| Parictis Temporal range: Eocene–Miocene |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Ursidae |
| Subfamily: | Amphicynodontinae |
| Genus: | Parictis |
| Species | |
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See text |
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Parictis is the earliest genus of bear known. It was a very small and graceful ursid with a skull only 7 cm long. Parictis first appeared in North America in the Late Eocene (ca. 38 million years ago), but it did not arrive in Eurasia and Africa until the Miocene.[1] There is some suggestion that a limited emigration from Asia may have produced Parictis in North America due to the major sea level lowland circa 37 mya; however, as yet no Parictis fossils have been found in East Asia.
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