Crocuta dietrichi

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Crocuta dietrichi
Temporal range: Pliocene to Pleistocene
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Hyaenidae
Genus: Crocuta
Species:
†C. dietrichi
Binomial name
†Crocuta dietrichi
Petter & Howell, 1989
Synonyms

Crocuta dbaa?(Geraads, 1997)

Crocuta dietrichi is an extinct species of hyena closely related to the modern spotted hyena. It lived through the Plio-Pleistocene, and has been reported from as early as 4.4 million years ago [1] to as recently as 1.7 million years ago. [2] It has been found in southern, eastern, and possibly northern Africa. [3] During the Pliocene Crocuta dietrichi coexisted with the larger Crocuta eturono in eastern Africa, [4] where niche partitioning had likely occurred between the two species, with Crocuta dietrichi acting as an opportunistic predator and scavenger while Crocuta eturono was a more specialized predator of large prey. [5] Crocuta dietrichi is the earliest known member of the genus Crocuta . [2] [3]

Characteristics

Crocuta dietrichi was slightly smaller than the spotted hyena [5] but was otherwise morphologically very similar to the modern species. [6] Crocuta dietrichi was smaller than most Crocuta. [3] Relative to other members of its genus Crocuta dietrichi had a longer talonid on its first premolar, a shorter third premolar, and a wider fourth premolar. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Morales, J.; Senut, B.; Pickford, M. (2011). "Crocuta dietrichi de Meob, Namibia: Implicaciones sobre la edad de la Arenisca de Tsondab en la zona costera del desierto de Namibia". Estudios Geológicos. 67 (2): 207–215. doi:10.3989/egeol.40463.184.
  2. 1 2 Egeland, Charles Peter. (2007). "Zooarchaeological and taphonomic perspectives on hominid and carnivore interactions at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania" (PDF). Indiana University.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Werdelin, Lars; Lewis, Margaret E.; Haile-Selassie, Yohannes (2014). "Mid-Pliocene Carnivora from the Woranso-Mille Area, Afar Region, Ethiopia". Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 21 (3): 331–347. doi:10.1007/s10914-013-9250-5.
  4. ↑ 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 . PMC   6330948 . PMID   30648005.
  5. 1 2 Oksanen, Otto. (2017). "Feeding ecology of Lothagam and Koobi Fora fossil carnivorans". University of Helsinki. pp. 57-59.
  6. ↑ Werdelin, Lars; Solounias, Nikos (1991). The Hyaenidae: Taxonomy, systematics and evolution. Fossils and Strata. Vol. 30. pp. 1–104. doi:10.18261/8200374815-1991-01. ISBN   82-00-37481-5.


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