Miacis

▪ extinct mammal genus

      genus of extinct carnivores (carnivore) found as fossils (fossil) in deposits of the late Paleocene Epoch (65.5–55.8 million years ago) to the late Eocene Epoch (55.8–33.9 million years ago) in North America and of late Eocene age in Europe and Asia. Miacis is representative of a group of early carnivores, the miacids, that were the ancestors of modern caniforms—which include the canids (canine) (that is, the dogs (dog), coyotes (coyote), wolves (wolf), foxes (fox), and jackals (jackal)) and a large group made up of the bear, raccoon, and weasel families. Miacids were quite diverse, with body masses that ranged from about 1 to 7 kg (2.2 to 15.4 pounds). It is probable that the earliest members of the genus were at least partly arboreal (tree dwelling), capable of reversing their hind feet much as squirrels (squirrel) do when they climb. The hind limbs were longer than the forelimbs, and the pelvis was very doglike in form and structure. Some specialized traits are present in the vertebrae (vertebral column). Miacis was probably a forest dweller that preyed upon smaller animals; some species were similar to civets (civet) in form, whereas others bore a resemblance to kinkajous (kinkajou).

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