Namibiocyon ginsburgi was originally classified as a species of Ysengrinia, a taxon with similar hypercarnivorous adaptions now referred to the subfamily Thaumastocyoninae. Meanwhile, Namibiocyon, and all other amphicyonids known from Africa, are members of the tribe Amphicyonini. Its strongly pronounced hypercarnivorous features have led some researchers to suggest that it was ancestral to the genus Myacyon, which was widespread throughout Africa in the middle to late Miocene. Opposed to the trend seen in several of its African members, Eurasian species of this tribe showcase adaptions towards mesocarnivory and bone-crushing, suggesting that this tribe's radiation was likely considerably more complex than usually acknowledged.
