title: Mesocyon
text: # Mesocyon
  
  Mesocyon ("middle dog") is an extinct genus of the Hesperocyoninae subfamily of early canids native to North America. It lived from the Oligocene to Early Miocene, 30.3—20.3 Ma, existing for approximately 10 million years. Fossils are known from Oregon, southern California and the northern Great Plains. It was roughly coyote-sized, and the first known canid to have a primarily meat-based diet.
  
  