Palaeobiology of Hyaenodon exiguus (Hyaenodonta, Mammalia) based on morphometric analysis of the bony labyrinth.
Species of the extinct genus Hyaenodon were among the largest carnivorous mammals from the Late Eocene through Early Miocene in North America, Europe and Asia. The origin, phylogeny and palaeobiology of Hyaenodonta are still ambiguous. Most previous studies focused on teeth and dental function in these highly adapted species, which might be influenced by convergent morphologies. The anatomy of the bony labyrinth in vertebrates is generally quite conservative and, additionally, was used in functional-morphological studies. This study provides the first anatomical description of the bony labyrinth of the extinct European species Hyaenodon exiguus in comparison to selected extant carnivoran taxa discussed from a functional-morphological perspective. Hyaenodon exiguus may have occupied a hyaena-like dietary niche with a semi-arboreal lifestyle, based on the relative height, width and length of the semicircular canals of the inner ear. However, this contradicts previous functional-morphological studies focusing on the diameter of the canals, which presumably represent the signal of locomotion mode.
Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Cathrin
C
Pfaff
Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Doris
D
Nagel
Division of Fossil Primates, Duke Lemur Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Gregg
G
Gunnell
Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Gerhard W
GW
Weber
Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Jürgen
J
Kriwet
Abt. für Paläoanthropologie und Messelforschung, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Michael
M
Morlo
Department of Palaeontology, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Research Group, Aerobiology and Pollen Information, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Katharina
K
Bastl
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D008322:Mammals; D010163:Paleontology / Q000379:methods*; D012665:Semicircular Canals / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D055114:X-Ray Microtomography / Q000379:methods
Creodonta; ecomorphology; functional morphology; geometric morphometrics; inner ear; semicircular canals
J Anat. 2010 Jan;216(1):37-47
20002227
J Hum Evol. 2009 Mar;56(3):315-27
19185902
PLoS One. 2013 Jun 21;8(6):e66624
23805251
J Anat. 2009 May;214(5):679-93
19438763
Proc Biol Sci. 2015 Jun 22;282(1809):20150744
26019162
Naturwissenschaften. 2014 Oct;101(10):771-81
25091547
Proc Biol Sci. 2012 Oct 7;279(1744):3932-9
22859594
J Exp Zool B Mol Dev Evol. 2010 Sep 15;314(6):417-33
20700887
Proc Biol Sci. 2011 Jan 7;278(1702):28-34
20667879
Nature. 1994 Jun 23;369(6482):645-8
8208290
Bioinformatics. 2004 Jan 22;20(2):289-90
14734327
J Anat Physiol. 1879 Apr;13(Pt 3):401-6
17231274
Syst Biol. 2005 Apr;54(2):317-37
16012099
Acta Anat (Basel). 1964;57:306-15
14197615
Adv Anat Embryol Cell Biol. 1978;55(5):3-70
735912
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Jun 26;104(26):10808-12
17576932
Am J Phys Anthropol. 1998;Suppl 27:211-51
9881527
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Oct 24;97(22):11736-43
11050203
Curr Biol. 2010 Nov 9;20(21):R915-9
21056828
J Anat. 2013 Nov;223(5):442-61
24102069
J Anat. 2016 Mar;228(3):366-83
26577069