Oxyaenidae
| Oxyaenidae | |
|---|---|
| skull of Palaeonictis occidentalis | |
| reconstruction of Patriofelis ferox | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Mirorder: | Ferae |
| Clade: | Pan-Carnivora |
| Order: | †Oxyaenodonta Van Valen, 1971 |
| Family: | †Oxyaenidae Cope, 1877 |
| Type genus | |
| †Oxyaena Cope, 1874
| |
| Subfamilies | |
| Synonyms | |
|
synonyms of order:
synonyms of family:
| |
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.