Creodonts were widely distributed during the Cenozoic era, appearing in the mid-Paleocene. They had mostly disappeared by the mid-Eocene. Only Hyaenodon was left at the end of the Eocene (40 MYA).

The Hyaenodontidae were the last surviving family of the order of carnivorous mammals known as Creodonta. Hyaenodons were the most specialized creodonts and were the most widely dispersed predators of the White River Badlands. As with other predators, Hyaenodon fossils are not commonly found.

Hyaenodon is Latin for hyaena tooth. In Latin cruentus or crucians means torture or hard violence. Hyaenodons (Hyaenodon cruentus) ranged in size, from a domestic dog to a grey wolf. They were primative carnivores and their teeth were adapted to eating meat, but were less specialized than true carnivores.

Hyaenodon competed with other carnivores, such as nimravids (saber-toothed like cats), for similar species of prey. Without binocular vision, they may have been at a disadvantage when competing with these other predators and some paleontologists feel that they were scavangers like present day hyaenas. The observation has been made that there are as many species of Hyaenadons as there are species of oreodonts. The oreodonts were likely their favorite prey and when they disappeared, so did the Hyaenodons (by the end of the Oligocene - 37.5-26 MYA).

Because of replacement minerals, many of the fossil mammal teeth from the White River Formation of South Dakota will fluoresce. Be sure to check them out in our fluorescent section under the South Dakota page and then by the appropriate page for the species you are interested in. The item number will be the same as the item number in this section, but will be followed by an "F."

Specimen is a front tooth, possibly incisor or caninine.

Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Order: Creodontidae, Family: Hyaenodontidae, Genus: Hyaenodon, Species: cruentus.

This specimen is no longer available! It was offered at $10.00.

Dog - Hyaenodon cruentus
	Quantity in Basket: None Code: TSDG-104 Price: $0.00 Shipping Weight: 0.19 pounds
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Time: Early Eocene through Early Oligocene, approximately 40 - 30 million years ago. Location: White River Formation, South Dakota Badlands, USA Dimensions: 1/2" x 3/16" x 1/8"