In Depth One of the creodont mammals that were most common from the Paleocene to Oligocene periods, Pterodon seems to have been most numerous around Europe and North Africa. An odd set of remains from Pakistan however not only increases the geographic range of this creodont, but also the temporal range as well. Being interpreted … Read more
In Depth Falcatodon is a genus of Creodont that lived in Egypt during the early Oligocene. Falcatodon was originally described as a species of Metapterodon before being re-described as a distinct genus in 2017. Further Reading - New Pterodontinae (Creodonta: Hyaenodontidae) from the late Eocene–early Oligocene Jebel Qatrani Formation, Fayum Province, Egypt. – PaleoBios, 19(2): … Read more
In Depth As a hyaenodontid creodont, Sinopa is considered to be a relative to the much more famous Hyaenodon. Like with this genus, the current known distribution of Sinopa fossils suggest that it had a distribution stretching from North Africa to North America, though the vast majority of Sinopa fossils are so far known in … Read more
In Depth A little known creodont genus, Apterodon fossil locations so far suggest that the genus roamed across Europe and North Africa from the late Eocene to early Oligocene periods. Although a creodont and a predator, Apterodon lacks the carnassial (blade-like meat shearing) teeth that are seen in other creodonts. This may indicate a different … Read more
In Depth Although still only known from a few scattered and incomplete fossils, Dissopsalis stands out from other creodonts by being one of the last to live. The earliest species was D. pyroclasticus from Kenya, but it is the type species of D. carnifex from Asia that confirms is position as a late surviving creodont. … Read more
In Depth Although Hyaenodon translates as ‘hyena tooth’ the only similarities between Hyaenodon and hyenas are the facts that they are both mammals and they both eat meat. Beyond this they are completely different animals with hyenas being more closely related to cats and Hyaenodon actually being a creodont, a long extinct group of mammals … Read more
In Depth Sectisodon is a genus of creodont that lived in Africa during the early Miocene. Further Reading - New Hyaenodonts (Ferae, Mammalia) from the early Miocene of Napak (Uganda), Koru (Kenya) and Grillental (Namibia). - Fossil Imprint 73(3-4):332-359. - J. Morales and M. Pickford - 2017.
In Depth One of the hyaenodonts, Tritemnodon means ‘three cutting tooth’ and is a reference to how the teeth were formed for greater slicing efficiency, something that hyaenodonts have a reputation for being able to with the greatest ease. The relatively small stature and gracile build of Tritemnodon means that these were most likely predators … Read more
In Depth Not too much is known about Sarkastodon because so far as only the skull and jaw are known for certain. The size and construction of these skulls however strongly suggest that in life Sarkastodon would have been a very large, powerful animal and is often likened to being like a bear. Like many … Read more
In Depth Out of all the creodonts Machaeroides is one of the most unique since it possess enlarged canine teeth similar to the sabre teeth that are commonly associated with the sabre-toothed cats of the Pliocene/Pleistocene eras. The presence of Machaeroides in North America is a clear indication that the creodonts were adapting to fulfil … Read more