Otarocyon

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Otarocyon was an extinct, small dog-like animal from North America, part of the Borophaginae subfamily of canids. It lived during the Oligocene epoch, about 33.3 to 20.6 million years ago. Fossils have been found in Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota.

It had a short, broad skull, a special arrangement of middle ear bones, and simple, tall premolar teeth. Its molars show early signs of a diet that was not strictly meat, meaning it may have eaten a mix of foods.

The skull of Otarocyon resembles that of a small fennec fox, but this is likely a case of convergent evolution—similar features evolved independently because of similar lifestyles, not close relation.

There are two known species: Otarocyon cooki and Otarocyon macdonaldi. O. macdonaldi is smaller and shows fewer of the genus’s specialized features. It is the earliest known borophagine, while Archaeocyon appeared later but was more primitive.