Parictis

Parictis Fossil range: Eocene–Miocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Ursidae
Subfamily:	Amphicynodontinae
Genus:	Parictis
Species
See text

Parictis is the earliest genus of bear known. It was a very small and graceful ursid with a skull only 7 cm long. Parictis first appeared in North America in the Late Eocene (ca. 38 million years ago), but it did not arrive in Eurasia and Africa until the Miocene.^[1] There is some suggestion that a limited emigration from Asia may have produced Parictis in North America due to the major sea level lowland circa 37 mya; however, as yet no Parictis fossils have been found in East Asia.

Species

• P. bathygenus White 1947
• P. dakotensis Clark 1936 37 Million years old
• P. gilpini Clark & Guensburg 1972 35 Million years old
• P. major Clark & Guensburg 1972
• P. montanus Clark & Guensburg 1972 36 Million years old
• P. parvus Clark & Beerbower, 1967 38 Million years old
• P. personi Chaffee 1954^[2] 33 Million years old
• P. primaevus, Scott 1893

References