The canid fauna of the Juntura Formation (late Clarendonian), Oregon

Canids were important members of Clarendonian faunas from the Great Plains and the southwestern part of North America, but they remain little studied in the northwestern portion of the continent. We present an overview of the canid fauna of Oregon's Juntura Formation, the best-preserved Clarendonian fauna from the northwest United States. The fauna is dominated by borophagines. The genus Carpocyon is reported for the first time in the Northwest and is represented from Juntura by postcrania. Most positively identifiable borophagine remains can be attributed to two species of Epicyon: E. saevus and E. haydeni. Only one specimen is attributable to the Caninae, showing that, as elsewhere, this subfamily remained a minor part of canid faunas until late in the Miocene. The presence of Epicyon and the absence of Aelurodon and Borophagus in the Juntura fauna provide support for the suggestion that these borophagine genera underwent a rapid ecological succession in the Northwest that constrains regional biostratigraphy.