PonchoFirewalker01

The phylogeny and evolution of 'the Pachycrocuta lineage' : Is the Brown Hyena a part of Pachycrocuta? Recent advancement of morphometric analysis from a multivariate and statistical perspective, due in part to the addition of new fossil materials, greatly helped update the phylogenetic classification of Quaternary hyaenids. There has been consensus that the direct ancestor of Pachycrocuta brevirostris (Giant Short-faced Hyena) was Pliocrocuta perrieri, a widely distributed, medium sized bone-crushing hyena during the Pliocene of the Old world. Pliocrocuta perrieri on the other hand, was morphologically also similar to the modern Brown Hyena(Parahyaena bruunea), even though the interpretation on the evolutionary link between these two forms has varied depending on authors. As you may already know, Pérez-Claros (2024) recently illustrates the ancestor-descendant relationship between P. perrieri, the Brown Hyena and Pachycrocuta species in general. Pachycrocuta brevirostris life