Belbus

Belbus (from Late Latin: belbus, 'hyena') is an extinct genus of hyaenids that lived in Europe and Africa during the Turolian of the Late Miocene.^[1][2][3] Belbus had durophagous adaptations in its dentition, but was less well-adapted to durophagy than modern durophagous hyaenids such as the spotted hyena or the brown hyena.^[3]

Belbus Temporal range: Late Miocene (Turolian)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Suborder:	Feliformia
Family:	Hyaenidae
Genus:	†Belbus Werdelin & Solounias, 1991
Type species
†Belbus beaumonti Qiu, 1987
Other species
†B. djurabensis Bonis et al., 2010
Synonyms
Species synonymy B. beaumonti: Hyaena sp. De Beaumont, 1968 Hyaena dubia (Zdansky, 1924) De Beaumont, 1969a Hyaenictitherium cf. hyaenoides (Zdansky, 1924) Howell & Petter, 1980 Thalassictis hyaenoides (Zdansky, 1924) Solounias, 1981 Lycyaena chaeretis (Gaudry, 1861) Solounias, 1981 Thalassictis (Hyaenictitherium) hyaenoides (Zdansky, 1924) Solounias & De Beaumont, 1981 Pachycrocuta sp. Solounias & De Beaumont, 1981 Hyaenictis beaumonti Qiu, 1987 cf. Palinhyaena sp. Werdelin, 1988b

Species

Belbus beaumonti

The type species, B. beaumonti, has been found in Samos and Pikermi, both in Greece, and in Çobanpinar, Turkey.^[4] Juvenile specimens of B. beaumonti are similar in size to modern adult striped hyenas, and adults may have been larger.^[1] The weight of B. beaumonti has been roughly estimated at around 40 kilograms (88 pounds).^[4]

Belbus djurabensis

B. djurabensis was discovered in Toros-Menalla in the Djurab desert of Chad. It is smaller than B. beaumonti. B. djurabensis has a smaller talonid on its m1 molar and a smaller M1 relative to the size of its P4 premolar than the type species. The premolars of B. djurabensis, especially the p3, are larger than those of B. beaumonti. The specific name of B. djurabensis is derived from the name of the Djurab desert.^[2]