Premise: Haplocyonoides is an extinct genus of terrestrial carnivores belonging to the suborder Caniformia, family Amphicyonidae ("bear dog"), and which inhabited Europe from the Early Miocene subepoch (20 Mya)—(16.9 Mya). "Haplocyonoides" existed for approximately .
Hypothesis: Haplocyonoides were called "bear dogs" because they looked like a dog but had the claws of a bear.