Basic info Taxonomic history Classification Included Taxa
Morphology Ecology and taphonomy External Literature Search Age range and collections

Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyaena)

Mammalia - Carnivora - Hyaenidae

Taxonomy
Canis crocuta was named by Erxleben (1777) [Originally named Canis crocuta by Erxleben]. It is extant.

It was recombined as Hyaena crocuta by Boule and De Villeneuve (1927); it was recombined as Crocuta crocuta by Gray (1868), Watson (1878), Mivart (1882), Kurten (1968), Werdelin and Solunias (1991), Capasso Barbato and Gliozzi (1995) and Koepfli et al. (2006).

Subspecies
C. spelaea
Sister species lacking formal opinion data
C. inexpectatus, C. spelaea, C. ultra

Synonyms
Synonymy list
YearName and author
1777Canis crocuta Erxleben
1820Hyaena capensis Desmarest
1820Hyaena rufa Desmarest
1820Hyaena maculata Odmann
1842Hyaena cuvieri Boitard
1868Crocuta crocuta Gray p. 525
1878Crocuta crocuta Watson
1882Crocuta crocuta Mivart p. 198
1900Hyaena (Crocotta) gariepensis Matschie
1900Hyaena (Crocotta) germinans Matschie
1900Hyaena (Crocotta) noltei Matschie
1900Hyaena (Crocotta) thierryi Matschie
1900Hyaena (Crocotta) togoensis Matschie
1900Hyaena (Crocotta) wismanni Matschie
1905Hyaena (Crocotta) leontiewi Satunin
1908Crocotta kibotonensis Lönnberg
1908Crocotta panganensis Lönnberg
1911Crocuta nyassae Cabrera
1911Crocuta nzoyae Cabrera
1911Crocuta rufopicta Cabrera
1911Crocuta thomasi Cabrera
1914Crocuta crocuta fisi Heller
1924Crocuta crocuta fortis Allen
1927Hyaena crocuta Boule and De Villeneuve p. 73
1968Crocuta crocuta Kurten p. 64
1991Crocuta crocuta Werdelin and Solunias
1995Crocuta crocuta Capasso Barbato and Gliozzi p. 242
2006Crocuta crocuta Koepfli et al. p. 604

Is something missing? Join the Paleobiology Database and enter the data

RankNameAuthor
kingdomAnimalia()
—Bilateria
—EubilateriaAx 1987
—Deuterostomia
phylumChordataHaeckel 1874
subphylumVertebrata
superclassGnathostomata
—Osteichthyes()
subclassSarcopterygii()
subclassDipnotetrapodomorpha(Nelson 2006)
subclassTetrapodomorpha()
—Tetrapoda
—Reptiliomorpha
—Anthracosauria
subclassAmphibiosauriaKuhn 1967
—Cotylosauria()
—Amniota
subclassSynapsida
—Therapsida()
infraorderCynodontia()
—Mammaliamorpha
RankNameAuthor
—Mammaliaformes
classMammalia
—Cladotheria
—Zatheria
subclassTribosphenida()
subclassTheria
—Eutheria()
—Placentalia
—Boreoeutheria
—Laurasiatheria
—Scrotifera
—Ferae()
—CarnivoramorphaWyss and Flynn 1993
—CarnivoraformesFlynn et al.
orderCarnivora
suborderFeliformiaKretzoi 1945
—AeluroideaFlower 1869
infraorderViverroideaGray 1821
familyHyaenidae
genusCrocutaErxleben 1777
speciescrocuta()

If no rank is listed, the taxon is considered an unranked clade in modern classifications. Ranks may be repeated or presented in the wrong order because authors working on different parts of the classification may disagree about how to rank taxa.

Crocuta crocuta Erxleben 1777 [spotted hyaena]
show all | hide all
†Crocuta crocuta spelaea Goldfuss 1823
Invalid names: Crocotta kibotonensis Lönnberg 1908 [synonym], Crocotta panganensis Lönnberg 1908 [synonym], Crocuta crocuta fisi Heller 1914 [synonym], Crocuta crocuta fortis Allen 1924 [synonym], Crocuta nyassae Cabrera 1911 [synonym], Crocuta nzoyae Cabrera 1911 [synonym], Crocuta rufopicta Cabrera 1911 [synonym], Crocuta thomasi Cabrera 1911 [synonym], Hyaena (Crocotta) gariepensis Matschie 1900 [synonym], Hyaena (Crocotta) germinans Matschie 1900 [synonym], Hyaena (Crocotta) leontiewi Satunin 1905 [synonym], Hyaena (Crocotta) noltei Matschie 1900 [synonym], Hyaena (Crocotta) thierryi Matschie 1900 [synonym], Hyaena (Crocotta) togoensis Matschie 1900 [synonym], Hyaena (Crocotta) wismanni Matschie 1900 [synonym], Hyaena capensis Desmarest 1820 [synonym], Hyaena cuvieri Boitard 1842 [synonym], Hyaena maculata Odmann 1820 [synonym], Hyaena rufa Desmarest 1820 [synonym]
Diagnosis
No diagnoses are available
Measurements
partNmean

Composition: phosphaticsubp
Environment: terrestrialsubc
Locomotion: actively mobilec
Life habit: ground dwellingf
Diet: carnivoreg
Reproduction: viviparoussubc
Created: 2009-01-04 14:13:50
Modified: 2009-01-04 16:13:50
Source: g = genus, f = family, subc = subclass, c = class, subp = subphylum
References: Van Valkenburgh 1988, Lillegraven 1979, Ji et al. 2002, Carroll 1988, Hendy et al. 2009, Nowak 1991

Age range: base of the Late/Upper Pliocene to the top of the Holocene or 3.60000 to 0.00000 Ma

Collections (103 total)


Time interval Ma Country or state Original ID and collection number
Middle Miocene - Early/Lower Pleistocene15.97 - 0.781Netherlands Crocuta crocuta (189573)
Pliocene5.333 - 2.588South Africa Crocuta crocuta (22355)
Pliocene - Calabrian5.333 - 0.774South Africa Crocuta crocuta (21791)
Zanclean - Calabrian5.333 - 0.774Kenya Crocuta crocuta (21369 21399 21473 21506)
Pliocene - Pleistocene5.333 - 0.0117Congo-Kinshasa Crocuta crocuta (22207)
Pliocene - Pleistocene5.333 - 0.0117South Africa Crocuta crocuta (21960)
Late/Upper Pliocene3.6 - 2.588Taiwan (N/A) Crocuta crocuta (208876)
Piacenzian - Calabrian3.6 - 0.774Kenya Crocuta crocuta (21490)
Late/Upper Pliocene - Middle Pleistocene3.6 - 0.129Indonesia (Java) Crocuta crocuta (13304)
Late/Upper Pliocene - Pleistocene3.6 - 0.0117South Africa Crocuta crocuta (22334)
Gelasian2.588 - 1.806Kenya (Rift Valley) Crocuta crocuta (21305)
Gelasian2.588 - 1.806Kenya Crocuta crocuta (21451)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781Algeria (Northern Algeria) Crocuta crocuta (197944)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781Spain (Castilla-Leon) Crocuta crocuta (34916)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781Netherlands Crocuta crocuta (189574)
Early/Lower Pleistocene2.588 - 0.781South Africa Crocuta crocuta (21824)
Gelasian - Calabrian2.588 - 0.774Kenya Crocuta crocuta (21453 21456 21466 21499)
Gelasian - Calabrian2.588 - 0.774Ethiopia (Ethiopian Rift) Crocuta crocuta (22491)
Early/Lower Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Italy (Sicily) Crocuta crocuta (94328)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Italy Crocuta crocuta (96714)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Italy (Puglia) Crocuta crocuta (44091)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Egypt Crocuta crocuta (21892)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Spain (Segovia) Crocuta crocuta (36517)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Italy (Verona) Crocuta crocuta (43658)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Morocco Crocuta crocuta (22489)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Saudi Arabia Crocuta crocuta (48859)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Spain (Castilla-Leon) Crocuta crocuta (34872 34920)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Kenya Crocuta crocuta (21838 21963 38039)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117South Africa Crocuta crocuta (21825 21828 21929 21956)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Germany (Thuringia) Crocuta crocuta (22728)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Djibouti Crocuta crocuta (22487)
Pleistocene2.588 - 0.0117Pakistan (Pabbi Hills) Crocuta crocuta (189000)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0South Africa Crocuta crocuta (21711)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0Libya Crocuta crocuta (21884)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0Zambia Crocuta crocuta (21924)
Pleistocene - Holocene2.588 - 0.0Morocco Crocuta crocuta (21859)
Calabrian1.8 - 0.774Kenya Crocuta crocuta (21414 21524)
Calabrian1.8 - 0.774Spain (Castilla-Leon) Crocuta crocuta (34870)
Calabrian1.8 - 0.774Algeria Crocuta crocuta (22584)
Calabrian1.8 - 0.774Tanzania (Lake Natron Basin) Crocuta crocuta (22553 22578)
Calabrian1.8 - 0.774Kenya (Rift Valley) Crocuta crocuta (21347)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Italy (Trieste) Crocuta crocuta (43701) Hyaena crocuta (43699)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Syria Crocuta crocuta (34105)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129United Kingdom Crocuta crocuta (34981)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129United Kingdom (Norfolk) Crocuta crocuta (49816)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Morocco Crocuta crocuta (34287 34330)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Thailand (Nakhon Ratchasima) Hyaenidae indet. (143885)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Spain (Granada) Crocuta crocuta (34985)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129China (Guangdong) Crocuta crocuta (40341 120834)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Spain (Castilla-Leon) Crocuta crocuta (34925)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Italy (Capri Island) Crocuta crocuta (43016)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Germany (Rheinland-Pfalz) Crocuta crocuta (50196)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129Turkey Crocuta crocuta (43008)
Middle Pleistocene0.774 - 0.129United Kingdom (Suffolk) Crocuta crocuta (49813 49814 49815)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Tanzania Crocuta crocuta (21893)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117China (Anhui) Crocuta crocuta (36868)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117China (Guangdong) Crocuta crocuta (13293)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Kazakhstan Hyaena spelaea (40497)
Middle Pleistocene - Late/Upper Pleistocene0.774 - 0.0117Kenya Crocuta crocuta (21276 22272)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117France Crocuta crocuta (43630)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117United Kingdom (England) Crocuta crocuta (93828 96782)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117United Kingdom Crocuta crocuta (93837)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Israel (Mount Carmel) Hyaena crocuta (11803)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Spain Crocuta crocuta (90036 197938)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Kenya (Athi-Kapiti Plains) Crocuta crocuta (32090 32113)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117France (Poitou-Charentes) Crocuta crocuta (43619 43629 43631)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117China (Heilongjiang) Crocuta crocuta (230983)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Netherlands Crocuta crocuta (82530 109703)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Monaco Hyaena crocuta (191722 191725)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Greece Crocuta crocuta (203847)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Portugal (Leiria) Crocuta crocuta (230380)
Late/Upper Pleistocene0.129 - 0.0117Greece (Kilkis) Crocuta crocuta (207192)
Late/Upper Pleistocene - Holocene0.129 - 0.0North Atlantic Hyaena spelaea (102954)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Tanzania Crocuta crocuta (21690)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Kenya Crocuta crocuta (21933)
Holocene0.0117 - 0.0Zambia Crocuta crocuta (21895)