Miocene Pakistan Yields New Hyaenodont Species

Paleontologists in Pakistan identified three Miocene hyaenodont species from the Chinji and Nagri Siwalik deposits, including Metapterodon_anari, a newly described species about 15 kg; a second giant form tentatively placed as Megistotherium or Hyainailouros (potentially up to 500 kg); and Hyaenodon remains that may represent a distinct regional species. The finds shed light on late-surviving hyaenodonts, indicate possible Africa–Europe connections and Miocene migration, and reveal how hypercarnivorous predators coexisted with emerging carnivorans in South Asia; the study is published in PalZ.