''Ictitherium'' is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Hyaenidae and the subfamily

Ictitheriinae Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the cla ...

erected by Trouessart in 1897. ''Ictitherium'' species were

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found els ...

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelag ...

and

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

during the Middle Miocene through the

Early Pliocene Early may refer to: History * The beginning or oldest part of a defined historical period, as opposed to middle or late periods, e.g.: ** Early Christianity ** Early modern Europe Places in the United States * Early, Iowa * Early, Texas * Early ...

(12.7—5.3 mya) and existed approximately . Ictitherium robustum 1

''Ictitherium'' were around long, and looked more like

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...

s than modern hyenas, possessing a long body with short legs and a possibly short tail. It is speculated that ''I. viverrinum'' 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. Possibly, this early hyena genus lived in packs and had a social order, much like its modern descendants.

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