Dissacus is an extinct carnivorous jackal

Jackal

Although the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...

 to coyote

Coyote

The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...

-sized mammal

Mammal

Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...

 of the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Mesonychidae

Mesonychidae

Mesonychidae is an extinct family of medium to large-sized omnivorous-carnivorous mammals closely related to artiodactyls which were endemic to North America and Eurasia during the Early Paleocene to Late Eocene living from 65—33.9 mya, existing for approximately .- Description :The mesonychids...

, endemic to Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 and North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 during the Paleocene

Paleocene

The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...

 through Eocene

Eocene

The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...

 epochs 65—50.3 mya, existing for approximately .

The bear-sized Ankalagon

Ankalagon

Ankalagon saurognathus is an extinct carnivorous mammal of the family Mesonychidae, endemic to North America during the Paleocene epoch , existing for approximately ....

is closely related to Dissacus, being regarded as a sister or daughter genus.

Dissacus had a Holarctic

Holarctic

The Holarctic ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole. This region is divided into the Palearctic, consisting of Northern Africa and all of Eurasia, with the exception of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, and the Nearctic,...

 distribution but Dissacus europaeus was the only mesonychid in present-day Europe. The fossil record of this species is fragmentary; remains in Cernay

Cernay-lès-Reims

Cernay-lès-Reims is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Marne department...

, France, include a mandible, a complete radius, and fragments of a humerus. A morphological study of these bones suggests this animal was digitigrade

Digitigrade

A digitigrade is an animal that stands or walks on its digits, or toes. Digitigrades include walking birds , cats, dogs, and many other mammals, but not plantigrades or unguligrades...

 and more cursorial

Cursorial

Cursorial is a biological term that describes an organism as being adapted specifically to run. It is typically used in conjunction with an animal's feeding habits or another important adaptation. For example, a horse can be considered a "cursorial grazer", while a wolf may be considered a...

 than is usually assumed for the genus.

Species

• Genus Dissacus
  • Dissacus argenteus
  • Dissacus europaeus
  • Dissacus indigenus
  • Dissacus magushanensis
  • Dissacus navajovius
  • Dissacus praenuntius
  • Dissacus rotundus
  • Dissacus serior
  • Dissacus serratus
  • Dissacus willwoodensis
  • Dissacus zanabazari
  • Dissacus zengi