Hyaenodon leptorhynchus (Laizer and Parieu 1838; Scott 1895; Eocene to Miocene) was traditionall considered a credont and a placental, but here nests with the marsupials between Thylacinus and Ernanodon plus Oxyaena. It was a carnivore that hunted with its saberteeth. The large rostrum is distinctive.
H. gigas was the size of a bear (est. 1,100 lbs, 500 kgs, 3 m). H. horridus was the size of a large dog (est. 88 lbs, 40 kgs). H. microdon and H. mustelinus were much smaller, about the size of Eomaia, another basal marsupial. There were several mid-sized taxa, too. Hyaenodon leptorhynchus was the type species. |