The giant short-faced hyaena from Dmanisi: taxonomy and palaeobiology

Abundant, complete and well-preserved specimens attributed to several carnivorans were recovered from the Calabrian palaeoanthropological site of Dmanisi, Georgia (ca. 1.8 Ma). Herein, we describe the hyaenid remains unearthed from this locality, comparing them with other similar forms from coeval sites from Eurasia. The main objective of this contribution is to test the possible co-occurrence of two hyaena species in Dmanisi, as has been reported by previous authors. Our analyses show that the whole Dmanisi sample corresponds to a single taxon of large and stout size, the giant short-faced hyaena Pachycrocuta brevirostris (Gervais, 1850). Furthermore, we discuss the taphonomic implications of this species in the accumulation of fossil assemblages during the Early Pleistocene in Eurasia and, based on the dental anatomy, the palaeobiology of this hyaenid, suggesting different feeding behaviours for juvenile and adult individuals in the exploitation of fat and meat