Oddity Ark, on Thanksgiving...only because the Family Hyaenidae is sponsoring this bone crushing issue. And if you want to request an issue on an amazing animal, fabulous fungus, perplexing plant, or awesome paleofauna, don't hesitate to leave a request in the comments.
Related Species: There are four species within the genus Dinocrocuta all dating from the Miocene Period between 15 to 5 Million Years Ago (MYA). Dinocrocuta has been taxonomically shifted in and out of the family Hyaenidae, but at the time of writing is considered a basal member of the family.
Range: The remains of Dinocrocuta are found from Miocene rocks of Europe and Asia, ranging from Spain in the west to Pakistan in the east.
IUCN Status: Dinocrocuta is not currently listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but would be listed as 'Extinct'.
Bone Crusher in Chief
The largest specimens of Dinocrocuta gigantea reach a body length of 1.9m, with an estimated mass of 200kg (2). In terms of body plan, Dinocrocuta most resembles the extant spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), and like most extant hyenas, it is likely that females were larger than males and were dominant in social situations. The most prominent feature of Dinocrocuta is the skull, which is incredibly robust with an average length of 32.2cm in length, with the largest skulls reaching 43cm in length. Muscle marks on the bones of Dinocrocuta suggest that it was incredibly muscled, and was likely able to run for miles without rest akin to its modern relatives. While it is unknown whether Dinocrocuta was a social animal, in most fossil deposits where remains are found, it appears to be the most prevalent large carnivore in the area potentially suggesting some degree of sociality (3).
Due to the initial bias against extant hyenas as scavengers, and the robustness of the jaw, Dinocrocuta was considered to be an obligate scavenger when first discovered. Later fossil remains and a change in attitude regarding the carnivory of hyenas, have shifted the assumption that Dinocrocuta was an active predator in addition to being a scavenger. Due to its large range Dinocrocuta likely had a wide selection of prey items, with bite marks found on the bones of fossil horses, giraffes and rhinoceroses as well as paleotaxa such as chalicotheres and entelodonts. Dinocrocuta's preferred hunting method appears to have used its massive jaws to crush the skulls of prey items, with at least one fossil of a tusked rhinoceros Chilotherium supporting a healed headwound that matches the teeth of the hyena species (4). While the most prevalent carnivore where it was found Dinocrocuta lived, other large carnivores such as the sabre-toothed cat Machairodus were present in the environment and likely had a relationship akin to modern day spotted hyenas and lions (Panthera leo), albeit with Dinocrocuta the dominant carnivore of the two.
Dinocrocuta went extinct at the end of the Miocene although the exact reason for this was unknown, as many of its prey species and competitors persisted into the Pliocene. It is probable that due to the increased glacial activity at the poles caused a decline in forest habitats and an increase in grassland habitats, perhaps suggesting that Dinocrocuta was less suited to open habitats. After its extinction, the large predator niches in both Europe and Asia was inhabited by Panthera cats and the sabre-toothed cats, while more modern smaller species of hyenas moved into the durophagus bone crushing niches.
Sundown89: Urban Legend Quashers #8: Redeeming the reputations of hyenas.
Statement: Hyenas? They are those dog looking things that are laughing, dumb muscle for Scar who are too lazy and inefficient to hunt and are relegated to scavenging.
Fact: Firstly, hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs, being part of the Feliformia suborder, being most closely related to mongooses and kusimanses, then they are to dogs, instead coming to the similar body plan through convergent evolution. It should be noted that the smaller the hyena species, the more dog like they appear, with the smallest species the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) coming from a lineage known as the 'dog-like-hyenas', while the other three extant species; the spotted, striped (Hyaena hyaena) and brown (Parahyaena brunnea) hyenas coming from a lineage known as the 'bone-crushing hyenas' (5).
Statement: Okay so they are dumb cat things that look like dogs...
Fact: Actually hyenas, particularly spotted hyenas are incredibly intelligent particularly with intelligence on par with baboons (Papio species) and mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) (6), and smarter than cats and dogs. When it comes to group problem solving, spotted hyenas outperform all other animals that were tested with the exception of humans (Homo sapiens), requiring less trial and error and quicker learning when performing the same test as chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) (7).
Statement: Oh, so they are smart then. Is that why they laugh because they have a sense of humour?
Fact: Which laugh? Spotted hyenas have multiple laugh like vocalisations. The typical 'giggle' that is associated with the animal is actually a call indicating submissiveness, usually when being chased off a food resource. Spotted hyenas have two other laugh like vocalisations; a soft-grunt like laugh that is vocalised when fleeing in surprise from lions and humans, and a loud-grunt like laugh that is utilised when coming into contact with other hyena clans or prides of lions.-
Statement: Well, they are scavengers right? I mostly see them bullying other carnivores off carrion.
Fact: Spotted hyenas are scavengers, and they do bully other carnivores such as cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and leopards (Panthera pardus) off carrion, but they are also efficient enough hunters. Spotted hyenas hunt, on average around 63% of the from animals they killed (8), with a far wider range of prey items than lions, with only very large prey items such as African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and giraffes (Giraffa species) avoided, unless weakened or old. The majority of times where lions and spotted hyenas are seen at a kill, the hyenas most likely made the kill, only to be bullied off the carrion by the intruding lion pride.
Statement: So, no support for hyenas from lions...
Fact: Lions and spotted hyenas legitimately hate each other, with lion attacks accounting for up to 71% of hyena mortality in Etosha National Park (9). This is not to say spotted hyenas won't target lions, and will attack each other, particularly targeting the young of the other species when food is not a factor. Even spotted hyenas who are raised in captivity and never encountered lions will react fearfully when exposed to the smell of lions.
Next week we are heading up to the highest navigable lake in the world for a look at a truly unique animal. And if you want to see more amazing animals and plants, please check out the Oddity Arkive or past issues. And if you want even more animals, please check out the dearly departed Impurest Cheese's Guide to Animals, which can be found here or on the blog of the durophagus @ficopedia.
If you still have a yearning for learning, please check out the master list of Mr Monster's Martial Arts Journey.
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And to all the Americans reading, have a Happy Thanksgiving. And for everyone else have a happy Thursday/Friday I guess.