Hyaenodon horridus (skull)

Name: Hyaenodon horridus (skull)

Age: oligocene, brule formation

Origin: shannon county, South Dakota, USA

Size: 25 cm

Typical of early carnivorous mammals, individuals of Hyaenodon had a very massive skull, but only a small brain. The skull is long with a narrow snout - much larger in relation to the length of the skull than in canine carnivores, for instance. The neck was shorter than the skull, while the body was long and robust and terminated in a long tail. Compared to the generally larger (but not closely related) Hyainailouros, the dentition of Hyaenodon was geared more towards shearing meat and less towards bone crushing.

Some species of this genus were among the largest terrestrial carnivorous mammals of their time; others were only of the size of a marten. Remains of many species are known from North America, Europe, and Asia.The average weight of adult or subadult H. horridus, the largest North American species