk its prey and hunt actively, a bit a like a big cat.

But the dentition of Hemicyon was certainly not cat-like. It was more adapted to processing meat than that of “normal” bears, but it was also fit for dealing with other types of food, including vegetable matter.
Like the bear-dogs of the family Amphicyonidae, these animals are good examples of the evolution of caniform carnivorans during the Miocene, when they filled rather broad niches as hunters, scavengers and omnivores. But such niches would be compromised by the arrival of the true big cats, and especially of the sabertooths, which soon became the dominant hunters of large prey and established new rules for the Miocene large carnivore guild.

[brobear]

Hemicyoninae

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemicyoninae#:~:text=Hemicyoninae%20is%20an%20extinct%20subfamily%20of%20Ursidae%2C%20often,33.9%E2%80%935.3%20Ma%2C%20existing%20for%20approximately%2028.6%20million%20years.

Hemicyoninae is an extinct subfamily of Ursidae, often called dog bears (literally "half dog" (Greek: ἡμικυων hemi-kyōn)). They were bear-like carnivorans living in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia during the Oligocene through Miocene epochs 33.9–5.3 Ma, existing for approximately 28.6 million years. They are sometimes classified as a separate family.
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*Simplified... Hemicyonidae the "Dog Bear" is more closely related to bears. Amphicyonidae the "Bear Dog" is more closely related to dogs. At least this is the on-going common belief. Neither is a true dog nor a true bear.