Descendants of Fossil Hyena Dung Reveal Line
by Reading genes that exist in the ancient feces, the researchers managed to uncover the food and heredity cave hyenas (hyena cave)
Fossilized hyena dung (photo: Live Science)
WASHINGTON – Reading the genes that exist in the ancient feces, the researchers managed to uncover the food and heredity cave hyenas (hyena cave). cave hyenas live animals throughout Eurasia with Neanderthals.
Cave hyena Crocuta crocut spelaea Latin name. Animal populations living along one million years in Eurasia, until thensuffered extinction at 10 thousand to 30 thousand years ago.
Proclaimed Live Science, Friday (30/03/2012), the difference with the modern hyena, cave hyena has a size of 25 per cent larger, more resilient, and have a stronger bite. The study revealed that, cave hyena could be the ancestor of spotted hyenas in modern times. In addition, these prehistoric animals like red deer prey.
Jean-Marc Elalouf researchers and colleagues extracted DNA from feces that have become fossilized. Excrement called coprolites were obtained from a cave in the French Pyreness. DNA was studied and compared with DNA spotted hyena in modern times, so the relationship is found.
“DNA information could provide valuable clues about the structure of the population in Europe in the face of extinction,”said Gerrit Dusseldorp from the University of Witwatersrand, which is also involved in research.
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