Hyaenodon

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Hyaenodon Fossil range: Late Eocene to Early Miocene
Conservation status
Extinct (fossil)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Creodonta Family: Hyaenodontidae Genus: Hyaenodon Leidy, 1869
Species [1]
H. leptorhynchus H. exicuus H. horridus H. mustelinus H. crucians H. vetus H. megaloides H. milloquensis H. bavaricus H. eminus H. yuanchensis H. mongoliensis H. incertus H. chunkhtensis H. montanus H. venturae H. microdon H. brevirostris H. raineyi H. gigas H. incertus H. pervagus H. eminus H. weilini

Hyaenodon ("hyaena-toothed") was an extinct genus of Hyaenodonts, a group of Creodonts. Some species of this genus were amongst the largest terrestrial carnivorous mammals.

These highly specialised predators appeared in the Late Eocene 41 million years ago existing through the Oligocene Epoch until 21 million years ago.^[2] Their long and narrow jaws were powerful and suitable for biting and crushing. Typical of early mammals, they had very massive skulls but only small brains.^{[citation needed]}

Structure of their skulls suggests that they had an acute sense of smell. Some species may have been specialized scavengers, but many were clearly active predators.^{[citation needed]}

Hyaenodon gigas, the largest Hyaenodon species was as much as 1.4 m high at the shoulder and 10 feet long. It weighed about 500 kg.^{[citation needed]} In other words, it was as large as an average modern horse. This animal was featured in the 2003 BBC documentary Walking with Beasts.

In contrast, smallest species were only 30 cm high at the shoulder.^[2]

Fossils of Hyaenodon species have been found in Asia, North America, Europe, and Africa.^{[citation needed]}

Hyaenodon was a very successful and diverse genus, but eventually the modern carnivorous mammals of the order Carnivora were able to overcome them. The genus was almost extinct by the end of Paleogene.^[2]

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