Welcome to Adilophontes
Name Definition
unavailable
Name Given By
R. M. Hunt Jr. in 2002
Location
Eighteen Mile District in Wyoming, U.S.A
Classification
Mammalia, Carnivora, Caniformia, Amphicyonidae, Daphoeninae
Size
very roughly estimated at around 1 meter tall (3.2 ft), around 1 meter long, estimated at approximately 68 - 69 kg (149.9 - 152.1 lbs)
Temporal Range
Late Oligocene - Early Miocene epochs of the Cenozoic, approximately 24.8 - 20.6 million years ago
Ecological niche
possibly a terrestrial insectivore or carnivore
Species/Sub Species
A. brachykolos
Diet
given its average size for an amphicyonid (around the size of a domestic dog) , Adilophontes was probably best at hunting small game like rodents or maybe even ate insects
Introduction
Adilophontes is a genus of extinct bear-dog carnivorans that lived in Wyoming during the Late Oligocene - Early Miocene epochs. So far only 3 specimens of Adilophontes have been found in the Eighteen Mile District locality in Wyoming.
At around 70 kilograms, Adilophontes would have been around average for an amphicyonid as the smallest amphicyonids ranged around 5 kg, and Adilophontes would have reached the size of a domestic dog which is typical in most other daphoenines. The amphicyonids were some of the first carnivorans to reach giant sizes, and it is probably because of their arriving, as well as the climate change which also resulted in a shift of prey items, that bear dogs like Adilophontes would have contributed to the extinction of the creodonts (the creodonts went extinct around the Late Miocene), the previous apex predators, probably because of their less efficient method of locomotion or because of their smaller brains compared to carnivorans, though before, creodonts had an extensive range and were the most successful carnivores of their time. Similar to the demise of the creodonts, the amphicyonids eventually were replaced by more derived carnivorans such as canids started evolving with the same body plans, though while they lived, the amphicyonids were, like the creodonts, widespread and the top mammalian predators, living a 38 million-year legacy.
As an amphicyonid, Adilophontes would have had a dog-like head, but a much more stocky bear-like build and robust forelimbs, as well as a shorter tail than that of dog.
Sources:
- http://fossilworks.org/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=43736
- https://www.meetthefossyls.com/family-data-meet-the-fossyls/amphicyonidae
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adilophontes
- http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/a/adilophontes.html