Hemicyon fossil map
Where fossils of Hemicyon 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 | 23.04–5.333 million years ago (Aquitanian to Messinian) |
| Periods | Neogene |
| Family | Ursidae |
| Named by | Lartet 1851 |
| Fossil records | 54 occurrences at 21 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | France, Spain, Slovakia, United States, Türkiye, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany |
| Rock formations | txn:41301, Ash Hollow, Studienka, Detritic-Carbonated Unit of Subirats |
About Hemicyon
Hemicyon, also known as the "dog-bear" (literally "half dog", from Greek ἡμι- hēmi- (half) + κύων kúōn (dog)), is an extinct genus of hemicyonine bear, which probably originated in Eurasia but was found in Europe, Asia and North America during the Miocene epoch (15.97 to 12.75 million years ago), existing for approximately 16 to 13 mya. Hemicyon is the best-known genus in the Hemicyoninae, a subfamily intermediate between bears and their Caniform ancestors, but most often classified as bears. Hemicyonine bears should not be confused with Amphicyonids (bear-dogs), which are their own separate family of carnivores.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Hemicyon (revision 1374560434), 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: Q1035243.
