Protocyon

Not to be confused with Prototocyon or Procyon.

Extinct genus of carnivores

Protocyon

Temporal range: Middle to Late Pleistocene
~0.781–0.012 Ma

PreꞒ

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Chordata
Class:  | Mammalia
Order:  | Carnivora
Suborder:  | Caniformia
Family:  | Canidae
Subfamily:  | Caninae
Tribe:  | Canini
Subtribe:  | Cerdocyonina
Genus:  | †Protocyon
1855 (1855): Giebel
Species

* †P. orocualensis 2022 (2022): Ruiz-Ramoni, Wang & Rincón
* †P. orcesi 1952 (1952): Hoffstetter
* †P. troglodytes 1838 (1838): Lund, type

Synonyms

†Theriodictis tarijense 1902 (1902): Ameghino

Protocyon is an extinct genus of large canid endemic to South and North America from Middle to Late Pleistocene living from 781,000 to 12,000 years ago.[1]

## Description

[edit]

Protocyon was a hypercarnivore, suggested by its dental adaptations. Like many other large canids, it was most likely a pack hunter. It hunted the medium-sized grazers and browsers, and bite marks on fossils suggest that it may have hunted Glyptotherium.[2] The find of a molar tooth found in Santa Vitória do Palmar in Brazil suggests a weight of between 25 and 37 kilograms (55 and 82 pounds) for this particular specimen,[3]: 219 modest in size compared to other canids including the dire wolf. However, despite its size, isotopic analysis shows a dietary overlap with Smilodon populator, which implies it competed with the sabertooth cat for the same prey.[4]

## Taxonomy

[edit]

Protocyon was named by Giebel in 1855 and assigned to Canidae by Carroll in 1988.[5]: 634 One taxonomic authority proposes that the species Theriodictis tarijensis falls under the genus Protocyon.[6]

A member of the Cerdocyonina lineage, its closest living relative might be the bush dog.

## Palaeobiology

[edit]

The diet of P. troglodytes included Notiomastodon platensis, Megatherium americanum, Toxodon platensis, Hippidion principale, and Equus neogeus.[7] In contrast to its contemporary carnivores S. populator and Arctotherium wingei, dental stable isotope evidence shows P. troglodytes in the Brazilian Intertropical Region (BIR) had a preference for open savanna environments.[8]

## Fossil distribution

[edit]

Fossils of Protocyon have been found in the Ñuapua and Tarija Formations of Bolivia, the Vorohue Formation of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Santa Elena Peninsula of Ecuador, Sopas Formation of Uruguay, Mene de Inciarte Tar Seep of Venezuela and various sites in Brazil, among others the Jandaíra Formation.[1]

Canid fossil material from the Hoyo Negro pit in the Sac Actun cave system (Mexico), initially identified as remains of a coyote, was reinterpreted as remains of P. troglodytes by Schubert et al. (2019), indicating that this taxon was also present in the southern part of North America.[9]: 2

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Alroy, John, ed. (2021). "Protocyon Giebel 1855 (canid)". Fossilworks. Sydney: Macquarie University. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
2. ^ Araújo-Júnior, Hermínio Ismael de; Barbosa, Fernando Henrique de Souza; Silva, Lucas Henrique Medeiros da (February 2017). "Overlapping paleoichnology, paleoecology and taphonomy: Analysis of tooth traces in a Late Pleistocene-early Holocene megafaunal assemblage of Brazil and description of a new ichnotaxon in hard substrate". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 468. Rio de Janeiro: Elsevier: 122–128\. Bibcode:2017PPP...468..122A. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.12.007. ISSN 0031-0182.
3. ^ Oliveira, Édison V.; Prevosti, Francisco J.; Pereira, Jamil C. (December 2005). "Protocyon Troglodytes (Lund) (Mammalia, Carnivora) in the late Pleistocene of Rio Grande Do Sul and their Paleoecological Significance" (PDF). Revista Brasileira de Paleontologia. 8 (3). Brazil: Sociedade Brasileira de Paleontologia: 215–220\. ISSN 1519-7530. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
4. ^ Bocherens, Hervé; Cotte, Martin; Bonini, Ricardo; Scian, Daniel; Straccia, Pablo; Soibelzon, Leopoldo; Prevosti, Francisco J. (1 May 2016). "Paleobiology of sabretooth cat Smilodon populator in the Pampean Region (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina) around the Last Glacial Maximum: Insights from carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in bone collagen". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 449: 463–474\. Bibcode:2016PPP...449..463B. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2016.02.017. hdl:11336/43965.
5. ^ Carroll, Robert Lynn (1988). Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 978-0716718222. OCLC 453330574. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
6. ^ Prevosti, Francisco J.; Forasiepi, Analía M. (2010). "Phylogeny of the large extinct South American Canids (Mammalia, Carnivora, Canidae) using a "total evidence" approach". Cladistics.
7. ^ Prevosti, Francisco J.; Schubert, Blaine W. (14 August 2013). "First taxon date and stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N) for the large hypercarnivorous South American canid Protocyon troglodytes (Canidae, Carnivora)". Quaternary International. 305: 67–73\. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2012.07.003. hdl:11336/9341. Retrieved 10 April 2025 - via Elsevier Science Direct.
8. ^ Dantas, Mário André Trindade; Bernardes, Camila; Asevedo, Lidiane; Rabito Pansani, Thaís; De Melo França, Lucas; Santos De Aragão, Wilcilene; Da Silva Santos, Franciely; Cravo, Elisa; Ximenes, Celso (4 March 2022). "Isotopic palaeoecology ( δ 13 C) of three faunivores from Late Pleistocene of the Brazilian intertropical region". Historical Biology. 34 (3): 507–514\. Bibcode:2022HBio...34..507D. doi:10.1080/08912963.2021.1933468. ISSN 0891-2963. Retrieved 2 May 2024 - via Taylor and Francis Online.
9. ^ Schubert, Blaine W.; et al. (2019). "Yucatán carnivorans shed light on the Great American Biotic Interchange". Biology Letters. 15 (5). London: Royal Society: 1–6\. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2019.0148. PMC 6548739. PMID 31039726. 20190148.

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* t
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Extinct Canidae

* Kingdom Animalia
* Phylum Chordata
* Class Mammalia
* Order: Carnivora
* Suborder: Caniformia

Canidae

Canidae

* †Prohesperocyon

†Hesperocyoninae|

* Hesperocyon
* Mesocyon
* Cynodesmus
* Sunkahetanka
* Philotrox
* Enhydrocyon
* Paraenhydrocyon
* Caedocyon
* Ectopocynus

Osbornodon|

* O. brachypus
* O. fricki
* O. iamonensis
* O. renjiei
* O. sesnoni
* O. scitulus
* O. wangi

†Borophaginae

* Archaeocyon
* Oxetocyon
* Otarocyon
* Rhizocyon

| Phlaocyonini|

* Cynarctoides

Phlaocyon|

* P. achoros
* P. annectens
* P. latidens
* P. leucosteus
* P. mariae
* P. marslandensis
* P. minor
* P. multicuspus
* P. taylori
* P. yatkolai

Borophagini

* Cormocyon
* Desmocyon
* Metatomarctus
* Euoplocyon
* Psalidocyon
* Microtomarctus
* Protomarctus
* Tephrocyon

Cynarctina|

* Paracynarctus
* Cynarctus

Aelurodontina|

* Tomarctus
* Aelurodon

Borophagina|

* Paratomarctus
* Carpocyon
* Protepicyon
* Epicyon

Borophagus|

* B. diversidens
* B. dudleyi
* B. hilli
* B. littoralis
* B. orc
* B. parvus
* B. pugnator
* B. secundus

| Caninae|

*     * see below↓

|

Caninae

Caninae

* †Leptocyon
* †Metalopex

| Urocyon|

* †U. citrinus
* †U. galushai
* †U. minicephalus
* †U. progressus
* †U. webbi

|

Vulpini

* †Ferrucyon
* †Prototocyon

Nyctereutes
(raccoon dogs)|

* †N. abdeslami
* †N. donnezani
* †N. lockwoodi
* †N. megamastoides
* †N. sinensis
* †N. tingi
* †N. vinetorum

Vulpes
(true foxes)|

* †V. hassani
* †V. odessana
* †V. praeglacialis
* †V. qiuzhudingi
* †V. riffautae
* †V. rooki
* †V. skinneri
* †V. stenognathus

Canini (true dogs)

* †Canis gezi
* †Nurocyon

Cerdocyonina
(zorro)|

* †Protocyon
* †Theriodictis

Speothos|

* †Pleistocene bush dog (S. pacivorus)

†Dusicyon|

* Falkland Islands wolf (D. australis)
* D. avus
* D. cultridens

Lycalopex
(South American foxes)|

* †L. cultridens (?)
* †L. ensenadensis

| Canina (wolf-like canids)|

*     * see below↓

|

Canina (wolf-like canids)

Canina

* †Dire wolf (Aenocyon)
* †Sardinian dhole (Cynotherium)
* †Trinil dog (Mececyon)
* †Merriam's dog (Megacyon)
* †Xenocyon

| †Eucyon|

* E. davisi
* E. debonisi
* E. ferox
* E. intrepidus
* E. khoikhoi
* E. kuta
* E. marinae
* E. minor
* E. monticinensis
* E. skinneri
* E. wokari
* E. zhoui

|

Lycaon|

* †L. magnus
* †L. sekowei

Dhole (Cuon alpinus)|

* †C. a. antiquus
* †C. a. caucasicus
* †European dhole (C. a. europaeus)
* †Tien Shan dhole (C. a. hesperius)

Canis

* †C. adoxus
* †C. antonii
* †C. apolloniensis
* †Armbruster's wolf (C. armbrusteri)
* †C. arnensis
* †C. borjgali
* †C. cedazoensis
* †C. chihliensis
* †Edward's wolf (C. edwardii)
* †Etruscan wolf (C. etruscus)
* †C. lepophagus
* †Mosbach wolf (C. mosbachensis)
* †C. nehringi
* †C. palmidens
* †C. variabilis

| Coyote (C. latrans)|

* †Pleistocene coyote (C. l. orcutti)

|

Red wolf (C. rufus)|

* †Florida black wolf (C. r. floridanus)
* †Texas red wolf (C. r. rufus)

Wolf (C. lupus)

| †Prehistoric|

* C. l. bohemica
* C. l. lunellensis
* C. l. maximus
* C. l. santenaisiensis
* Cave wolf (C. l. spelaeus)
* Beringian wolf

|

†Recently
extinct|

* Sicilian wolf (C. l. cristaldii)
* Hokkaido wolf (C. l. hattai)
* Japanese wolf (C. l. hodophilax)
* Austro-Hungarian wolf

* Synonymized under C. l. arctos: Bernard's wolf (C. l. bernardi)

* Synonymized under C. l. occidentalis: Kenai Peninsula wolf (C. l. alces)
* Manitoba wolf (C. l. griseoalbus)

* Synonymized under C. l. nubilus: Newfoundland wolf (C. l. beothucus)
* Cascade mountain wolf (C. l. fuscus)
* Mogollon mountain wolf (C. l. mogollonensis)
* Texas wolf (C. l. monstrabilis)
* Southern Rocky Mountain wolf (C. l. youngi)

* See also: Evolution of the wolf
* Category:Extinct canids

Taxon identifiers

Protocyon|

* Wikidata: Q142407
* EoL: 4445235
* GBIF: 4833505
* IRMNG: 1400656
* Open Tree of Life: 3612546
* Paleobiology Database: 41238

*[†]: Extinct
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