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Ictitheriinae
Hyenas or hyaenas ( ; from Ancient Greek , ) are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae (). With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems. Although phylogenetically closer to felines and viverrids, hyenas are behaviourally and morphologically similar to canids in several elements due to convergent evolution: both hyenas and canines are non-arboreal, cursorial hunters that catch prey with their teeth rather than claws. Both eat food quickly and may store it, and their calloused feet with large, blunt, nonretractable claws are adapted for running and making sharp turns. However, hyenas' grooming, scent marking, defecation habits, mating, and parental behavior are consistent with the behavior of other feliforms. Hyenas feature prominently in the folkl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ictitherium
''Ictitherium'' (meaning "weasel beast") is an extinct genus belonging to the family Hyaenidae and the subfamily Ictitheriinae erected by Trouessart in 1897. ''Ictitherium'' species were endemic to Africa and Eurasia during the Middle Miocene through the Early Pliocene Early may refer to: Places in the United States * Early, Iowa, a city * Early, Texas, a city * Early Branch, a stream in Missouri * Early County, Georgia * Fort Early, Georgia, an early 19th century fort Music * Early B, stage name of Jamaican d ... (12.7—5.3 mya) and existed approximately . Description ''Ictitherium'' were around long, and looked more like civets than modern hyenas, possessing a long body with short legs and a possibly short tail. It is speculated that ''I. viverrinum'' was an opportunistic feeder, and that it ate plants as well as medium-small mammals and birds. ''Ictitherium'' was a very successful and abundant genus, with multiple fossils often being found at a single site. Refere ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Early Miocene
The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages: the Aquitanian age, Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages. The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 annum, Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was preceded by the Oligocene epoch. As the climate started to get cooler, the landscape started to change. New mammals evolved to replace the extinct animals of the Oligocene epoch. The first members of the hyena and weasel family started to evolve to replace the extinct ''Hyaenodon'', entelodonts and bear-dogs. The chalicotheres survived the Oligocene epoch. A new genus of entelodont called ''Daeodon'' evolved in order to adapt to the new habitats and hunt the new prey animals of the Early Miocene epoch; it quickly became the top predator of North America. But it became extinct due to competition from ''Amphicyon'', a newcomer from Eurasia. ''Amphicyon'' bested ''Daeodon'' because the bear-dog's la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Werdelinus
''Werdelinus'' is an extinct genus of hyaenid containing a single known species. ''Werdelinus africanus'' is known by material from Toros-Menalla, Chad. It lived during the Late Miocene and the Pliocene. Dental wear of ''Werdelinus africanus'' indicates that ''Werdelinus'' likely had durophagous adaptations, including adaptations to bone-crushing. Analysis of the lower dentition of ''W. africanus'' suggests that it was likely durophagous and cursorial. Characteristics ''Werdelinus africanus'' is a large hyaenid characterized by a deep maxilla, low premolars, and a large m1 molar, but significantly reduced M1 and m2 molars. Its maxilla is deeper than those of most hyaenids. Its mandible corpus is shallower than those of most modern hyaenids, including the brown hyena, the striped hyena, and the spotted hyena, and excluding the aardwolf. Despite being shallow its mandible corpus is robust and in life was likely very sturdy to support the probable durophagous tendencies of ''W. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lycyaena
''Lycyaena'' is an extinct genus of terrestrial carnivore in the family Hyaenidae. ''Lycyaena'' was a cursorial hunting hyaena as opposed to full-time scavenger. It has been suggested by R. F. Ewer that ''Lycyaena'' may be a possible ancestor to today's aardwolf (''Proteles cristatus''). ''Lycyaena'' lived in Eurasia and North Africa during the Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye .... References Miocene feliforms Prehistoric mammals of Europe Prehistoric carnivoran genera Prehistoric hyenas {{paleo-carnivora-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thalassictis
''Thalassictis'' is an extinct genus of terrestrial carnivore in the family Hyaenidae that lived in Asia during the Middle to Late Miocene and in Europe and North Africa during the Late Miocene. ''Thalassictis'' may be paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co .... Discovery ''Thalassictis'' was named by Nordmann (1850) n Gervais Its type is ''Thalassictis robusta''. It was assigned to Hyaenidae by Kurtén (1982) and Flynn (1998).J. J. Flynn. 1998. Early Cenozoic Carnivora ("Miacoidea"). In C. M. Janis, K. M. Scott, and L. L. Jacobs (eds.), Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America 1:110-123 References Miocene feliforms Miocene genus extinctions Miocene mammals of Europe Miocene mammals of Africa Miocene mammals of Asia Prehistoric hyenas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protictitherium
''Protictitherium'' ( gr. first striking beast) is an extinct genus of hyena that lived across Europe and Asia during the Middle and Late Miocene, it is often considered to be the first hyena since it contains some of the oldest fossils of the family. They were especially prolific in Turkey, where every species has been registered. Description ''Protictitherium'' was akin to civets both in size, being around 50 cm (19 inches) tall at their shoulder; and in weight, with calculations suggesting something around 4-8 kg (8-18 lb), with differences between species. It has been suggested that ''Protictitherium'' was a partly arboreal predator, due to their semi-retractable claws, perhaps to avoid larger predators . While they possessed somewhat large molars and premolars, their bite wasn't remarkably strong. Species There are generally three recognized species in the genus ''Protictitherium'', though there are some that suggest that species in the genus '' Tungurictis'' s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gansuyaena
''Gansuyaena'' is an extinct genus of small hyenas that lived through the Middle to Late Miocene. Among all known fossil hyaenids ''Gansuyaena'' was the most closely related to the extant '' Proteles'' genus which contains the aardwolf, but ''Gansuyaena'' was not a likely ancestor of ''Proteles''. ''Gansuyaena'' may have been a dietary generalist. It likely had sharp hearing and vision. ''Gansuyaena megalotis'' possibly had insectivorous adaptations, including adaptations to termite-eating. Species There are currently two species recognized in the ''Gansuyaena'' genus. ''Gansuyaena megalotis'' The type species. ''Gansuyaena megalotis'' is known by fossils from the Linxia Basin in the Gansu Province of China and specimens from Pasalar, Turkey. This species lived from the Middle to Late Miocene. In proportion to its size, ''Gansuyaena megalotis'' had a larger talonid on its first molar than ''Gansuyaena guerini''. ''Gansuyaena guerini'' ''Gansuyaena guerini'' has only been ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proteles
''Proteles'' is a genus of distinctive hyenas which contain the aardwolf ''(Proteles cristatus)'' and its close fossil relatives. It is the only extant genus of the subfamily Protelinae. While the oldest fossils definitely belonging to ''Proteles'' date back to the Pliocene, material from the Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ... dating to around 10 million years ago has been suggested to belong to the genus, which would significantly increase its temporal range. It has been suggested that the Proelinae subfamily may actually be an offshoot of the "running hyenas" (such as '' Lycyaena'') who adapted to an insectivorous diet due to increased competition from canines and felines. References Carnivoran genera Mammal genera with one living species Hyenas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pliocrocuta
''Pliocrocuta'' is an extinct genus of hyena. It contains the species ''Pliocrocuta perrieri'', known from the Pliocene to Early Pleistocene of Eurasia and possibly Africa. It is possibly ancestral to ''Pachycrocuta,'' with some authors including ''P. perrieri'' within ''Pachycrocuta''. It is largely known from cranial remains. The species is estimated to have weighed around on average, with its skull showing evidence for adaptation to bone cracking. It may have have been solitary, unlike living bone cracking spotted hyenas. ''P. perrieri'' first appeared during the Pliocene, around 4.2 million years ago. In the earliest Pleistocene (2.6-2 million years ago) of Europe, ''Pliocrocuta'' lived alongside the fellow hyena '' Chasmaporthetes,'' the sabertooth cats ''Megantereon'' and ''Homotherium,'' the giant cheetah '' Acinonyx pardinensis,'' the cougar-relative '' Puma pardoides,'' the primitive lynx ''Lynx issiodorensis'', the bear '' Ursus etruscus'', and the wild dog '' Xenocyo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pachycrocuta
''Pachycrocuta'' is an extinct genus of hyena. The largest and most well-researched species is ''Pachycrocuta brevirostris'', colloquially known as the giant short-faced hyena as it stood about at the shoulder and it is estimated to have averaged in weight, approaching the size of a lioness, making it one the largest known hyenas. It is often hypothesised to have been a specialised kleptoparasitic scavenger, using its imposing size to force other predators off of carcasses, though some authors have suggested they may have been effective pack hunters like living spotted hyenas. The precise time of the origin of the genus depends on what species are included, though the only unquestioned species of the genus, ''P. brevirostris'', had emerged by the Early Pleistocene (around 2.6-2 million years ago). Around 800,000 years ago at the end of the Early Pleistocene, it became locally extinct in Europe, with it surviving in East Asia until at least 500,000 years ago, and possibly later e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
