Magericyon (Amphicyon castellanus)

Magericyon anceps  (Amphicyon castellanus) (Stephane Peigne,‭ ‬Manuel J.‭ ‬Salesa,‭ ‬Mauricio,‭ ‬Anton‭ & ‬Jorge Morales‭ ‬-‭ ‬2008)

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Caniformia

Superfamily: Arctoidea

Family: †Amphicyonidae

Time period:  Late Miocene of Europe

Size: Up to‭ ‬2.2‭ ‬meters long. 0,9‭ ‬meters tall at the shoulder.  Weight estimated at up to‭ ‬150‭ ‬kg.

The fossil material for Magericyon was originally described as a species of Amphicyon until a new study by Peigne et al‭ ‬in‭ ‬2008.‭ ‬Magericyon was found to be different from Amphicyon by close study of the form and proportion of the teeth.‭ ‬In naming the new genus the describers chose the name Magericyon from the word Magerit,‭ ‬the original name for Madrid combined with the ancient Greek for cyon which means dog.‭ ‬Magericyon was further split into two species with M.‭ ‬anceps having shorter and narrower canine teeth than M.‭ ‬castellanus.
Magericyon remains are known from the Cerro de Battalions area of Spain which has been interpreted as a natural predator trap due‭ ‬to the exceptionally high abundance of carnivorous mammals in this area.‭ ‬Studies of modern large predatory mammals indicate that predators most likely to go after animals and carrion stuck in predator traps are those that live in groups,‭ ‬although solitary predators are also known to do this.‭ ‬This might hint at possible pack hunting for Magericyon,‭ ‬particularly since juvenile remains have also been found,‭ ‬although this may be indicative of family groups where the young stay and scavenge with the parent.
Other predators known from this region include saber-toothed cats such as Machairodus.