Actiocyon fossil map
Where fossils of Actiocyon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 15 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 15 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 16.3–12.5 million years ago (Burdigalian to Serravallian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Ailuridae |
| Named by | Stock 1947 |
| Fossil records | 4 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | United States |
| Rock formations | Monarch Mill |
About Actiocyon
Actiocyon is an extinct genus of ailurid mammal that lived in western North America during the Middle Miocene. It was named by Chester Stock in 1947 for the species Actiocyon leardi. A second species, Actiocyon parverratis, was described in 2016. A. leardi is only known from one specimen, while A. parverratis is known from three specimens.
Both species of Actiocyon were small carnivores, with A. leardi known to have lived in a coastal environment while A. parverratis lived in a high-altitude temperate forest. They differ from the closely-related European genus Alopecocyon in the characteristics of the teeth, and from Simocyon in their overall smaller size. A. leardi may have weighed about 7 kilograms (15 lb), while A. parverratis was somewhat smaller.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Actiocyon (revision 1375963600), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q65141617.
