A history of land mammals in the western hemisphere

by William Berryman Scott

The Carnivora are divisible into three well-marked suborders, called respectively the Pinnipedia, Fissipedia and †Creodonta. The Pinnipedia, seals, walruses, etc., which are almost purely marine in habitat, are not dealt with in this book, since so little can be learned of them from the fossils, and the †Creodonta, an extremely ancient and primitive group, will be treated separately. The Fissipedia are chiefly terrestrial, though they include the otters, and their subdivisions, so far as the American forms are concerned, are shown in the following table, which, it should be observed, omits several genera. Unless otherwise noted, the genera are North American.

Suborder FISSIPEDIA. Land Carnivora

I. Canidæ, Dogs, Wolves, Foxes, etc.

Canis, Wolves, Pleist. and Rec. Vulpes, Red Fox, do. Urocyon, Grey Fox, do. Cerdocyon, fox-like wolves, S. A., do. Icticyon, Bush-Dog, S. A., do. ?Cyon, Dhole, mid. and up. Mioc. †Dinocynops, S. A., Pleist. †Ælurodon, up. Mioc. and low. Plioc. †Tephrocyon, mid. Mioc. to low. Plioc. †Borophagus, up. Mioc. to mid. Plioc. †Ischyrocyon, up. Mioc. †Amphicyon, mid. Mioc. to low. Plioc. †Daphœnodon, low. Mioc. †Enhydrocyon, up. Oligo. †Temnocyon, up. Oligo. †Mesocyon, up. Oligo. †Cynodesmus, low. Mioc. †Daphœnus, Oligo. †Cynodictis, Oligo. †Procynodictis, up. Eoc.

II. Procyonidæ, Raccoons, etc.

Procyon, Raccoons, N. and S. A., Pleist. and Rec. Nasua, Coatis, S. A., Pleist. and Rec., now extending to Calif. †Cyonasua, S. A., up. Plioc. Bassariscus, Cacomistle, low. Plioc. to Rec. †Phlaocyon, low. Mioc. †Leptarctus, up. Mioc. Potos, Kinkajou, Neotropical, Recent.

III. Ursidæ, Bears.

Ursus, true Bears, Pleist. and Rec. Tremarctos, Spectacled Bear, S. A. †Arctotherium, †Short-faced Bears, N. and S. A., Pleist.

IV. Mustelidæ, Martens, Weasels, etc.

Mustela, Weasels, mid. Mioc. to Rec. Grison, Grisón, S. A., Pleist. to Rec. Tayra, Tayra, do. Martes, Martens, up. Mioc. to Rec. Gulo, Wolverene, Pleist. and Rec. †Canimartes, mid. Plioc. †Brachypsalis, up. Mioc. †Megalictis, low. Mioc. †Ælurocyon, do. †Oligobunis, up. Oligo. and low. Mioc. †Bunælurus, low. Oligo. Mephitis, Skunk, Pleist. and Rec. Spilogale, Spotted Skunk, do. Conepatus, S. A. Skunk, Pleist. and Rec., N. A., Rec. Taxidea, Badger, Pleist. and Rec. Lutra, Otters, up. Mioc. to Rec., S. A., Pleist. and Rec. Latax, Sea-Otter.