Chriacus is an extinct genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of prehistoric mammal which lived around 63 million years ago.

Chriacus was a raccoon

Raccoon

Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...

-like 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 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...

 epoch, with a length of about 1 metres (3.3 ft) including its long, robust tail, which may or may not have been prehensile. It had a light build, weighing approximately 7 kg (15 lb), and was an agile tree-climber. Chriacus was plantigrade

Plantigrade

right|151px|thumb|Human skeleton, showing plantigrade habitIn terrestrial animals, plantigrade locomotion means walking with the podials and metatarsals flat on the ground. It is one of three forms of locomotion adopted by mammals...

, that is, it walked on the soles of its five-toed feet which had long claw

Claw

A claw is a curved, pointed appendage, found at the end of a toe or finger in most mammals, birds, and some reptiles. However, the word "claw" is also often used in reference to an invertebrate. Somewhat similar fine hooked structures are found in arthropods such as beetles and spiders, at the end...

s. Its legs were powerfully built, with flexible joints. The front legs could be used for digging, while the hind legs were best suited for climbing. It was probably an omnivore

Omnivore

Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...

, like its relative, Arctocyon

Arctocyon

Arctocyon is an extinct genus of condylarth mammals. The jackal-sized creature was plantigrade, that is, it walked on the soles of its feet, like a bear. Although probably mainly terrestrial, it is possible that it also climbed trees. Arctocyon was probably an omnivore....

, eating fruit, eggs, insects and small mammals.