Leptocyon -Ancestor of Canids (and foxes in particular)

My thanks to colleague LM for asking me a question earlier today while I had a headache that lewd to this post.

 Leptocyon (“slender dog”) is a small extinct genus of canid native to North America from 25 to 10 Mya. Various species of this canid persisted for almost 25 million years, making it one of the most successful predatory mammals of Oligocene and Miocene North America.

Two specimens were examined by Legendre and Roth. Estimating their body mass, a weight estimate of 3.26 kilograms was reached.

Length

55 - 90cm

Height

40cm

Weight

3.26 Kilograms

Feeding

Small animals (Rodents, Lizards, Lagomorphs, Insectivores, Small birds and their Eggs)

Time range

It lived during the Oligocene and Miocene from 24.8 million years ago to 10.3 million years ago.

Possible habitat.

Grasslands and Forests

Featured

Small and slender like a fox

Described by

Matthew

Year of Discovery

1918

Species

L. gregorii

L. vaferL. Vulpinus

†L. delicatus Loomis 1932

†L. gregorii Matthew 1907

†L. vafer Leidy 1858

†L. vulpinus Matthew 1907

image from https://prehistoria.fandom.com/es/wiki/Leptocyon

Above image (c)2023 Prehistoric Fauna https://prehistoric-fauna.com/Leptocyon

The information to be found online is not much and the fullest is on Wikipedia, which shows how it can help to spread education:

"The genus Leptocyon (Greek: leptos slender + cyon dog) includes 11 species and was the first canine. They were small and weighed around 2 kilograms (4.4 lb). They first appeared in North America around 34 million years ago in the Oligocene, at the same time as the Borophaginae, with whom they share features, indicating that these were two sister groups. Borophaginae skull and dentition were designed for a powerful killing bite compared with the Leptocyon which were designed for snatching small, fast-moving prey. The species L. delicatus is the smallest canid to have existed. At the close of their genus 9 million years ago one Leptocyon lineage resembled the modern fox.

"Leptocyon were small-bodied, fox-like animals with a long, narrow jaw and delicate teeth. They were probably omnivorous, feeding on small animals and fruit in a diet that remained relatively unchanged during the Miocene."

Above: Leptocyon range map (c)2023 Noles1984

Above: Drawing of AMNH 12879, the holotype skull of Leptocyon gregorii (MATTHEW 1907), orig. comb. Nothocyon gregorii, from the middle Arikareean (Upper Oligocene) Rosebud beds of South Dakota, USA.  Wikipedia

Above: Leptocyon head restoration (c)2023 Mariomassone

Rather like we can find the ancient ancestor of today's wildcats so we can show, reasonably, what the ancestor of today's dogs, and particularly foxes, might have looked like. To many this may seem very unimportant but to those interested in fox ancestors and particularly the Old fox types it is important.

Above: from Prehistoric Wiki https://prehistoric-wiki.fandom.com/wiki/Leptocyon