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joints of the toes. The general character of the dentition in the more typical forms,such as Hyaenodon (see fig.), recalls that of the carnivorous marsupials, this being especially the See also:

case with the Patagonian See also:

SPECIES

species, which have been Dentition of Hyaenodon leptorhynchus, from the Lower Oligocene of See also:

France. The last upper molar is concealed by the penultimate tooth. separated as a distinct group under the name of See also:

SPARASSODONTA

Sparassodonta (q.v.). The skull, however, is not of the marsupial type, and in the See also:

EUROPEAN

European forms at any See also:

RATE

rate there is a See also:

COMPLETE

complete replacement of the See also:

MILK (0. Eng. meoluc; from a common Indo-European root, cf. Lat. mulgere, Gr. ?t dXyetv)

milk-molars by pre-molars, while the See also:

minute structure of the See also:

ENAMEL (formerly " amel," derived through the Fr. amail, emmll, esmail, from a Latin word smaltum, first found in a 9th-century life of Leo IV.)

enamel of the teeth is of the carnivorous as distinct from the marsupial type. The See also:

head is large in proportion to the See also:

BODY

body, the lumbar region is unusually rigid, owing to the complexity of the articulations, and the tail and See also:

HIND

hind-limbs are relatively See also:

long and powerful. In See also:

LIFE

life the tail probably passed almost imperceptibly into the body, as in the Tasmanian thylacine. That the Creodonta are the ancestors of the See also:

MODERN

modern Carnivora is now generally admitted. They are apparently the most generalized and primitive of all (placental?) mammals, and probably the See also:

DIRECT

direct descendants of the mammal-like anomodont or theromorphous See also:

REPTILES (Lat. Reptilia, creeping things, from reptilis; ref ere, to creep; Gr. Ep7rety, whence the term " herpetology," for the science dealing with them)

reptiles of the Triassic See also:

EPOCH (Gr. E7roxij, holding in suspense, a pause, from E1rxav, to hold up, to stop)

epoch; the See also:

EVOLUTION

evolution from that group having perhaps taken See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place in See also:

Africa or in the lost See also:

AREA

area connecting that See also:

CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

continent with See also:

India. The relationship of the creodonts to the carnivorous marsupials is not yet deter-See also:

MINED

mined, but it seems scarcely probable that the remarkable resemblance existing between the teeth of the two See also:

groups can be solely due to See also:

PARALLELISM, PSYCHOPHYSICAL

parallelism; and it has been suggested by Dr L. Wortman that both creodonts and marsupials are descended from a See also:

COMMON

common non-placental stock.

In other words, the latter are a See also:

side-See also:

BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch from the anomodont-creodont See also:

LINE

line of descent. Dr C. W. See also:

Andrews has pointed out that certain of the See also:

EGYPTIAN

Egyptian creodonts appear to have been aquatic or subaquatic in their habits; and it is possible that from such types are derived the true See also:

SEALS

seals, or Phocidae. With the exception of See also:

AUSTRALASIA

Australasia, and perhaps See also:

South Africa, creodonts (on the supposition that the Patagonian forms are rightly included) appear to have had a nearly See also:

WORLD

world-wide See also:

DISTRIBUTION (Lat. distribuere, to deal out)

distribution. In See also:

EUROPE

Europe and See also:

North See also:

AMERICA

America they date from the Lowest Eocene and lived till the early Oligocene, while in India they apparently survived till a much later epoch. Some of the Oligocene forms, alike as regards dentition, the union of the scaphoid and lunar of the carpus, and the complexity of the See also:

BRAIN (A.S. braegen)

brain, approximated to modern Carnivora. As regards See also:

CLASSIFICATION (Lat. classis, a class, probably from the root cal-, cla-, as in Gr. icaMce, clamor)

classification Mr W. D. See also:

Matthew includes in the typical See also:

FAMILY

family Hyaenodontidae not only the widely spread genera Hyaenodon and Pterodon, but likewise Sinopa (Stypolophus), Cynohyaenodon and Proviverra; but Viverravus (Didymictis) and Vulpavus (Miacis) are assigned to a See also:

SEPARATE

separate family (Viverravidae). It is these latter forms which come nearest to modern Carnivora, most of them being of Oligocene See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age. The See also:

AMERICAN

American and European Oxyaena apparently represents a family by itself, as does the American Oxyciaena; and Palaeonictis and Patriofelis are assigned to yet another family; while the North American Lower Eocene and Eocene Arctocyon typifies a family characterized by the somewhat See also:

bear-like type of dentition.

Mesonyx is also a very distinct type, from the North American Eocene and Oligocene. Some of the species of Patriofelis and Hyaenodon attained the See also:

SIZE

size of a See also:

tiger, although with long See also:

CIVET

civet-like skulls. In the earlier forms the claws often retained somewhat of a hoof-. like character. The South American Borhyaenidae include Borhyaena, Frothylacinus, Amphiproviverra, and allied forms from the See also:

SANTA

Santa Cruz beds of See also:

PATAGONIA

Patagonia, and have been referred to a distinct group, the Sparassodonta, mainly on See also:

account of the alleged replacement of some only of the milk-molars by premolars. By their first describer, Dr F. Ameghino, they were regarded as nearly related to the marsupials, to which group they were definitely referred in 1905 by Mr W. J. See also:

Sinclair, by whom they are considered near akin to Thylacinus, but this view seems to be disproved by the investigations of Mr C. S. Tomes into the structure of the dental enamel. It should be added that Dr J. L.

Wortman transfers Viverravus and its See also:

ALLIES, THOMAS WILLIAM (1813-1903)

allies, together with Palaeonictis, to the true Carnivora, the latter genus being regarded as the ancestral type of the sabre-toothed See also:

CATS, JACOB (1577-1660)

cats (see See also:

MACHAERODUS, or MACHAIRODUS

MACHAERODUS). (R.

End of Article: CREODONTA

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