Lycyaena

Lycyaena; Temporal range: Late Miocene (Vallesian to Turolian)
	Skull of Lycyaena
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Hyaenidae
Genus:	†Lycyaena; Hensel, 1863
Type species
	†Lycyaena dubia; Zdansky, 1924
Other species
	†L. chaeretis Gaudry, 1861; †L. macrostoma Lydekker, 1884; †L. crusafonti Kurtén, 1976;
Synonyms
	Species synonymy L. dubia: ?Lycyaena dubia Zdansky, 1924 ; Thalassictis (Lycyaena) Solounias & De Beaumont, 1981 ; Thalassictis (Lycyaena) dubia Qiu, 1985 ; ; L. chaeretis: Hyaena chaeretis Gaudry, 1861 ; Thalassictis chaeretis Solounias, 1981 ; Thalassictis (Lycyaena) chaeretis Solounias & De Beaumont, 1981 ; Thalassictis (Lycyaena) Solounias & De Beaumont, 1981 ; ; L. macrostoma: Hyaena macrostoma Lydekker, 1884 ; Lycyaena ?macrostoma Kretzoi, 1938 ; Thalassictis macrostoma De Vos, Leinders & Hussain, 1987 ; ; L. crusafonti: Lycyaena chaeretis Solounias, 1981 ; ;

Lycyaena is an extinct genus of terrestrial carnivore in the family Hyaenidae.^[1] Lycyaena was a cursorial hunting hyaena as opposed to full-time scavenger. It has been suggested by R. F. Ewer that Lycyaena may be a possible ancestor to today's aardwolf (Proteles cristatus).^[2] Lycyaena lived in Eurasia and North Africa during the Late Miocene.^[3]

References

^ Turner, A.; Antón, M.; Werdelin, L. (2008). "Taxonomy and evolutionary patterns in the fossil Hyaenidae of Europe". Geobios. 41 (5): 677. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2008.01.001.
^ R. F. Ewer, The Carnivores (1973)
^ Faggi, Andrea (2025). "Revising the carnivores of Baccinello V3 faunal assemblage: palaeobiogeographic implications in the Messinian Italian carnivore record" (PDF). Bollettino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana. 64 (1): 19–46. doi:10.4435/BSPI.2025.03 – via ResearchGate.

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[1] Turner, A.; Antón, M.; Werdelin, L. (2008). "Taxonomy and evolutionary patterns in the fossil Hyaenidae of Europe". Geobios. 41 (5): 677. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2008.01.001.

[2] R. F. Ewer, The Carnivores (1973)

[3] Faggi, Andrea (2025). "Revising the carnivores of Baccinello V3 faunal assemblage: palaeobiogeographic implications in the Messinian Italian carnivore record" (PDF). Bollettino della Societa Paleontologica Italiana. 64 (1): 19–46. doi:10.4435/BSPI.2025.03 – via ResearchGate.

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