Borhyaenidae

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Marsupialia
Ordo: †Sparassodonta
Familia: Borhyaenidae
Genera: Acrocyon - Angelocabrerus - Argyrolestes - Borhyaena - Conodonictis - Eutemnodus - Nemolestes - Parahyaenodon - Pharsophorus - Pseudoborhyaena

The borhyaenids, members of the Borhyaenidae family of metatherians (probably not true marsupials, but sister taxa to them; see Sparassodonta), were a carnivorous group of otter/wolverine-shaped marsupials in the order Sparassodonta. They lived in the Miocene of South America [1]. Like most metatherians, they had a pouch to carry their offspring around. Borhyaenids had strong and powerful jaws, like those of Hyaenodon and Andrewsarchus, for crushing bones. They grew up to 5 or 6 feet long. Borhyaena was a member of this group. Today, the Tasmanian Devil, a scavenging marsupial from Tasmania, most resembles them.

Classification

*
o †Family Borhyaenidae[2]
+ †Genus Nemolestes
# †Nemolestes spalacotherinus
+ †Genus Argyrolestes
+ †Genus Angelocabrerus
+ †Genus Pharsophorus
+ †Genus Borhyaena
# †Borhyaena tuberata
# †Borhyaena macrodonta
+ †Genus Pseudoborhyaena
+ †Genus Acrocyon
+ †Genus Conodonictis
+ †Genus Eutemnodus
+ †Genus Parahyaenodon

References

1. ^ <The Paleobiology Database Borhyaenidae entry accessed on 12/10/09
2. ^ http://www.helsinki.fi/~mhaaramo/ ...

* Borhyaenidae - Encyclopedia Britannica