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Wang, X., R.H. Tedford, and B.E. Taylor. 1999. Phylogenetic systematics of the Borophaginae (Carnivora, Canidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 243:1-391.

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-{{Taxobox
-|name = ''Cynodesmus''
-|fossil_range = Late [[Oligocene]] to Early [[Miocene]]
-|regnum = [[Animal]]ia
-|phylum = [[Chordata]]
-|classis = [[Mammalia]]
-|ordo = [[Carnivora]]
-|familia = [[Canidae]]
-|subfamilia = †[[Hesperocyoninae]]
-|genus = †'''''Cynodesmus'''''
-|genus_authority = [[William Berryman Scott|Scott]], 1895
-|type_species = †''Cynodesmus thooides''
-|subdivision_ranks = Species
-|subdivision =
-* †''C. martini''
-* †''C. thooides''
-<!-- * ''C. noblis''
-* ''C. ''Paradaphoenus'' these belong in the Osbornodon taxobox-->
-}}
-'''''Cynodesmus''''' is an extinct genus of canine which inhabited [[North America]] 34 [[mya (unit)|Mya]] to 25 Mya (Wang, 1994).
-The 1 m (3 ft 4 in) long creature was one of the first [[canidae|canids]] to truly look dog-like. It probably looked like the modern [[coyote]], but had a shorter [[skull]], heavier [[tail]] and longer rump. Also, ''Cynodesmus'' was not a very good runner compared to most other canids; it probably attacked prey from an ambush. Like [[Felidae|felids]], it could (partially) retract its [[claw]]s.
-== Taxonomy ==
-''Cynodesmus'' once included numerous species of [[Oligocene]] and [[Miocene]] canid with highly carnivorous ([[hypercarnivore|hypercarnivorous]]) [[dentition]]s. A revision of the genus by Wang (1994) indicates that most species previously placed in ''Cynodesmus'' are unrelated to the [[Biological type|type]] species, ''C. thooides''. These other species have been placed the genera ''[[Carpocyon]]'', ''[[Desmocyon]]'', ''[[Leptocyon]]'', ''[[Metatomarctus]]'', ''[[Osbornodon]]'', ''[[Otarocyon]]'', ''[[Paracynarctus]]'', ''[[Paratomarctus]]'', and ''[[Phlaocyon]]'' (Wang, 1994; Wang et al., 1999). Of these, only ''Osbornodon'' belongs in the same [[subfamily]] as ''Cynodesmus'', [[Hesperocyoninae]]. The remaining genera are placed in the subfamilies [[Borophaginae]] and [[Caninae]].
-With unrelated species removed, ''Cynodesmus'' is currently restricted to the type species and the closely related ''C. martini'' (Wang, 1994).
-<!-- Species: ''Osbornodon iamonensis''. Syn species: (''Cynodesmus nobilis'', ''Paradaphoenus tropicalis)'', ''Osbornodon  renjiei,'' ''Osbornodon  scitulus,'' ''Osbornodon  sesnoni,'' ''Osbornodon  wangi).''<ref>[http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no=49463 Osbornodon iamonensis (see genus ''Osbornodon'')]</ref> this is about Osbornodon, so its been moved there-->
-Studies using the old conception of ''Cynodesmus'' considered it to be the ancestor of ''[[Tomarctus]]'' (16-23 Ma) from which [[wolf|wolves]], [[dog]]s, [[fox]]es and [[fennec]]s developed. The ''Cynodesmus'' is a good example of [[convergent evolution]] because of other species such as the ''[[Borophagus]]'', the largest and most dominant canids of this [[Pliocene]] epoch, both of which evolved from it.<ref>[http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall01%20projects/coyote.htm North American Coyote]</ref>
-==References==
-<references />
-*Wang, X. 1994. [http://hdl.handle.net/2246/829 Phylogenetic systematics of the Hesperocyoninae (Carnivora, Canidae)]. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 221:1-207.
 *Wang, X., R.H. Tedford, and B.E. Taylor. 1999. [http://hdl.handle.net/2246/1588 Phylogenetic systematics of the Borophaginae (Carnivora, Canidae)]. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, 243:1-391.