Parahyaena

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Parahyaena
Temporal range: 4.0–0  Ma
Brown Hyena at Working with Wildlife.jpg
Brown hyena ( Parahyaena brunnea )
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Hyaenidae
Subfamily: Hyaeninae
Genus: Parahyaena
Hendey, 1974
Type species
Hyaena brunnea
Thunberg, 1820
Species

Parahyaena is a genus of hyenas that contains the extant brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea). Parahyaena howelli , an early member of this genus, has been dated to approximately 4 million years ago. [1]

Contents

Taxonomy

Pérez-Claros (2024) argued that Parahyaena and Pachycrocuta were synonymous, and that Pliocrocuta perrieri and " Hyaena " prisca should be included under Pachycrocuta. [1] A later study by Martínez-Navarro et al. (2025) regarded Parahyaena and Pliocrocuta as distinct from Pachycrocuta. [2]

Conservation Satus

With an estimated population of 8,000 individuals, the current conservation status of the brown hyena is considered near threatened on the IUCN red list. [3] The brown hyaena is mainly threatened by the increase of agriculture in non-protective areas throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 Pérez-Claros, Juan Antonio (2024). "Unravelling the origin of the brown hyena (Parahyena brunnea) and its evolutionary and paleoecological implications for the Pachycrocuta lineage". Palaeontologia Electronica: 27.1.a18. doi: 10.26879/1372 .
  2. Martínez-Navarro, Bienvenido; Madurell-Malapeira, Joan; Bartolini-Lucenti, Saverio; Lordkipanidze, David; Rook, Lorenzo (2025). "The giant short-faced hyaena from Dmanisi: taxonomy and palaeobiology" (PDF). Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana. 64 (1): 107–131. doi:10.4435/BSPI.2025.07. ISSN   0375-7633.
  3. IUCN (2014-10-03). Parahyaena brunnea: Wiesel, I.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T10276A82344448 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2015-4.rlts.t10276a82344448.en.
  4. Kent, Vivien T.; Hill, Russell A. (July 2013). "The importance of farmland for the conservation of the brown hyaena Parahyaena brunnea". Oryx. 47 (3): 431–440. doi:10.1017/S0030605312001007. ISSN   0030-6053.