Chasmaporthetes
Parts of the jaw of Chasmaporthetes
Chasmaporthetes is an extinct genus of hyena ( Hyaenidae ) ranging in time from the Miocene to the early Pleistocene. In Europe it was originally described under the name Euryboas. The genus is known from Europe, Asia, Africa and North America and was one of the most widespread hyenas at all. Chasmaportetes developed probably in the late Miocene of Eurasia. In the Pliocene Chasmaporthetes reached the only hyena the North American continent where the species survived until the early Pleistocene. In the Old World the genus existed also to the early Pleistocene. The species C. lunensis reached a shoulder height of about 80 cm. C. australis was slightly larger with about 88 cm shoulder height.
Unlike many of today's hyenas, whose strong molars are capable of breaking bones, had Chasmaportetes relatively weak but sharp fangs, comparable to those of cats. The genus was much leaner and more likely to have been a fast fighters with their walking legs.
Swell
- Jordi Augusti, Mauricio Antón: Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids. 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe. Columbia University Press, New York, NY, inter alia, 2002, ISBN 0-231-11640-3.
- Werdelin Kurten: A Review of the genus " Chasmaporthetes " Hay, 1921 ( Carnivora, Hyaenidae ). In: Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology. 8, 1, 1988, ISSN 1567-2158, pp. 46-66.
- Malcolm C. McKenna, Susan K. Bell: Classification of Mammals above the Species Level. Columbia University Press, New York, NY, inter alia, 1997, ISBN 0-231-11013-8.