Crocuta

Crocuta; Temporal range:3.8–0Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓ Pliocene-Present
	Spotted hyena(Crocuta crocuta)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Hyaenidae
Subfamily:	Hyaeninae
Genus:	Crocuta; Kaup,1828
Type species
	Hyaena crocuta; Erxleben,1777
Species
	Crocuta crocuta; †Crocuta dietrichi; †Crocuta eturono; †Crocuta honanensis; †Crocuta sivalensis;

Crocutais agenusofhyenacontaining the largest extant member of thefamily,thespotted hyena(Crocuta crocuta).Severalfossil speciesare known as well.

Taxonomy[edit]

It is still unclear whether the genus evolved inAfricaorAsia,although the oldest known fossils are from Africa and dated to about 3.8 mya.^[1]

The Eurasian "cave hyenas"(Crocuta spelaea,Crocuta ultimaand others) have been classified as distinct species, but are nowadays more commonly considered prehistoric subspecies of the spotted hyena.

Twoextinctspecies are known to have coexisted with each other in eastern Africa during thePliocene;Crocuta eturonoandCrocuta dietrichi,each one probably occupying a differentnichein regards to their preference forscavengingorhunting.^[2]InAhl al Oughlam,a Pliocene site inMorocco,lived the speciesCrocuta dbaa.^[3]InChinathere was a Pliocene species,Crocuta honanensis,^[4]while another species from the same epoch inIndiaknown asCrocuta sivalensishas an unclear status, being regarded as anything from a synonym of the spotted hyena to an ancestor.^[5]

References[edit]

^Rao, Huiyun (2020)."Palaeoproteomic analysis of Pleistocene cave hyenas from east Asia".Scientific Reports.10(1): 16674.doi:10.1038/s41598-020-73542-x.PMC7541484.PMID 33028848.
^Coca-Ortega, Carlos; Pérez-Claros, Juan Antonio (2019)."Characterizing ecomorphological patterns in hyenids: a multivariate approach using postcanine dentition".PeerJ.6:e6238.doi:10.7717/peerj.6238.PMC6330948.PMID 30648005.
^Geraads, Denis; Alemseged, Zeresenay; Bobe, René; Reed, Denné (July 2015)."Pliocene Carnivora (Mammalia) from the Hadar Formation at Dikika, Lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia".Journal of African Earth Sciences.107:28–35.doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2015.03.020.Retrieved10 January2024– via Elsevier Science Direct.
^Sheng, Gui-Lian (2013). "Pleistocene Chinese cave hyenas and the recent Eurasian history of the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta".Molecular Ecology.23(3): 522–533.doi:10.1111/mec.12576.PMID 24320717.S2CID 25812110.
^Werdelin, Lars; Lewis, Margaret E. (2012). "The taxonomic identity of the type specimen of Crocuta sivalensis (Falconer, 1867)".Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.32(6): 1453–1456.doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694593.S2CID 83475651.

[1] Rao, Huiyun (2020)."Palaeoproteomic analysis of Pleistocene cave hyenas from east Asia".Scientific Reports.10(1): 16674.doi:10.1038/s41598-020-73542-x.PMC7541484.PMID 33028848.

[2] Coca-Ortega, Carlos; Pérez-Claros, Juan Antonio (2019)."Characterizing ecomorphological patterns in hyenids: a multivariate approach using postcanine dentition".PeerJ.6:e6238.doi:10.7717/peerj.6238.PMC6330948.PMID 30648005.

[3] Geraads, Denis; Alemseged, Zeresenay; Bobe, René; Reed, Denné (July 2015)."Pliocene Carnivora (Mammalia) from the Hadar Formation at Dikika, Lower Awash Valley, Ethiopia".Journal of African Earth Sciences.107:28–35.doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2015.03.020.Retrieved10 January2024– via Elsevier Science Direct.

[4] Sheng, Gui-Lian (2013). "Pleistocene Chinese cave hyenas and the recent Eurasian history of the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta".Molecular Ecology.23(3): 522–533.doi:10.1111/mec.12576.PMID 24320717.S2CID 25812110.

[5] Werdelin, Lars; Lewis, Margaret E. (2012). "The taxonomic identity of the type specimen of Crocuta sivalensis (Falconer, 1867)".Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.32(6): 1453–1456.doi:10.1080/02724634.2012.694593.S2CID 83475651.

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