Oxyaenidae

Oxyaenidae is a family of extinct carnivorous placental mammals. Traditionally classified in order Creodonta, this group is now classified in its own order Oxyaenodonta within clade Pan-Carnivora in mirorder Ferae. The group contains four subfamilies comprising fourteen genera. Oxyaenids first appeared during the late Paleocene in North America, with smaller radiations of oxyaenids in Eurasia occurring during the Eocene.

Etymology

The name of order Oxyaenodonta comes, name of hyena genus Hyaena and.
The name of family Oxyaenidae comes, name of hyena genus Hyaena and taxonomic suffix "-idae".

Characteristics

They were superficially otter- or badger-like placental mammals that walked on flat feet, in contrast to most modern Carnivora, which walk and run on their toes. Though most genera were medium-sized by modern standards, they may have been the earliest group of large carnivorous mammals. The largest known oxyaenid was Sarkastodon ''mongoliensis, which could have weighed. However, this may have been an overestimate. All had two molars on each side of both the upper and lower jaw. While many oxyaenids, such as Patriofelis, were hypercarnivores, some such as Oxyaena were more omnivorous, with meat-based but varied diets similar to modern brown bears and racoons. Of the four families:

The Tytthaeninae were the earliest representatives of the group, generally smaller and with more unspecialized bodies and primitive features.
The Paleonictinae included intermediate-sized hypercarnivores and mixed feeders.

The Oxyaeninae included the largest genera, such as Sarkaskadon, Patriofelis, and Oxyaena''. Some genera showed Hunter-Schrager bands on their molars, typical of bone-cracking. They were adapted for terrestrial locomotion and probably hunted or scavanged on forest floors.
The Macheroidinae were a small number of specialized hypercarnivores adapted for arboreal locomotion, with long slender bodies and strong grappling forelimbs This group was the first saber-toothed mammals in the fossil record. A flange on the lower jaw partially protected their long, slender saber canine teeth. They ranged from civet- to leopard-sized, probably lived in the trees of closed-canopy forests, and ambushed prey larger than their bodies. Since most large herbivores at the time were terrestrial, it is likely they dropped from trees onto their prey.

Overall, oxyaenids had long, flat heads, long bodies with short legs, large claws, and reinforced, inflexible lower spines. The forelimbs were strong and flexible, and could twist to embrace and grapple, like the forelimbs of cats and unlike those of dogs. These adaptations suggest that hunting Oxyaenids were solitary ambush predators that would capture larger prey. Their extinction in the Eocene may be connected to the reduction of closed-canopy tropical jungles, which dominated the world in the hothouse of the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. No modern carnivoran has an inflexible spine, which would reduce maneuverability and running speed in more open environments.

Evolution

Oxyaenodonts were believed to have evolved in the middle Paleocene in North America with the oldest known oxyaenodont, Tytthaena, being found there. Oxyaenodonts would disperse into Europe near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary via the De Geer route, however the timing of arrival in Asia is unknown.

Classification and phylogeny

Taxonomy

Phylogeny

Cladogram according to Gunnel in 1991:

Temporal distribution

Within clade Pan-Carnivora

ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px
PlotArea = left:5px bottom:21px top:5px right:5px
Period = from:-76.0 till:-0
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:-72.1
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-72.1
TimeAxis = orientation:hor
AlignBars = justify
Colors =
id:red value:red
id:orange value:orange
id:d-yellow value:rgb
id:yellow value:yellow
id:l-green value:rgb
id:s-blue value:rgb
id:l-blue value:rgb
id:black value:black
id:l-gray value:rgb
id:white value:white
BackgroundColors = canvas:l-gray
BarData =
bar:eon-eonothem-top
bar:space
bar:era-erathem-top
bar:space
bar:system-period-top
bar:space
bar:series-epoch-top
bar:space
bar:stage-age-top
bar:space
bar:NAM1
bar:NAM2
bar:NAM3
bar:NAM4
bar:NAM5
PlotData =
align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark: width:25 shift:
bar:stage-age-top
from:-76.0 till:-72.1 color:l-green text:<
from:-72.1 till:-66.043 color:l-green text:Maast.
from:-66.043 till:-61.2 color:orange text:Danian
from:-61.2 till:-59.2 color:orange text:S.
from:-59.2 till:-56.0 color:orange text:Th.
from:-56.0 till:-47.8 color:orange text:Ypresian
from:-47.8 till:-41.2 color:orange text:Lutetian
from:-41.2 till:-37.8 color:orange text:Bar.
from:-37.8 till:-33.9 color:orange text:Pria.
from:-33.9 till:-27.82 color:orange text:Rupelian
from:-27.82 till:-23.03 color:orange text:Chatt.
from:-23.03 till:-20.44 color:yellow text:A.
from:-20.44 till:-15.97 color:yellow text:Burdi.
from:-15.97 till:-13.82 color:yellow text:L.
from:-13.82 till:-11.63 color:yellow text:S.
from:-11.63 till:-7.246 color:yellow text:Torto.
from:-7.246 till:-5.333 color:yellow text:M.
from:-5.333 till:-2.58 color:yellow text:...
from:-2.58 till:-0 color:white text:...
bar:series-epoch-top
from:-76.0 till:-66.043 color:l-green text:Upper Cretaceous
from:-66.043 till:-56.0 color:orange text:Paleocene
from:-56.0 till:-33.9 color:orange text:Eocene
from:-33.9 till:-23.03 color:orange text:Oligocene
from:-23.03 till:-5.333 color:yellow text:Miocene
from:-5.333 till:-2.58 color:yellow text:Pl.
from:-2.58 till:-0 color:white text:...
bar:system-period-top
from:-76.0 till:-66.043 color:l-green text:Cretaceous
from:-66.043 till:-23.03 color:orange text:Paleogene
from:-23.03 till:-2.58 color:yellow text:Neogene
from:-2.58 till:-0 color:white text:Q.
bar:era-erathem-top
from:-76.0 till:-66.043 color:s-blue text:Mesozoic
from:-66.043 till:-0 color:d-yellow text:Cenozoic
bar:eon-eonothem-top
from:-76.0 till:-0 color:l-blue text:Phanerozoic
PlotData =
align:left fontsize:M mark: width:10 anchor:till align:left
bar:NAM1 color:red from:-70.0 till:-66.043 text:Altacreodus
bar:NAM2 color:orange from:-61.6 till:-8.8 text:Hyaenodonta
bar:NAM3 color:yellow from:-47.0 till:-37.0 text:Simidectes
bar:NAM4 color:l-green from:-0 till:-66.043 text:Carnivoramorpha
bar:NAM5 color:blue from:-58.9 till:-39.7 text:Oxyaenidae

Within family Oxyaenidae

ImageSize = width:1000px height:auto barincrement:15px
PlotArea = left:5px bottom:21px top:5px right:5px
Period = from:-61.0 till:-31.0
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:10 start:-59.2
ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:-59.2
TimeAxis = orientation:hor
AlignBars = justify
Colors =
id:red value:red
id:orange value:orange
id:d-yellow value:rgb
id:yellow value:yellow
id:green value:green
id:l-blue value:rgb
id:blue value:blue
id:black value:black
id:l-gray value:rgb
BackgroundColors = canvas:l-gray
BarData =
bar:eon-eonothem-top
bar:space
bar:era-erathem-top
bar:space
bar:system-period-top
bar:space
bar:series-epoch-top
bar:space
bar:stage-age-top
bar:space
bar:NAM1
bar:NAM2
bar:NAM3
bar:NAM4
bar:NAM5
bar:NAM6
bar:NAM7
bar:NAM8
bar:NAM9
bar:NAM10
bar:NAM11
bar:NAM12
bar:NAM13
bar:NAM14
bar:NAM15
bar:NAM16
bar:NAM17
bar:NAM18
bar:NAM19
bar:NAM20
bar:NAM21
bar:NAM22
bar:NAM23
bar:NAM24
bar:NAM25
bar:NAM26
bar:NAM27
bar:NAM28
bar:NAM29
bar:NAM30
bar:NAM31
bar:NAM32
bar:NAM33
bar:NAM34
bar:NAM35
bar:NAM36
bar:NAM37
bar:NAM38
bar:NAM39
bar:NAM40
PlotData =
align:center textcolor:black fontsize:M mark: width:25 shift:
bar:stage-age-top
from:-61.0 till:-59.2 color:orange text:<
from:-59.2 till:-56.0 color:orange text:Thanetian
from:-56.0 till:-47.8 color:orange text:Ypresian
from:-47.8 till:-41.2 color:orange text:Lutetian
from:-41.2 till:-37.8 color:orange text:Bartonian
from:-37.8 till:-33.9 color:orange text:Priabonian
from:-33.9 till:-31.0 color:orange text:>
bar:series-epoch-top
from:-61.0 till:-56.0 color:orange text:Paleocene
from:-56.0 till:-33.9 color:orange text:Eocene
from:-33.9 till:-31.0 color:orange text:Oligocene
bar:system-period-top
from:-61.0 till:-31.0 color:orange text:Paleogene
bar:era-erathem-top
from:-61.0 till:-31.0 color:d-yellow text:Cenozoic
bar:eon-eonothem-top
from:-61.0 till:-31.0 color:l-blue text:Phanerozoic
PlotData =
align:left fontsize:M mark: width:10 anchor:till align:left
bar:NAM1 color:red from:-58.9 till:-57.8 text:Tytthaena parrisi
bar:NAM2 color:orange from:-56.2 till:-55.4 text:Tytthaena lichna
bar:NAM3 color:yellow from:-57.4 till:-55.4 text:Dipsalodon churchillorum ***
bar:NAM4 color:green from:-56.2 till:-54.9 text:Dipsalodon sp. ***
bar:NAM5 color:blue from:-55.8 till:-55.4 text:Dipsalodon matthewi ***
bar:NAM6 color:red from:-56.0 till:-55.2 text:Palaeonictis gigantea
bar:NAM7 color:orange from:-54.9 till:-54.7 text:Palaeonictis wingi
bar:NAM8 color:yellow from:-54.9 till:-53.0 text:Palaeonictis occidentalis
bar:NAM9 color:green from:-55.4 till:-54.9 text:Palaeonictis peloria
bar:NAM10 color:blue from:-53.0 till:-50.5 text:Ambloctonus priscus
bar:NAM11 color:red from:-53.0 till:-50.5 text:Ambloctonus major
bar:NAM12 color:orange from:-53.0 till:-50.5 text:Ambloctonus sinosus
bar:NAM13 color:yellow from:-52.4 till:-49.2 text:Machaeroides simpsoni
bar:NAM14 color:green from:-49.2 till:-46.2 text:Machaeroides eothen
bar:NAM15 color:blue from:-47.0 till:-46.2 text:Machaeroidinae sp.
bar:NAM16 color:red from:-46.2 till:-45.7 text:Machaeroidinae sp.
bar:NAM17 color:orange from:-45.7 till:-42.8 text:Apataelurus kayi
bar:NAM18 color:yellow from:-45.0 till:-42.0 text:Apataelurus pishigouensis
bar:NAM19 color:green from:-42.8 till:-39.7 text:Diegoaelurus vanvalkenburghae
bar:NAM20 color:blue from:-42.8 till:-39.7 text:Machaeroidinae sp.
bar:NAM21 color:red from:-45.0 till:-42.0 text:Isphanatherium ferganensis
bar:NAM22 color:orange from:-56.2 till:-54.9 text:Dipsalidictis aequidens ***
bar:NAM23 color:yellow from:-56.2 till:-54.9 text:Dipsalidictis krausei ***
bar:NAM24 color:green from:-55.8 till:-54.7 text:Dipsalidictis platypus ***
bar:NAM25 color:blue from:-54.7 till:-54.1 text:Dipsalidictis transiens ***
bar:NAM26 color:red from:-56.0 till:-55.2 text:Oxyaena woutersi
bar:NAM27 color:orange from:-56.0 till:-50.8 text:Oxyaena sp.
bar:NAM28 color:yellow from:-54.7 till:-54.1 text:Oxyaena gulo
bar:NAM29 color:green from:-54.7 till:-53.0 text:Oxyaena intermedia
bar:NAM30 color:blue from:-54.1 till:-52.9 text:Oxyaena forcipata
bar:NAM31 color:red from:-53.0 till:-50.5 text:Oxyaena lupina
bar:NAM32 color:orange from:-53.0 till:-50.5 text:Oxyaena pardalis
bar:NAM33 color:yellow from:-53.0 till:-50.5 text:Oxyaena simpsoni
bar:NAM34 color:green from:-55.2 till:-50.8 text:Argillotherium toliapicum
bar:NAM35 color:blue from:-50.5 till:-49.2 text:Malfelis badwaterensis
bar:NAM36 color:red from:-50.5 till:-49.2 text:Protopsalis tigrinus
bar:NAM37 color:orange from:-50.5 till:-46.2 text:Patriofelis ferox
bar:NAM38 color:yellow from:-50.5 till:-46.2 text:Patriofelis ulta
bar:NAM39 color:green from:-45.0 till:-42.0 text:Sarkastodon henanensis
bar:NAM40 color:blue from:-45.0 till:-39.9 text:Sarkastodon mongoliensis