| Protictitherium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P. crassum fromBatallones Fossil Site 1 (Madrid, Spain) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Hyaenidae |
| Subfamily: | †Ictitheriinae |
| Genus: | †Protictitherium Kretzoi, 1938[1] |
| Species | |
Protictitherium (gr. first striking beast) is anextinctgenus ofhyena that lived acrossEurope andAsia during the Middle and LateMiocene, it is often considered to be the first hyena since it contains some of the oldest fossils of the family.[1][2][3] They were especially prolific in Turkey, where every species has been registered.[4]
Protictitherium was akin tocivets both in size, being around 50 cm (19 inches) tall at their shoulder; and in weight, with calculations suggesting something around 4–8 kg (8-18 lb), with differences between species.[4] It has been suggested thatProtictitherium was a partly arboreal predator, due to their semi-retractable claws, perhaps to avoid larger predators .[2] While they possessed somewhat large molars and premolars, their bite wasn't remarkably strong.[4]
There are generally three recognized species in the genusProtictitherium, though there are some that suggest that species in the genusTungurictis should be considered a part ofProtictitherium.[5]
Thetype and largest species, it was originally recovered byCharles Depéret in 1892 as a member of the genusHerpestes (Herpestes crassus)[6] and it wouldn't be until 1938 that Kretzoi understood it as a new genus, erectingProtictitherium.[1] locomotive analysis of "P. crassum" suggest that, due to the proportions of itshumerus,femur,pelvis, andscapula, it wasn't adapted to an arboreal lifestyle, rather to a cursorial locomotion in open woodlands. This species existed from 17 to 5 million years ago through Europe and Asia. Despite having existed for over a million years it remained fairly unchanged; specimens separated by large stretches of time possess slightly different proportions of their first molar.[4]
Five species have been synonymized toP. crassum:P. aegeum, P. csakvarense, P. gaillardi, P. llopisi, P. thesalonikensis, andP. sumegense.[4] Its specific name,crassum, means thick or robust inLatin.
Originally described in 1976 by Schmidt-Kittler, it is neither the biggest nor smallest species in the genus.P. cingulatum possesses somewhat primitive characteristics in its mandible, like a higherprotoconid in relation to itsparaconid on its first molar. Its holotype hails from theYeni Eskihisar formation, from the late Miocene of Turkey, where it coexisted withP. crassum for at least a million years, implying some manner ofniche partitioning whereP. cingulatum opted for an arboreal lifestyle. Its specific name,cingulatum, means cingulate inLatin, in reference to its highly developed dental cingulum.[7]
The second species described by Schmidt-Kittler in 1976, it is known from localities in Çandir and Paçalar of Turkey's Middle Miocene. It possesses the typical mandibular characters ofProtictitherium and is characterized by its further developedtalonid in its first molar and a larger second molar. It seems to represent the ancestral condition of the genus, therefore it's often recovered as a common ancestor of the other species, hence its specific nameintermedium, intermediate in Latin.[7][8]