dailyfossil:

Epicyon haydeni - the largest dog 

When: Mid to Late Miocene (~20 to 5 million years ago) 

Where: Throughout much of  North America, excepting northern Canada. 

What: Epicyon haydeni is the largest canid known. It is estimated to have weighed in at roughly 375 lbs (~170 kg).  Even though it was the size of a bear, it still retained the relatively long legs and resulting fast speed that characterizes dogs. These dogs were not just ‘scaled up’ wolves, they were much more solidly built in general and had teeth more adapted for bone crunching. While they were top predators, and perhaps hunted in packs, they were no doubt also scavengers - able to crush bone in order to eat what had been left behind by other hunters. 

Epicyon is a genus in the clade Borophaginae. This is one of the three major subclades of the dog family. The last common ancestor of the borophagines and the modern canines lived over 30 million years ago. While this subclade is characterized by large bone crushing dogs, it also contained dogs which more more resemble living forms such as the wolf. In the reconstruction image the large dog is Epicyon haydeni and the smaller is another member of the same genus.   On the whole, borophagines were more omnivorous than their canine relatives. 

(via scientificillustration)

1. astudyintruffle reblogged this from somnomania
2. mariekrueger reblogged this from sarcoptid
3. miss-she liked this
4. mynameisnotclark reblogged this from sarcoptid
5. sarcoptid reblogged this from dailyfossil and added:

   you can’t spell...without ‘epic’ :D

6. sarcoptid liked this
7. g0rillasl0vepandas liked this
8. archaicinsane reblogged this from robotribble
9. tumblewoven reblogged this from scientificillustration
10. robotribble reblogged this from scientificillustration
11. companioncube76 reblogged this from scientificillustration
12. fiatluxaeterna reblogged this from scientificillustration
13. shiftingpoint reblogged this from scientificillustration
14. dreamingfoxes reblogged this from thepredatorblog
15. skyefeather reblogged this from scientificillustration
16. cooooooooookieeeecrisp liked this
17. cooooooooookieeeecrisp reblogged this from fuckyeahahmad
18. fuckyeahahmad reblogged this from tublickpastry
19. davidpcraig liked this
20. shewholikeswolves reblogged this from scientificillustration
21. skullnerd liked this
22. astudyintruffle liked this
23. dixiemcnair reblogged this from tublickpastry
24. unendinglegacy liked this
25. fabricated liked this
26. somnomania reblogged this from skullandbone
27. bonbeauchat liked this
28. leahisawkward liked this
29. whyistheresomuchblood reblogged this from villain-inamorata
30. driveside liked this
31. tublickpastry reblogged this from skullandbone and added:

    That’s a big pup

32. tublickpastry liked this
33. drawitenne liked this
34. sassyfangs13 liked this
35. effervescentoceans liked this
36. villain-inamorata reblogged this from scientificillustration
37. atomherzmutter reblogged this from asinheavenasinhell
38. creepygoth666 liked this
39. homelessminds reblogged this from thegreenwolf
40. sevenmonths-gone liked this
41. butter-flie reblogged this from thisragingpeace and added:

    I looove big dogs. Why you extinct?

42. nowifeelbad reblogged this from vadinevadi and added:

    Its name is literally epic.

43. vadinevadi reblogged this from bonbeauchat
44. orionpax liked this
45. djscreamer liked this
46. jazzvampire reblogged this from scientificillustration
47. kazikat reblogged this from skullandbone
48. krypticone liked this
49. chanieljose liked this
50. singuntilyoublackout liked this
51. Show more notesLoading...