Oxetocyon

{{Short description|Extinct genus of carnivores}}

{{Speciesbox

| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Early Oligocene|Late Oligocene}}

| display_parents = 2

| genus = Oxetocyon

| parent_authority = Green, 1954

| species = cuspidatus

| authority = Green, 1954

| range_map = Oxetocyon range.png

| range_map_caption = Range of Oxetocyon based on fossil distribution

}}

Oxetocyon ("beginning dog") is an extinct monospecific genus of the Borophaginae subfamily of canids native to North America. It lived during the Early Oligocene epoch,[https://paleobiodb.org/classic/checkTaxonInfo?taxon_no=41229 PaleoBiology Database: Oxetocyon Taxonomy, Species] existing for approximately {{Mya|33.3-30.8|million years}}. Fossils have been found in Nebraska and South Dakota.

Fossils of Oxetocyon are rare and, as a result, the genus is poorly known, and only the teeth, dentaries, and a fragmentary skull have been reported. The teeth of Oxetocyon indicate a hypocarnivorous diet, as is found in the living raccoon dog, and suggest a potential relationship to the unusual borophagine Otarocyon. Oxetocyon is distinguished from Otarocyon by its own set of dental specializations for an omnivorous diet, particularly by the presence of a cleft that divides each upper molar into front and back halves.Xiaoming Wang, R.H. Tedford, and B.E. Taylor. 1999. [http://www.nhm.org/expeditions/rrc/wang/documents/Wangetal1999borophaginemonographpart1.pdf Phylogenetic systematics of the Borophaginae]