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Lycophocyon fossil map

Where fossils of Lycophocyon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 45 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 45 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 →

Lycophocyon
Image: Susumu Tomiya, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
GroupEarly mammals
Lived45.9–37 million years ago (Lutetian to Priabonian)
PeriodsPaleogene
Named byTomiya 2011
Fossil records14 occurrences at 4 locations (PBDB)
Found inUnited States
Rock formationsSantiago, txn:NF

About Lycophocyon

Lycophocyon is an extinct genus of caniformian carnivoran from Middle Eocene (early Duchesnean and possibly late Uintan NALMA) deposits of San Diego County, California. Lycophocyon is known from the holotype UCMP 85202, a partial left and right dentary. Paratypes include UCMP 170713, SDSNH 107658, SDSNH 107659, SDSNH 107442, SDSNH 107443 and SDSNH 107444, partial dentaries, mandibles and other cranial remains, and SDSNH 107446 and SDSNH 107447, cranial and postcranial fragments. Many additional specimens are also known. All specimens were collected from numerous localities, all of them from the upper portions of "member C" of the Santiago Formation. It was first named by Susumu Tomiya in 2011 and the type species is Lycophocyon hutchisoni. The generic name means "twilight dog" in Greek, in references to its occurrence on the west coast of North America, and its affinity to the Caniformia. The specific name honours the paleontologist J. Howard Hutchison.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Lycophocyon (revision 1314284254), 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: Q6707383.

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