Dinocrocuta, also known as the giant hyena, is a fascinating extinct animal... This incredible creature belongs to the family Hyaenidae, which includes modern hyenas. Dinocrocuta was a formidable predator, known for its massive size and powerful build.
The name “Dinocrocuta” is derived from the Greek words “deinos” meaning terrible or powerful and “krokoutas” meaning a kind of dog.
Dinocrocuta was not your ordinary animal. With a height of about 2 meters and an estimated weight of 200 kilograms, it was quite a massive predator. Its large size and powerful jaws allowed it to hunt and scavenge for food successfully. Dinocrocuta belonged to the family of hyenas but had a more formidable build, making it a fearsome presence in its habitat.
Dinocrocuta gigantea skull cast, Zoologisk Museum, Copenhagen.
By FunkMonk (Michael B. H.) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11900251
It was mainly found in Eurasia, with fossil remains being discovered in present-day China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan. These fossils have provided scientists with valuable information about the appearance and behavior of this long-extinct creature.
Dinocrocuta gigantea, a hyena-like predator was one of the biggest and strongest carnivores to stalk the ancient grasslands of China. Its bite was strong enough to crush bones and it dominated its contemporary herbivores. One fossil shows us that it was clearly unafraid to take on animals much bigger than itself: Tooth marks in the skull of a massive tusked rhinoceros.
Thus like modern hyenas – its closest living relatives – it was able to scavenge and take down prey equally well. Dinocrocuta was also clearly capable of preying on mammals far bigger than itself. Of course this was not without risks. The tusked Chilotherium wimani was 2 meters (6.6 ft) tall and weighed close to 3 tons (6000 lbs), and would have made a formidable target for even the strongest carnivores.
With its opportunistic feeding habits, Dinocrocuta was the apex predator of Liushu. It would be a while before it went extinct and big cats would take over the role of big bone-eating killers. During the Late Miocene though, even the lion-sized sabertooths of the time had to play second fiddle to this massive predator.