Percrocuta is an extinct
genus of
hyena-like
feliform carnivores. It lived in Europe, Asia, and Africa, during the
Miocene epoch.
Characteristics
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.[4]
Classification
Percrocuta was introduced as a genus of
Hyaenidae in 1938.[3]Percrocuta's relation to the family was debated until 1985, when Percrocuta, Dinocrocuta, Belbus, and Allohyaena were accepted as the four genera of
Percrocutidae.[5] More recent evidence, however, has shown that Belbus and Allohyaena at least, are not percrocutids.[6]
Fossil evidence
P. abessalomi is known only from a skull, two mandibles, and two teeth. These fossils were all collected from the Belomechetskaja, Georgia area and date from the sixth
Mammal Neogene (MN) zone. This species is the best known of the family Percrocutidae.[citation needed]P. miocenica is known from only a few mandibles, found in
Serbia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Turkey.[7][8] These fossils are also dated to MN 6.[5]
^Xiong, W. (2022). "New species of Percrocuta (Carnivora, Hyaenidae) from the early middle Miocene of Tongxin, China". Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology: 1–22.
doi:
10.1080/08912963.2022.2067757.
S2CID248627038.
^Palmer, D., ed. (1999). The Marshall Illustrated Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animals. London: Marshall Editions. p. 221.
ISBN1-84028-152-9.
^
abRaymond Louis Bernor; Volker Fahlbusch; Hans-Walter Mittmann (1996). The Evolution of Western Eurasian Neogene Mammal Faunas. Columbia University Press. pp. 261–265.
ISBN0-231-08246-0.