Post by tom on Apr 21, 2020 10:46:08 GMT -5
Parictis
North America
Parictis is an extinct genus of canine predators ( Canoidea ) and the oldest known representative in the line of development of the bears ( Ursidae ). Compared to recent bear he was small, his skull measured 7 cm and he weighed about 2 kg. He had a bear- like teeth with the exception of the missing M3, robust premolars and broad, relatively flat molars with large ruts. Parictis stepped in front of about 38 million years ago during the late Eocene in North America and is a close relative of the Amphicyonidae. There are suspicions that Parictis during the low sea level stand in front of 37 million years from Asia immigrated to North America, as the evolutionary development of the Amphicyonidae towards the Hemicyoninae in Asia Cephalogale and Ursavus be attributed. But so far no Parictis fossils in East Asia were occupied. Parictis reached Eurasia and Africa, but not before the Miocene.
Parictis 1893 described by William Berryman Scott first scientifically based on cheeks and jaw bone from the John Day Fossil Beds in Oregon. Its systematic position within the Canoidea is not entirely clear because of the still scanty fossil record.
Meet the Parictis genus. The eight species found within it are the oldest known bears in the world, dating back between 38 and 33 million years.
Polar bears have skulls 6 times longer than those of their Parictis ancestors!
These ancient bears first appeared in North America around 38 million years ago, during the Late Eocene. By the time the early Miocene rolled around a few million years later, different species had spread to Europe and Africa, with some presence in Asia as well.
Parictis bears were very small, like the size of small dogs. They had skulls that measured only a few inches long! There is still a whole lot to learn about these ancestors to the giant bears of today, as the only fossils found have been very fragmentary. (I couldn't even find a photo or reconstruction image!) Even still, it's always amazing to think about how much things have changed over time-- from a 3in skull to one nearly a foot and a half long!
Status : Extinct for around 33 million years
Location : North America, Europe, Africa
Size : Skull size around 3in (8cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Parictis
North America
Parictis is an extinct genus of canine predators ( Canoidea ) and the oldest known representative in the line of development of the bears ( Ursidae ). Compared to recent bear he was small, his skull measured 7 cm and he weighed about 2 kg. He had a bear- like teeth with the exception of the missing M3, robust premolars and broad, relatively flat molars with large ruts. Parictis stepped in front of about 38 million years ago during the late Eocene in North America and is a close relative of the Amphicyonidae. There are suspicions that Parictis during the low sea level stand in front of 37 million years from Asia immigrated to North America, as the evolutionary development of the Amphicyonidae towards the Hemicyoninae in Asia Cephalogale and Ursavus be attributed. But so far no Parictis fossils in East Asia were occupied. Parictis reached Eurasia and Africa, but not before the Miocene.
Parictis 1893 described by William Berryman Scott first scientifically based on cheeks and jaw bone from the John Day Fossil Beds in Oregon. Its systematic position within the Canoidea is not entirely clear because of the still scanty fossil record.
Meet the Parictis genus. The eight species found within it are the oldest known bears in the world, dating back between 38 and 33 million years.
Polar bears have skulls 6 times longer than those of their Parictis ancestors!
These ancient bears first appeared in North America around 38 million years ago, during the Late Eocene. By the time the early Miocene rolled around a few million years later, different species had spread to Europe and Africa, with some presence in Asia as well.
Parictis bears were very small, like the size of small dogs. They had skulls that measured only a few inches long! There is still a whole lot to learn about these ancestors to the giant bears of today, as the only fossils found have been very fragmentary. (I couldn't even find a photo or reconstruction image!) Even still, it's always amazing to think about how much things have changed over time-- from a 3in skull to one nearly a foot and a half long!
Status : Extinct for around 33 million years
Location : North America, Europe, Africa
Size : Skull size around 3in (8cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Carnivora
Family : Ursidae -- Genus : Parictis
