Lycyaena

Lycyaena; Temporal range: Late Miocene (Vallesian to Turolian)
	Skull of Lycyaena
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
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] 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]

Palaeobiology

Palaeoecology

Lycyaena was a cursorial hunting hyaena as opposed to full-time scavenger.^[2] Paired δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O analysis of Lycyaena chaeretis from the site of Cerro de los Batallones indicates that it partitioned resources with other carnivorans in its palaeoenvironment by hunting prey in more open environments compared to other predators known to have inhabited the same ecosystem.^[4]

References

^ Turner, A.; Antón, Mauricio; Werdelin, Lars (2008). "Taxonomy and evolutionary patterns in the fossil Hyaenidae of Europe". Geobios. 41 (5): 677. Bibcode:2008Geobi..41..677T. doi:10.1016/j.geobios.2008.01.001.
^ ^a ^b 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". Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana. 64 (1): 19–46. doi:10.4435/BSPI.2025.03 (inactive 1 July 2025) – via ResearchGate.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
^ Domingo, Laura; Domingo, M. Soledad; Koch, Paul L.; Morales, Jorge; Alberdi, M. Teresa (10 May 2017). Smith, Andrew (ed.). "Carnivoran resource and habitat use in the context of a Late Miocene faunal turnover episode". Palaeontology. 60 (4): 461–483. doi:10.1111/pala.12296. ISSN 0031-0239. Retrieved 7 March 2026 – via Wiley Online Library.

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

[Ewer-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". Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana. 64 (1): 19–46. doi:10.4435/BSPI.2025.03 (inactive 1 July 2025) – via ResearchGate.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)

[4] Domingo, Laura; Domingo, M. Soledad; Koch, Paul L.; Morales, Jorge; Alberdi, M. Teresa (10 May 2017). Smith, Andrew (ed.). "Carnivoran resource and habitat use in the context of a Late Miocene faunal turnover episode". Palaeontology. 60 (4): 461–483. doi:10.1111/pala.12296. ISSN 0031-0239. Retrieved 7 March 2026 – via Wiley Online Library.

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