Oxyaenidae ("sharp hyenas") is a family of extinct carnivorous placental mammals.[3] Traditionally classified in order Creodonta, this group is now classified in its own order Oxyaenodonta ("sharp tooth hyenas") within clade Pan-Carnivora in mirorder Ferae. The group contains four subfamilies comprising fourteen genera. Oxyaenids were the first to appear during the late Paleocene in North America, while smaller radiations of oxyaenids in Europe and Asia occurred during the Eocene.[4]
| Oxyaenidae | |
|---|---|
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| skull of Palaeonictis occidentalis | |
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| reconstruction of Patriofelis ferox | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Mirorder: | Ferae |
| Clade: | Pan-Carnivora |
| Order: | †Oxyaenodonta Van Valen, 1971[2] |
| Family: | †Oxyaenidae Cope, 1877[1] |
| Type genus | |
| †Oxyaena Cope, 1874
| |
| Subfamilies | |
| Synonyms | |
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synonyms of order:
synonyms of family:
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Etymology
editThe name of order Oxyaenodonta comes from Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús) 'sharp', name of hyena genus Hyaena and from Ancient Greek ὀδούς (odoús) 'tooth'.
The name of family Oxyaenidae comes from Ancient Greek ὀξύς (oxús) 'sharp', name of hyena genus Hyaena and taxonomic suffix "-idae".[5]
Description
editThey were superficially cat-like mammals that walked on flat feet, in contrast to modern cats, which walk and run on their toes. Anatomically, characteristic features include a short, broad skull, deep jaws, and teeth designed for crushing rather than shearing, as in the hyaenodonts or modern cats.[citation needed]
Oxyaenids were specialized carnivores that preyed on other terrestrial vertebrates, eggs and insects. They were capable of climbing trees, which is suggested by fossil evidence of their paws.[citation needed]
Classification and phylogeny
editTaxonomy
edit- Order: †Oxyaenodonta (Van Valen, 1971)
- Family: †Oxyaenidae (Cope, 1877)
- Subfamily: †Machaeroidinae (Matthew, 1909)
- Genus: †Apataelurus (Scott, 1937)[full citation needed]
- †Apataelurus kayi (Scott, 1937)
- †Apataelurus pishigouensis (Tong & Lei, 1986)
- Genus: †Diegoaelurus (Zack, Poust & Wagner, 2022)
- Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae (Zack, Poust & Wagner, 2022)
- Genus: †Isphanatherium (Lavrov & Averianov, 1998)[full citation needed]
- Isphanatherium ferganensis (Lavrov & Averianov, 1998)
- Genus: †Machaeroides (Matthew, 1909)
- †Machaeroides eothen (Matthew, 1909)
- †Machaeroides simpsoni (Dawson, 1986)
- Genus: †Apataelurus (Scott, 1937)[full citation needed]
- Subfamily: †Oxyaeninae (Cope, 1877)
- Genus: †Argillotherium (Davies, 1884)[full citation needed]
- †Argillotherium toliapicum (Davies, 1884)
- Genus: †Dipsalidictis (paraphyletic genus) (Matthew & Granger, 1915)
- †Dipsalidictis aequidens (Matthew & Granger, 1915)
- †Dipsalidictis krausei (Gunnell & Gingerich, 1991)
- †Dipsalidictis platypus (Matthew & Granger, 1915)
- †Dipsalidictis transiens (Matthew & Granger, 1915)
- Genus: †Malfelis (Stucky & Hardy, 2007)[full citation needed]
- †Malfelis badwaterensis (Stucky & Hardy, 2007)
- Genus: †Oxyaena (Cope, 1874)
- †Oxyaena forcipata (Cope, 1874)
- †Oxyaena gulo (Matthew & Granger, 1915)
- †Oxyaena intermedia (Denison, 1938)
- †Oxyaena lupina (Cope, 1874)
- †Oxyaena pardalis (Matthew & Granger, 1915)
- †Oxyaena simpsoni (Van Valen, 1966)
- †Oxyaena woutersi (Lange-Badré & Godinot, 1982)
- Genus: †Patriofelis (Leidy, 1870)
- †Patriofelis ferox (Marsh, 1872)
- †Patriofelis ulta (Leidy, 1870)
- Genus: †Protopsalis (Cope, 1880)[full citation needed]
- †Protopsalis tigrinus (Cope, 1880)
- Genus: †Sarkastodon (Granger, 1938)
- †Sarkastodon henanensis (Tong & Lei, 1986)
- †Sarkastodon mongoliensis (Granger, 1938)
- Genus: †Argillotherium (Davies, 1884)[full citation needed]
- Subfamily: †Palaeonictinae (Denison, 1938)
- Genus: †Ambloctonus (Cope, 1875)[full citation needed]
- †Ambloctonus major (Denison, 1938)
- †Ambloctonus priscus (Matthew & Granger, 1915)
- †Ambloctonus sinosus (Cope, 1875)
- Genus: †Dipsalodon (paraphyletic genus) (Jepsen, 1930)
- †Dipsalodon churchillorum (Rose, 1981)
- †Dipsalodon matthewi (Jepsen, 1930)
- Genus: †Palaeonictis (de Blainville, 1842)
- †Palaeonictis gigantea (de Blainville, 1842)
- †Palaeonictis occidentalis (Osborn, 1892)
- †Palaeonictis peloria (Rose, 1981)
- †Palaeonictis wingi (Chester, 2010)
- Genus: †Ambloctonus (Cope, 1875)[full citation needed]
- Subfamily: †Tytthaeninae (Gunnell & Gingerich, 1991)
- Genus: †Tytthaena (Gingerich, 1980)
- †Tytthaena lichna (Rose, 1981)
- †Tytthaena parrisi (Gingerich, 1980)
- Genus: †Tytthaena (Gingerich, 1980)
- Subfamily: †Machaeroidinae (Matthew, 1909)
- Family: †Oxyaenidae (Cope, 1877)
Phylogeny
editCladogram according to Gunnel in 1991:[6]
| Oxyaenidae |
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ E. D. Cope (1877.) "Report upon the extinct Vertebrata obtained in New Mexico by parties of the expedition of 1874." Report upon United States Geographical Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian, in charge of First Lieut. G.M. Wheeler, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Vol. IV Paleontology, Part II, pp. 1-365. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
- ^ Van Valen, Leigh (1971). "Adaptive Zones and the Orders of Mammals". Evolution. 25 (2): 420–428. doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.1971.tb01898.x. PMID 28563121.
- ^ Halliday, Thomas J. D.; Upchurch, Paul; Goswami, Anjali (2015). "Resolving the relationships of Paleocene placental mammals" (PDF). Biological Reviews. 92 (1): 521–550. doi:10.1111/brv.12242. ISSN 1464-7931. PMC 6849585. PMID 28075073.
- ^ Gunnel, Gregg F.; Gingerich, Philip D. (30 Sep 1991). "Systematics and evolution of late Paleocene and early Eocene Oxyaenidae (Mammalia, Creodonta) in the Clarks Fork Basin, Wyoming" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology. 28 (7). The University of Michigan: 141–180. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
- ^ Dixon, Dougal (2008). World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures. Lorenz Books. ISBN 978-0754817307.
- ^ Gunnel, Gregg F.; Gingerich, Philip D. (1991). "Systematics and evolution of late Paleocene and early Eocene Oxyaenidae (Mammalia, Creodonta) in the Clarks Fork Basin, Wyoming" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology. 28 (7). The University of Michigan: 141–180.
Further reading
edit- David Lambert and the Diagram Group. The Field Guide to Prehistoric Life. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1985. ISBN 0-8160-1125-7