Proteles amplidentus
Extinct species of hyena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Proteles amplidentus is an extinct species of prehistoric hyena closely related to the living aardwolf. It lived during the Plio-Pleistocene in South Africa, where fossils have been found in the Swartkrans dated to as recently as 1.5 million years ago.[1] Proteles amplidentus has additionally been found in the Kromdraai fossil site.[2]
| Proteles amplidentus Temporal range: Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Hyaenidae |
| Genus: | Proteles |
| Species: | †P. amplidentus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Proteles amplidentus Werdelin & Solounias, 1991 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Proteles transvaalensis Hendey, 1974 | |
Characteristics
Etymology and naming
Proteles amplidentus was initially named Proteles transvaalensis by Hendey (1974),[4] but Proteles cristatus transvaalensis (Roberts, 1932)[5] had already been used to describe a subspecies of aardwolf. Proteles amplidentus was proposed by Werdelin & Solounias (1991) in reference to the larger dentition of this species in comparison to the extant aardwolf.[2]
