Johnston's Coyote Fossil range: Miocene–Pleistocene PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Conservation status
Fossil
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Canidae
Genus:	Canis
Species:	†C. lepophagus
Binomial name
†Canis lepophagus Miller and Carranza-Castaneda 1998
Range of Canis lepophagus based on fossil distribution

Timeline of canids highlighting Canis lepophagus in red. (Tedford & Wang)

Johnston's Coyote (Canis lepophagus) is an extinct species of canidae which was endemic to much of North America and lived from the Miocene epoch through Early Pleistocene, 10.3—1.8 Mya.^[1]. The Johnston's Coyote existed for approximately 8.5 million years.

[edit] Canid competitors

The Johnston's Coyote lived during a period with other canidae, specifically Borophaginae such as Epicyon (20.6—5.330 Ma), Paratomarctus (16.3—5.3 Ma), Borophagus (23.3—3.6 Ma), Carpocyon (20.4—3.9 Ma), and Aelurodon (23.03—4.9 Ma).

[edit] Fossil distribution

The Johnston's Coyote was named by Johnson in 1938. The first fossil record was found in Cita Canyon, Texas. Subsequent discoveries of specimens were found in 4 other Texas sites, Tonuco Mountain, New Mexico, western Washington^[2] Sante Fe River, Florida,^[3] Black Ranch in northern California, sites in Nebraska, Idaho, Utah, and Oklahoma.

A specimen was estimated by Legendre and Roth to weigh 18.5 kg (40.7 lbs) and another specimen was estimated to weigh 17 kg (37.4 lbs).^[4]

[edit] References

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