Half Leopard/Half Hyena?This Week’s Weekly Dino Fact was asked again by Webosaurs resident scholar Irvine! Irvine asked, “How did Oxyaena catch it’s prey?” Very interesting question indeed! Let’s dive right in.
The Oxyaena was a creodont mammal that is now extinct, the Oxyaena existed in the very latest portion of the Paleocene and into the early Eocene. Oxyaena technically means “Sharp Hyena,” but these guys were nothing like our modern day Hyenas. For starters they were much smaller, these little guys were only about 3 feet (1 meter) long and had very flexible, cat-like bodies. Although there is nothing like them roaming the Earth today, they most resemble something like a cross between a Lynx and a Wolverine. The main thing that made them so different than cats was that they walked on the whole surface of the soles of their feet unlike cats who walk on only their toes. But I’m getting carried away, back to Irvine’s question; how did the Oxyaena hunt? What do you think?
The Oxyaena hunted in trees! It’s hard to imagine a tiny Hyena hunting in the branches of giant conifers during the Eocene, but that is exactly what they were doing! It’s incredible that they were nimble enough to do this while at the same time walking on the whole surface of their feet, not an easy task. Almost all of the Oxyaena fossils that have been recovered have been found in Colorado, so if you’re ever in the Centennial State, make sure you keep one eye in the tree branches to keep a lookout for Oxyaenas! What do you think of these little critters? Leave your comments here!
TDR
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