Hyena in the context of "Aardwolf"

Carnivora (/kɑːrˈnɪvərə/ kar-NIH-vər-ə) is an order of placental mammals specialized primarily in eating flesh, whose members are formally referred to as carnivorans. The order Carnivora is the sixth largest order of mammals, comprising at least 279 species. Carnivorans are found on every major landmass and in a variety of habitats, ranging from the cold polar regions of Earth to the hyper-arid region of the Sahara Desert and the open seas. Carnivorans exhibit a wide array of body plans, varying greatly in size and shape.

Carnivora are divided into two suborders, the Feliformia, containing the true felids and several "cat-like" animals; and the Caniformia, containing the true canids and many "dog-like" animals. The feliforms include the Felidae, Viverridae, hyena, and mongoose families, the majority of which live only in the Old World; cats are the only exception, occurring in the Old World and the New World, entering the Americas via the Bering land bridge. The caniforms include the Caninae, Procyonidae, bears, mustelids, skunks, and pinnipeds that occur worldwide with immense diversity in their morphology, diet, and behavior.

Carrion (from Latin caro 'meat'), also known as a carcass, is the decaying flesh of dead animals. Carrion may be of natural or anthropic origin (e.g. wildlife, human remains, livestock), and enters the food chain via different routes (e.g. animals dying of disease or malnutrition, predators and hunters discarding parts of their prey, collisions with automobiles).

Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eating animals include vultures, eagles, hyenas, Virginia opossum, Tasmanian devils, and coyotes. Many invertebrates, for example carrion beetles, burying beetles, blow-fly maggots, and flesh-fly maggots, also eat carrion. All of these animals, together with microbial decomposers, help to recycle nitrogen and carbon in animal remains.

The Early Miocene (also known as Lower Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Aquitanian and Burdigalian stages.

The sub-epoch lasted from 23.03 ± 0.05 Ma to 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma (million years ago). It was preceded by the Oligocene epoch. As the climate started to get cooler, the landscape started to change. New mammals evolved to replace the extinct animals of the Oligocene epoch. The first members of the hyena and weasel family started to evolve to replace the extinct Hyaenodon, entelodonts and bear-dogs. The chalicotheres survived the Oligocene epoch. A new genus of entelodont called Daeodon evolved in order to adapt to the new habitats and hunt the new prey animals of the Early Miocene epoch; it quickly became the top predator of North America. But it became extinct due to competition from Amphicyon, a newcomer from Eurasia. Amphicyon bested Daeodon because the bear-dog's larger brain, sharper teeth and longer legs built for longer chases helped it to overcome its prey.

Mauricio Antón Ortuzar (born 1961 in Bilbao, Spain) is a Spanish paleoartist, vertebrate paleontologist, and illustrator. As a paleontologist specialising in carnivoran mammals, he has written extensively about sabertooth cats, as well as other groups like hyenas and amphicyonids. As a paleoartist and illustrator, he has created numerous illustrations of prehistoric life illustrating carnivorans as well as other animals (typically mammals), and archaic humans. Antón is one of the most widely known and influential contemporary paleoartists.

Cave hyenas (Crocuta (crocuta) spelaea and Crocuta (crocuta) ultima) are extinct species or subspecies of hyena known from Eurasia, which ranged from Western Europe and West Asia to eastern Siberia, East Asia and Southeast Asia during the Pleistocene epoch. They are well represented in many caves, primarily dating to the Last Glacial Period. Cave hyenas served as apex predators that preyed on large mammals (primarily large ungulates, such as wild horse, steppe bison and aurochs), and were responsible for the accumulation of hundreds of large Pleistocene mammal bones in areas including horizontal caves, sinkholes, mud pits, and muddy areas along rivers. It was one of the main apex predators of northern Eurasian ecosystems alongside the cave lion (Panthera spelaea), with the two species likely engaging in hostile conflict over carcasses. Much like African spotted hyenas, they likely lived in clans.

Often treated as subspecies or populations of the living African spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) to which they were closely related and heavily resembled (though considerably larger in size), genetic evidence from the nuclear genome suggests that Eurasian Crocuta populations (including the west Eurasian Crocuta crocuta spelaea and Asian Crocuta crocuta ultima) were highly genetically divergent from African populations (having estimated to have split over 1 million years ago), with evidence suggesting limited interbreeding between Eurasian cave and African spotted hyenas. Some authors have suggested that the two subspecies should be raised to species level as Crocuta spelaea and Crocuta ultima.

Feliformia is a suborder within the order Carnivora consisting of "cat-like" carnivorans, including cats, hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and related taxa. Feliformia stands in contrast to the other suborder of Carnivora, Caniformia consisting of "dog-like" carnivorans.

The separation of the Carnivora into the broad groups of feliforms and caniforms is widely accepted, as is the assignment of the suborder rank (sometimes superfamily) to Feliformia and Caniformia.

The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus Crocuta, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN due to its widespread range and large numbers estimated between 27,000 and 47,000 individuals. The species is, however, experiencing declines outside of protected areas due to habitat loss and poaching. Populations of Crocuta, usually considered a subspecies of Crocuta crocuta, known as cave hyenas, roamed across Eurasia for at least one million years until the end of the Late Pleistocene. The spotted hyena is the largest extant member of the Hyaenidae, and is further physically distinguished from other species by its vaguely bear-like build, rounded ears, less prominent mane, spotted pelt, more dual-purposed dentition, fewer nipples, and pseudo-penis. It is the only placental mammalian species where females have a pseudo-penis and lack an external vaginal opening.

The spotted hyena is the most social of the Carnivora in that it has the largest group sizes and most complex social behaviours. Its social organisation is unlike that of any other carnivore, bearing closer resemblance to that of cercopithecine primates (baboons and macaques) with respect to group size, hierarchical structure, and frequency of social interaction among both kin and unrelated group-mates. The social system of the spotted hyena is openly competitive, with access to kills, mating opportunities and the time of dispersal for males depending on the ability to dominate other clan-members and form ally networks. Females provide only for their own cubs rather than assist each other, and males display no paternal care. However, the spotted hyena is also very cooperative with their clan-mates; often hunting, eating, and resting together, and making use of their numeracy and communication skills to fight off a common enemy. Spotted hyena society is matriarchal; females are larger than males and dominate them.

Pachycrocuta is an extinct genus of hyena. The largest and most well-researched species is Pachycrocuta brevirostris, colloquially known as the giant short-faced hyena as it stood about 90–100 cm (35–39 in) at the shoulder and it is estimated to have averaged 110 kg (240 lb) in weight, approaching the size of a lioness, making it the largest known undisputed hyena, only exceeded in size by the possible hyena Dinocrocuta. It is often hypothesised to have been a specialised kleptoparasitic scavenger, using its imposing size to force other predators off of carcasses, though some authors have suggested they may have been effective pack hunters like living spotted hyenas.

The precise time of the origin of the genus depends on what species are included, though the only unquestioned species of the genus, P. brevirostris, had emerged by the Early Pleistocene (around 2.6-2 million years ago). Around 800,000 years ago at the end of the Early Pleistocene, it became locally extinct in Europe, with it surviving in East Asia until at least 500,000 years ago, and possibly later elsewhere in Asia.

Oxyaenidae ("sharp hyenas") is a family of extinct carnivorous placental mammals. Traditionally classified in order Creodonta, this group is now classified in its own order Oxyaenodonta ("sharp tooth hyenas") 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.

Hyaenodonta ("hyena teeth") is an extinct order of mostly carnivorous placental mammals of clade Pan-Carnivora from mirorder Ferae. Hyaenodonts were important mammalian predators that are believed to have arose either in the Late Cretaceous or Early Paleocene within Europe, and persisted well into the Late Miocene. Hyaenodonts were found across Africa, Eurasia, and North America throughout the Cenozoic and occupied a variety of ecosystems, from forests to coastlines. They displayed a variety of body shapes, diet, and sizes. Ranging from ambush predators like Hyainailouros to Hyaenodon, in which some species were cursorial predators.

The order currently consists of three superfamilies, Hyaenodontoidae, Hyainailouroidea, and Limnocyonoidea, in addition to smaller groups such as the Galecyon clade. The hyaenodontoids consisted of Hyaenodontidae and Proviverrinae, the hyainailouroids consisted of Hyainailouridae, Prionogalidae, and Teratodontidae, and with the limnocyonoids consisted of Limocyoninae, Sinopinae, and Arfiinae.

Necrophages are animals that feed on decomposing dead animal biomass, such as the muscle and soft tissue of carcasses and corpses (also known as carrion). The term derives from Greek nekros, meaning 'dead', and phagein, meaning 'to eat'. Many hundreds of necrophagous species have been identified including invertebrates in the insect, malacostracan and gastropod classes and vertebrates such as vultures, hyenas, quolls and wolves.

Necrophagous insects are important in forensic science as the presence of some species (e.g. Calliphora vomitoria) in a body, coupled with information on their development stage (e.g. egg, larva, pupa), can yield information on time of death. Information on the insect species present can also be used as evidence that a body has been moved, and analysis of insect tissue can be used as evidence that drugs or other substances were in the body.

Hyaenodon ("hyena-tooth") is an extinct genus of carnivorous placental mammals from the tribe Hyaenodontini, part of the subfamily Hyaenodontinae (which is within the family Hyaenodontidae), that belonged to the now extinct order Hyaenodonta. The genus was found lived in Eurasia and North America from the Middle Eocene to the Early Miocene, from 38 to 17 million years ago, existing for 21 million years. Hyaenodon first evolved in Asia, probably evolving from Propterodon.

The genus currently consists of at least 40 species, although due sexual dimorphism and intraspecific variation, they were likely fewer species within the genus. The species within the genus ranged in size from H. filholi, who weighed 2 kg (4.4 lb), to H. gigas and H. mongoliensis, who were estimated to be similar in size to Hyainailouros. The largest species were likely the apex predators of their time, with fossil records suggesting they could’ve occasionally hunted smaller predators. Several species within the genus were cursorial predators, either being ambushing or pounce-pursuit predators. The canines of the animal mediolaterally compressed much like canids, landing shallow bites on their prey. Unlike canids such as wolves, they were thought to have been solitary predators.