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''Chasmaporthetes'', also known as hunting or running hyena, is an extinct genus of hyenas endemic to North America, Africa, and Asia during the Pliocene-Pleistocene epochs, living from 4.9 million to 780,000 years ago, existing for about .〔(PaleoBiology Database: ''Chasmaporthetes'', basic info )〕 The genus probably arose from Eurasian Miocene hyenas such as ''Thalassictis'' or ''Lycyaena'', with ''C. borissiaki'' being the oldest known representative.〔Kurtén, Björn (1980) ''Pleistocene mammals of North America'', p. 199, Columbia University Press, 1980, ISBN 0-231-03733-3〕 The species ''C. ossifragus'' was the only hyena to cross the Bering land bridge into the Americas, and ranged over what is now Arizona and Mexico during Blancan and early Irvingtonian Land Mammal ages, between 5.0 and 1.5 million years ago.〔〔 ''Chasmaporthetes'' was one of the so called "dog-like" hyenas (of which the aardwolf is the only survivor), a hyaenid group which, in contrast to the now more common "bone-crushing" hyenas, evolved into slender-limbed, cursorial hunters like modern canids.〔 The genus has entered the popular culture lexicon as a result of cryptozoologic claims, having been proposed as the likely origin of the American Shunka Warakin and the Cuitlamiztli.〔Erberhart, George M. (2002) ''Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology'', ABC-CLIO, ISBN 1-57607-283-5〕 ==Taxonomy and etymology== ''Chasmaporthetes'' was named by Hay (1921). Its type is ''Chasmaporthetes ossifragus''. It was assigned to Hyaenidae by Hay (1921), Geraads (1997), and Flynn (1998).〔O. P. Hay. 1921. Descriptions of species of Pleistocene Vertebrata, types or specimens of most of which are preserved in the United States National Museum. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 59:599-642〕〔D. Geraads. 1997. Carnivores du Pliocene terminal de Ahl al Oughlam (Casablanca, Maroc). Géobios 30(1):127-164〕〔J. J. Flynn. 1998. Early Cenozoic Carnivora ("Miacoidea"). In C. M. Janis, K. M. Scott, and L. L. Jacobs (eds.), Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America 1:110-123〕 Its name means "he who saw the canyon", because it was the only one of its kind to cross the Bering land bridge.〔Macdonald, David (1992) ''The Velvet Claw: A Natural History of the Carnivores'', p. 119-144, New York: Parkwest, ISBN 0-563-20844-9〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chasmaporthetes」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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