Percrocuta
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Percrocuta Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Jaws and teeth of P. tobieni | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Hyaenidae |
| Subfamily: | †Percrocutinae |
| Genus: | †Percrocuta Kretzoi, 1938 |
| Type species | |
| Percrocuta carnifex[1] Pilgrim, 1913 | |
| Species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Capsatherium Kurtén, 1978 | |
Percrocuta is an extinct genus of percrocutid hyena. It lived in Eurasia and Africa, during the Miocene epoch.
With a maximum length of 1.50 m (5 ft), Percrocuta was much bigger than its modern relatives. Like the spotted hyena, it had a robust skull and powerful jaws. Similar to modern hyaenids, its hind legs were shorter than the front legs, resulting in a characteristic sloping back.[5] However, not all species were larger than modern hyenas. P. xixiaensis is described to being close to size of the striped hyena. The zygomatic arch of this species was slender a hyena its size suggesting the cranium isn’t as strongly built was other bone crushing hyenas such as Dinocrocuta, Pachycrocuta, striped hyena, Adcrocuta, and Crocuta.[4]
P. miocenia was estimated to have weighed between 30–100 kg (66–220 lb).[6]
Classification
Percrocuta was introduced as a genus of Hyaenidae in 1938.[1] Percrocuta's relation to the family was debated until 1985, when Percrocuta, Dinocrocuta, Belbus, and Allohyaena were accepted as the four genera of Percrocutidae.[7] More recent evidence, however, has shown that Belbus and Allohyaena at least, are not percrocutids.[8]
