In the fossil-rich sands of the Faiyum Oasis in Egypt, archaeologists have uncovered one of the most complete skulls ever found from a formidable family of predators that roamed the Earth roughly 30 million years ago.
The fossil, complete with an upper set of teeth, revealed the animal to be a newly discovered species of extinct hyena-sized mammals known as hyaenodonts, researchers report February 17 in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. This species, Bastetodon syrtos, appears to have fewer teeth than its relatives, a catlike adaptation that would have given it a more efficient bite. The new discovery also redraws the family history of this ancient group of predators.