hyena
Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...
containing the largest living member of the family, the
spotted hyena
The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...
''(Crocuta crocuta)''. Several fossil species are known as well.
Taxonomy
It is still unclear whether the genus evolved in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
or
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 area ...
, although the oldest known fossils are from Africa and dated to about 3.8 mya.
The Eurasian "cave hyenas" (''Crocuta spelaea'', ''Crocuta ultima'' and others) have been classified as distinct species, but are nowadays more commonly considered prehistoric subspecies of the spotted hyena.
Two extinct species are known to have coexisted with each other in eastern Africa during the
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Crocuta eturono'' and '' Crocuta dietrichi'', each one probably occupying a different niche in regards to scavenging/hunting preference. In
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
there was a Pliocene species, ''
Crocuta honanensis
''Crocuta'' is a genus of hyena containing the largest living member of the family, the spotted hyena ''(Crocuta crocuta)''. Several fossil species are known as well.
Taxonomy
It is still unclear whether the genus evolved in Africa or Asia, altho ...
'', while another species from the same period in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
known as ''
Crocuta sivalensis
''Crocuta'' is a genus of hyena containing the largest living member of the family, the spotted hyena ''(Crocuta crocuta)''. Several fossil species are known as well.
Taxonomy
It is still unclear whether the genus evolved in Africa or Asia, altho ...
'' has an unclear status, being regarded as anything from a synonym of the spotted hyena to an ancestor.