Percrocutidae
In today's article we will explore the exciting world of Percrocutidae. From its origins to its impact on today's society, we will delve into all aspects related to this topic to understand its true importance. Along these lines, we will discover how Percrocutidae has evolved over time, how it has influenced different fields of study and how it continues to shape our way of thinking and acting. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we will analyze the many facets of Percrocutidae to offer a comprehensive view of its relevance in contemporary society. Get ready to immerse yourself in a fascinating journey through Percrocutidae!
| Percrocutidae Temporal range: Middle Miocene to Late Pliocene
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Dinocrocuta gigantea skull cast, Zoological Museum in Copenhagen | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Superfamily: | Herpestoidea |
| Family: | †Percrocutidae Werdelin & Solounias, 1991 |
| Genera | |
Percrocutidae is an extinct family of hyena-like feliform carnivores endemic to Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe from the Middle Miocene through the Pliocene, existing for about 8 million years.
The first percrocutids are known from the middle Miocene of Europe and western Asia and belonged to the genus Percrocuta. Percrocuta already had large premolars, but did not carry such a massive bite as the later form Dinocrocuta, from the later Miocene. Originally, these carnivores were placed with the hyenas in the family Hyaenidae. As of 2013, most scientists considered the Percrocutidae to be a distinct family - although usually as sister-taxa/immediate outgroup to Hyaenidae. Sometimes it was placed with the family Stenoplesictidae into the superfamily Stenoplesictoidea. However, studies in the 2020s placed Dinocrocuta and Percrocuta as true hyaenids, invalidating the family Percrocutidae.
Taxonomy & Evolution
Taxonomic History
Percrocuta was first considered as a side-branch outside of Hyaenidae by Thenius in 1966. It was later named as a different subfamily, Percrocutinae, of Hyaenidae in 1976, and at that time was proposed to include Percrocuta, Adcrocuta eximia, and Allohyaena kadici. Dinocrocuta was elevated from a subgenus to a full genus in 1988.
The family Percrocutidae was formally elevated in 1991, to include the genera Percrocuta, Dinocrocuta, Belbus and Allohyaena.
Later studies have suggested that Belbus and Allohyaena are true hyaenids and not percrocutids.
Classification
| Family | Image | Genus | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| †Percrocutidae | 
|
†Dinocrocuta (Schmidt-Kittler, 1975) |
|
| †Percrocuta (Kretzoi, 1938) |
|
The list follows McKenna and Bell's Classification of Mammals for prehistoric genera (1997). In contrast to McKenna and Bell's classification, they are not included as a subfamily into the Hyaenidae but as a separate family Percrocutidae.
References
- ^ Paleobiology Database: Percrocutidae basic information
- ^ Turner, Alan; Antón, Mauricio (2004). Evolving Eden: An Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large-mammal Fauna. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11944-5.
- ^ Figueirido, Borja; Tseng, Zhijie Jack; Martín-Serra, Alberto (2013). "Skull Shape Evolution in Durophagous Carnivorans". Evolution. 67 (7): 1975–1993. doi:10.1111/evo.12059. PMID 23815654. S2CID 23918004.
- ^ Xiong, Wuyang (2022-05-01). "New species of Percrocuta (Carnivora, Hyaenidae) from the early middle Miocene of Tongxin, China". Historical Biology. 35 (5): 799–820. doi:10.1080/08912963.2022.2067757. ISSN 0891-2963. S2CID 248627038.
- ^ Thenius, E. (1966). "Zur Stammesgeschichte der Hyänen (Carnivora, Mammalia)". Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 31 (4): 292–300.
- ^ Schmidt-Kittler, N. (1976). "Raubtiere aus dem Jungtertiär Kleinasiens". Palaeontographica Abteilung A. 155 (1–4): 1–131.
- ^ Qiu, ZX; Xie, JY; Yan, DF (1988). "Discovery of the skull of Dinocrocuta gigantea". Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 26 (2): 128–138.
- ^ Werdelin, L; Solounias, N (1991). "The Hyaenidae: taxonomy, systematics and evolution". Fossils and Strata. 30: 1–104. doi:10.18261/8200374815-1991-01. ISBN 8200374815.
- ^ Lars Werdelin; Björn Kürten (1999). "Allohyaena (Mammalia: Carnivora): giant hyaenid from the Late Miocene of Hungary". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 126 (3): 319–334. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1999.tb01374.x.
- ^ Malcolm C. McKenna, Susan K. Bell: Classification of Mammals: Above the Species Level in Columbia University Press, New York 1997, 631 Seiten, ISBN 0-231-11013-8
- Jordi Agustí: Mammoths, Sabertooths and Hominids 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe, Columbia University Press, 2002. LCCN 2001-42251 ISBN 0-231-11640-3
 | This article related to prehistoric animals from order Carnivora is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |