''Protictitherium'' ( gr. first striking beast) is an extinct

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of hyaena that lived across

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

during the Middle and Late

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

, it is often considered to be the first hyaena since it contains some of the oldest fossils of the family. They were especially prolific in Turkey, where every species has been registered.

Description

''Protictitherium'' was akin to

civet A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...

s 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. It has been suggested that ''Protictitherium'' was a partly arboreal predator, due to their semi-retractable claws, perhaps to avoid larger predators . While they possessed somewhat large molars and premolars, their bite wasn't remarkably strong.

Species

There are generally three recognized species in the genus ''Protictitherium'', though there are some that suggest that species in the genus '' Tungurictis'' should be considered a part of ''Protictitherium''.

''Protictitherium crassum''

The type and largest species, it was originally recovered by

Charles Depéret Charles Jean Julien Depéret (25 June 1854 – 18 May 1929) was a French geologist and paleontologist. He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences, the Société géologique de France

in 1892 as a member of the genus ''

Herpestes ''Herpestes'' is a genus within the mongoose family Herpestidae. Several species in the family are known as slender mongooses. It is the type genus of the family, and comprises 5-6 living species, each with several subspecies. Fossil remains of ...

'' (''Herpestes crassus'') and it wouldn't be until 1938 that Kretzoi understood it as a new genus, erecting ''Protictitherium''. locomotive analysis of "P. crassum" suggest that, due to the proportions of its humerus,

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates wit ...

, pelvis, and

scapula The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on eith ...

, 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. Five species have been synonymized to ''P. crassum'': ''P. aegeum, P. csakvarense, P. gaillardi, P. llopisi, P. thesalonikensis'', and ''P. sumegense''. Its specific name, ''crassum'', means thick or robust in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''Protictitherium cingulatum''

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 higher

protoconid Many different terms have been proposed for features of the tooth crown in mammals. The structures within the molars receive different names according to their position and morphology. This nomenclature was developed by Henry Fairfield Osborn i ...

in relation to its paraconid on its first molar. Its holotype hails from the Yeni Eskihisar formation, from the late Miocene of Turkey, where it coexisted with ''P. crassum'' for at least a million years, implying some manner of

niche partitioning In ecology, niche differentiation (also known as niche segregation, niche separation and niche partitioning) refers to the process by which competing species use the environment differently in a way that helps them to coexist. The competitive exclu ...

where ''P. cingulatum'' opted for an arboreal lifestyle. Its specific name, ''cingulatum'', means cingulate in

latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, in reference to its highly developed dental cingulum.

''Protictitherium intermedium''

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 of ''Protictitherium'' and is characterized by its further developed

talonid The molars or molar teeth are large, flat teeth at the back of the mouth. They are more developed in mammals. They are used primarily to grind food during chewing. The name ''molar'' derives from Latin, ''molaris dens'', meaning "millstone ...

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 name ''intermedium'', intermediate in Latin.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q142046 Prehistoric hyenas Miocene feliforms Miocene mammals of Europe Pliocene carnivorans Pliocene mammals of Europe Prehistoric carnivoran genera