Two fossils from els Casots near Barcelona have been identified as Paludocyon moyasolai, a previously unknown amphicyonid that lived about 15.9 million years ago in a warm, lake-dotted forest.
The species was defined from a partial skull and an isolated lower molar, with unusually proportioned molars—especially an oversized third upper molar—not seen in other known Paludocyon members.
Teeth comparisons with European and North American relatives place the animal as the earliest branch of Paludocyon, making it one of the most primitive known members of the genus.
That analysis also suggests Cynelos is paraphyletic, while three North American species now assigned to Cynelos may be closer to Paludocyon, leaving their classification unresolved.
The findings, published in the Journal of Mammalian Evolution, add evidence to debates over how bear-dogs spread and diversified across North America, Europe and possibly Asia.