Nope. Not this Karelian bear dog hunting waves bears (in its head, anyway).

Amphicyonids — top predators in Florida and elsewhere, tens of millions of years ago — were a much more serious matter.

And most of us laypeople have never heard of them!

So. Beardogs without cat-like competition — Hound Heaven!

Uh, not so fast, YogiBearFido…

To be continued on Friday.

Featured image: Figure 5, in Figueirido et al., CC BY 4.0., who note that it shows “…three extinct beardogs (right column) compared with their presumed analogues or ecomorphs among the living caniforms (left column). A. Ursus arctos. B. Canis lupus. C. Canis latrans. D. Ysengrinia americana. E. Daphoenodon superbus. F. Daphoenus vetus…”