Catalan Fossils Uncover Primitive Bear-Dog Paludocyon moyasolai
Paleontologists have named Paludocyon moyasolai, a new Middle Miocene amphicyonid (bear-dog), from els Casots in the Vallès-Penedès Basin near Barcelona. The two fossils—a partial skull with teeth and a separate lower molar—show unique molar proportions (second upper molar broader than the first; third upper molar exceptionally large), identifying it as the basal-most Paludocyon and the most primitive member yet described. Phylogenetic analysis also indicates Cynelos is paraphyletic, with three North American Cynelos species appearing closer to Paludocyon but remaining unresolved, and possibly tracing to Asian or endemic North American lineages. The discovery, reported in the Journal of Mammalian Evolution, sheds light on amphicyonid evolution and early North American–Eurasian connections.