![]() Bone-crushing hyenas īy 10–14 million years ago, the hyena family had split into two distinct groups: dog-like hyenas and bone-crushing hyenas. Most of the dog-like hyenas had died off by 1.5 million years ago. Chasmaporthetes managed to survive for some time in North America by deviating from the endurance-running and bone-crushing niches monopolized by canids, and developing into a cheetah-like sprinter. One species, Chasmaporthetes ossifragus, managed to cross the land bridge into North America, being the only hyena to do so. The decline of the dog-like hyenas began 5–7 million years ago during a period of climate change, exacerbated by canids crossing the Bering land bridge to Eurasia. The dog-like hyenas were numerous in some Miocene fossil sites, the remains of Ictitherium and other dog-like hyenas outnumber those of all other carnivores combined. Unlike most modern hyena species, which are specialised bone-crushers, these dog-like hyenas were nimble-bodied, wolfish animals one species among them was Ictitherium viverrinum, which was similar to a jackal. The descendants of Plioviverrops reached their peak 15 million years ago, with more than 30 species having been identified. Rise and fall of the dog-like hyenas Skull of Ictitherium viverrinum, one of the "dog-like" hyenas. Of the dog-like hyena lineage, only the insectivorous aardwolf survived, while the bone-crushing hyenas (including the extant spotted, brown and striped hyenas) became the undisputed top scavengers of Eurasia and Africa. Although the dog-like hyenas thrived 15 million years ago (with one taxon having colonised North America), they became extinct after a change in climate, along with the arrival of canids into Eurasia. Hyenas then diversified into two distinct types: lightly built dog-like hyenas and robust bone-crushing hyenas. The lineage of Plioviverrops prospered, and gave rise to descendants with longer legs and more pointed jaws, a direction similar to that taken by canids in North America. The first ancestral hyenas were likely similar to the modern African civet one of the earliest hyena species described, Plioviverrops, was a lithe, civet-like animal that inhabited Eurasia 20–22 million years ago, and is identifiable as a hyaenid by the structure of the middle ear and dentition. Hyenas originated in the jungles of Miocene Eurasia 22 million years ago, when most early feliform species were still largely arboreal. Other cultures associate them with witchcraft, using their body parts in traditional medicine. In some cultures, hyenas are thought to influence people's spirits, rob graves, and steal livestock and children. Hyenas are commonly viewed as frightening and worthy of contempt. Hyenas feature prominently in the folklore and mythology of human cultures that live alongside them. ![]() ![]() However, hyenas' grooming, scent marking, defecation habits, mating and parental behavior are consistent with the behavior of other feliforms. 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. Īlthough 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. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems. With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek ὕαινα, hýaina), are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae / h aɪ ˈ ɛ n ɪ d iː/. Hyaena (blue on map, includes Parahyaena)Īardwolf, smallest member of the Hyena family, skeleton. ![]()
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