''Ictitherium'' (meaning "weasel beast") is an

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

belonging to the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Hyaenidae and the subfamily Ictitheriinae erected by Trouessart in 1897. ''Ictitherium'' species were

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

and

Eurasia Eurasia ( , ) is a continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. According to some geographers, Physical geography, physiographically, Eurasia is a single supercontinent. The concept of Europe and Asia as distinct continents d ...

during the

Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), epoch made up of two Stage (stratigraphy), stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0. ...

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.

References

Prehistoric hyenas Miocene carnivorans Pliocene carnivorans Zanclean extinctions Miocene mammals of Africa Pliocene mammals of Africa Miocene mammals of Asia Pliocene mammals of Asia Miocene mammals of Europe Prehistoric carnivoran genera {{paleo-carnivora-stub