| Ikelohyaena | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Hyaenidae |
| Genus: | †Ikelohyaena Werdelin & Solounias, 1991 |
| Type species | |
| †Ikelohyaena abronia Hendey, 1974a | |
| Synonyms | |
Species synonymy
| |
Ikelohyaena (fromGreek: ἴκελοςíkelos, 'like' andLatin:hyaena, 'hyena') is an extinctgenus ofhyaenids that lived in Southern and EasternAfrica during thePliocene.I. abronia, the type and only known species, has been found inLothagam,Langebaanweg, and possiblyLaetoli.[1]I. abronia was dated to approximately 5.2 million years ago.[2]
Ikelohyaena is regarded by some authors as a possible but highly skepticalcommon ancestor of the modernstriped hyenas andbrown hyenas[2] or as an earlyspecies of thelineage that lead to the striped hyena.Ikelohyaena haddurophagousadaptations in itsdentition but was less well-adapted to durophagy than modern durophagous hyaenids such as the striped hyena.[3]Dental microwear analysis indicates thatI. abronia consumed bone less frequently than modern durophagous hyaenids.[4]
I. abronia was smaller than a striped hyena.[1][4] It had thinnerforelimbs and longerhindlimbs than modern durophagous hyaenids, indicating that it may have had a morecanid-likelocomotion and stance.[4] The M2 and m2molars are retained inI. abronia rather than absent as in all extant hyaenids.[1]
Thegeneric nameIkelohyaena was chosen due to themorphological similarities betweenIkelohyaena and the extantHyaena hyaena.[1]
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