Xenocyon fossil map
Where fossils of Xenocyon have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 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 0 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 | 5.333–0.0117 million years ago (Zanclean to Late Pleistocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Canidae |
| Named by | (Kretzoi 1938) |
| Fossil records | 86 occurrences at 39 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Italy, France, Spain, Germany, China, Canada, Romania, Greece, Czech Republic, Russia … |
| Rock formations | txn:41189, Tule, Platanochori, 'Ubeidiya, Guadix, Olduvai |
About Xenocyon
Xenocyon ("strange dog") is an extinct group of canids, either considered a distinct genus or a subgenus of Canis. The group includes Canis (Xenocyon) africanus, Canis (Xenocyon) antonii and Canis (Xenocyon) falconeri that gave rise to Canis (Xenocyon) lycanoides. Xenocyon lycaonoides has been suggested to have been a hypercarnivore, and a cooperative pack hunter. Xenocyon is thought to be closely related and possibly ancestral to modern dhole and the African wild dog, as well as the insular Sardinian dhole.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Xenocyon (revision 1380788872), 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: Q19692941.
