Harpagolestes
Appearance
Harpagolestes Temporal range:
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Skull of H. immanis | |
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Genus: | Harpagolestes
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Harpagolestes (hooked thief) is an extinct genus of hyena like, bear sized mesonychid mesonychian that lived in Central and Eastern Asia during the middle to late Eocene.
Fossil specimens have been recovered in Mongolia, China, and at least one species in Korea. Harpagolestes exhibits strong, curved canine teeth, a deep lower jaw, massive skull, and heavy wear on the molars. This along with stout limb bones suggest that Harpagolestes was a scavenger and did not pursue its prey. The wear on the molars suggests it regularly cracked bones.
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