Percrocuta
Encyclopedia
Percrocuta is an extinct genus
of hyena
-like feliform
carnivores. It lived in Europe, Asia, and Africa, during the Miocene
epoch.
With a maximum length of 1.50 m (5 ft), Percrocuta was much bigger than its modern relatives, but smaller than a female lion
. Like the Spotted Hyena
, Percrocuta had a robust skull
and powerful jaws. Similar to modern hyenids, its hind legs were shorter than the front legs, resulting in a characteristic sloping back.
Percrocuta was introduced as a genus of Percrocutidae
in 1938. Percrocuta's relation to the Hyaenidae family was debated until 1985, when Percrocuta, Dinocrocuta
, Belbus, and Allohyaena were accepted as the four genera of Percrocutidae
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of hyena
Hyena
Hyenas or Hyaenas are the animals of the family Hyaenidae of suborder feliforms of the Carnivora. It is the fourth smallest biological family in the Carnivora , and one of the smallest in the mammalia...
-like feliform
Feliformia
The Feliformia are a suborder within the order Carnivora and includes cats , hyenas, mongooses, civets and related taxa. The other suborder of Carnivora is Caniformia...
carnivores. It lived in Europe, Asia, and Africa, during the Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
epoch.
With a maximum length of 1.50 m (5 ft), Percrocuta was much bigger than its modern relatives, but smaller than a female lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
. Like the Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena
The spotted hyena also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save...
, Percrocuta had a robust skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
and powerful jaws. Similar to modern hyenids, its hind legs were shorter than the front legs, resulting in a characteristic sloping back.
Percrocuta was introduced as a genus of Percrocutidae
Percrocutidae
The Percrocutidae form an extinct family of hyena-like feliform carnivores endemic to Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe from the Miocene through Pliocene living 20—2.59 Ma existing for approximately ....
in 1938. Percrocuta's relation to the Hyaenidae family was debated until 1985, when Percrocuta, Dinocrocuta
Dinocrocuta
Dinocrocuta is an extinct genus of hyena-like feliform carnivores. It lived in Asia, and Africa, during the Miocene epoch. It had very strong jaws that were able to crush bones. It's estimated to weight roughly 400 kg...
, Belbus, and Allohyaena were accepted as the four genera of Percrocutidae
Percrocutidae
The Percrocutidae form an extinct family of hyena-like feliform carnivores endemic to Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe from the Miocene through Pliocene living 20—2.59 Ma existing for approximately ....
.