This is a fossil of a lower jaw of an ancestral Hyaena hyaena, or Striped hyaena. This species continues to exists today.You can compare this fossil mandible to the modern example of this here. The Striped Hyaena, Hyaena hyaena, is primarily a nocturnal animal, a scavenger of small mammals, insects as well as carcasses of larger animals. It has a wide range and is found in Eastern and Northern Africa and across into the mediterranean and parts of Asia. The mandible of the Striped hyaena is less massive than that of the Spotted Hyaena, Crocuta crocuta, which is highly adapted for bone crunching.
Hyaena hyaena
KNMER 62948 Age approx. 1.70 Million Years
Digital Capture: Photogrammetry f22151–10 0 Comments Order: Carnivora Family: Hyaenidae Genus: Hyaena Species: hyaena Element: Partial left mandible Locality: Area 105, East Turkana Year of Discovery: 2010 Other Fossils to View |