Megacyon
Megacyon merriami, or Merriam's dog, was a prehistoric canid that lived on the island of Java in Indonesia during the Early Pleistocene. Its scientific name means "Merriam's large dog".
| Merriam's dog Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Canidae |
| Genus: | †Megacyon von Koenigswald, 1940 |
| Species: | †M. merriami |
| Binomial name | |
| †Megacyon merriami | |
Description
Megacyon was relatively larged sized, with an estimated body mass of around 49–54 kilograms (108–119 lb), comparable to a grey wolf. In comparison to its ancestor Xenocyon, the hypocone on the teeth was larger.[1]
Ecology
Megacyon is thought to have been a hypercarnivore that preyed on large-sized prey such as deer.[1]
Taxonomy and evolution
Megacyon is thought to have evolved from mainland species of Xenocyon, with Megacyon being even larger than mainland Xenocyon species. Some authors have subsumed Megacyon into Xenocyon. Megacyon is thought to be the ancestor of the much smaller Mececyon known from younger deposits on Java.[1]
References
- van der Geer, Alexandra A.E.; Lyras, George A.; Volmer, Rebekka (October 2018). "Insular dwarfism in canids on Java (Indonesia) and its implication for the environment of Homo erectus during the Early and earliest Middle Pleistocene". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 507: 168–179. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.07.009. S2CID 134585999.
- Schutt, 1973. Pleistozane Caniden (Carnivora, Mammalia) aus Java. Verhandelingen Koninklijke Akademie van der Wetenschappen (Series B), 76: 446–71.
- Lyras G.A., Van der Geer A.A.E., Rook L., 2010. Body size of insular carnivores: evidence from the fossil record. Journal of Biogeography, 37 (6): 1007–21.