Hyaenodontidae
Hyaenodon, drawing by Heinrich Harder
- North America
- Europe
- Asia
- Africa
The Hyaenodontidae are an extinct family of carnivorous mammals that occurred in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. They appeared with Lahimia in the middle Paleocene and died in North America and Europe with the end of the Oligocene, Africa and Asia during the Miocene from.
They had a physical resemblance with today's dogs and hyenas have adapted a partially or fully digitigrade ( from the Latin digitus " toe " ) feet ( digitigrade ) and were like today's dogs and hyenas to fast running. Early forms were small, Proviverra whose fossils have been found among others in the Messel Pit was only 20 cm long, Arfia was already as tall as a fox. The biggest forms of Hyaenodontidae, Hyaenodon, Hyainailouros and Megistotherium had skulls that were twice as large as the current lion.
Her jaw harbored a crushing scissor bite, which was formed by the entire molar series, with emphasis on the second molar tooth ( molar) in the upper jaw and the third molars in the mandible. The possibly related Oxyaenidae had the first molar in the upper jaw and the second in the lower jaw of greater importance in the recent predators of the fourth premolar in the upper jaw and the first molar in the lower jaw.
Outer systematics
The Hyaenodontidae are called together with the cat, or raccoon -like Oxyaenidae in the order of Creodonta in German also Urraubtiere, asked. The Oxyaenidae appeared, however, already in the middle Paleocene in the fossil record and also died earlier than the Hyaenodontidae again. Both families share no synapomorphies, so that the validity of the taxon Creodonta is doubted. Together with the recent carnivores ( Carnivora ) and pangolins ( Manidae ) form the Hyaenodontidae and Oxyaenidae the taxon ferae.
- Family Hyaenodontidae Subfamily Hyaenodontinae Hyaenodon genus ( syn. Alloeodectes, Neohyaenodon, Pseudopterodon )
- Genus Isohyaenodon
- Genus Neoparapterodon
- Genus Pyrocyon
- Genus Anasinopa
- Apterodon genus ( syn. Dasyurodon )
- Genus Buhakia
- Genus Dissopsalis
- Genus Francotherium
- Hyainailouros genus ( syn. Sivapterodon )
- Genus Megistotherium
- Genus Metasinopa
- Genus Iridodon
- Limnocyon genus ( syn. Telmatocyon )
- Genus Oxyaenodon
- Genus Prolimnocyon
- Genus Thinocyon
- Genus Allopterodon
- Genus Arfia
- Genus Boualitomus
- Genus Cynohyaenodon
- Genus Eurotherium
- Genus Kyawdawia
- Genus Lahimia
- Genus Leonhard Tina
- Genus Lesmesodon
- Genus Masrasector
- Genus Paracynohyaenodon Skeleton of Sinopa grangeri at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC
- Genus Paratritemnodon
- Genus Prodissopsalis
- Genus Prototomus
- Proviverra genus ( syn. Mimocyon )
- Sinopa genus ( syn. Stypolophus, Triacodon )
- Genus Tinerhodon
- Genus Consobrinus
- Genus Galecyon
- Genus Gazinocyon
- Genus Geiselotherium
- Genus Hemipsalodon
- Genus Hyaenodontipus
- Genus Imperatoria
- Genus Ischnognathus
- Genus Leakitherium
- Genus Orienspterodon
- Genus Oxyaenoides
- Genus Paenoxyaenoides
- Genus Parapterodon
- Genus Paravagula
- Genus Paroxyaena
- Genus Praecodens
- Genus Prolaena
- Genus Propterodon
- Genus Proviverroides Skeleton of Tritemnodon
- Genus Quasiapterodon
- Genus Quercitherium
- Genus Schizophagus
- Genus Teratodon
- Genus Thereutherium
- Genus Tritemnodon
- Genus Yarshea