New Dog Species Found In Maryland Acts Like A Hyena

A new dog species was unearthed in Maryland reccently, and it is said to be the size of a modern coyote with behavior that of a hyena.

The 12-million-year-old species, according to the Journal of Paleontology, has a strong bite, behaving a little like a hyena. The species called Cynarctus wangi, which lived during the middle of the Miocene period, is said to be part of an extinct family of dogs called bone crushers, because of their strong jaws and large teeth.

Dog Fossil Represents New Species of 'Bone Crusher' https://t.co/sFB2F4FwcS

— Discovery News (@DNews) May 13, 2016

This family, called Borophaginae, lived all over North America between 10 million nd 20 million years ago, and researchers think them likely to be extinct because despite their bite, they were unable to compete with the ancestors of modern wolves, coyotes, and even foxes. Scientists believed that C. wangi were not 100 percent carnivorous, and their teeth led researchers to think that around two-thirds of their meals were non-meat.

Discovery News noted that the study's lead author, Steven E. Janinski sai that the animal, which may also be getting by on plants and insects, may be "living more like a mini-bear than like a dog.

Found in the Choptank Formation of the Calvert Cliffs in Maryland and on the western shore of the Cheasapeake Bay, the location of the species was significant as is offered a new window on what North America was like in that era -- 12 to 13 million years ago, fossils from the region and in that time in history tend to be of seafaring animals, which begs to ask the question of what the C. wangi is doing there.

Janinki said in a statement, “Most fossils known from this time period represent marine animals, who become fossilized more easily than animals on land. It is quite rare we find fossils from land animals in this region during this time, but each one provides important information for what life was like then.”