Tyrants of the Cenozoic: Evolution of Bone-Crushing Hyenas and Dogs

Explore the fascinating evolution of bone-crushing hyenas and dogs in this 51-minute Royal Tyrrell Museum Speaker Series talk by Jack Tseng from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Delve into the world of these formidable predators, examining their jaw musculature, enamel microstructures, and bite force capabilities. Learn about modern hyaenas, their hunting prowess, and unique adaptations like the spotted hyaena's domed forehead. Discover the convergent evolution between hyaenas and borophagine dogs, and investigate their independent specialization for bone-cracking. Analyze behavioral clues and the concept of macroevolutionary ratchet in these species' development. Gain insights into finite element analysis techniques used to study these ancient carnivores and ponder the existence of woolly hyaenas.

Intro
VERTEBRATES
CLOSE RELATIVES
DISTANT RELATIVES
MODERN HYAENAS
HUNTERS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT
JAW MUSCULATURE
ENAMEL MICROSTRUCTURE
SPOTTED HYAENA
DOMED FOREHEAD
BITE FORCE
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
BEHAVIORAL CLUES
BONE CRACKING CAPABILITY
CONVERGENT EVOLUTION
BOROPHAGINE DOGS
INDEPENDENT SPECIALIZATION
MACROEVOLUTIONARY RATCHET
WOOLLY HYAENAS?
THANK YOU!