What are hyenas closely related to
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Hyenas' Closest Relatives: Evolutionary and Genetic Insights
Evolutionary History and Genetic Relationships of Hyenas
Hyenas, belonging to the family Hyaenidae, are a unique group of carnivores with a rich evolutionary history. The four extant species—spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), and aardwolf (Proteles cristatus)—are remnants of a once diverse lineage that included over 80 fossil species . Molecular studies have provided significant insights into their evolutionary relationships and origins.
African and Eurasian Lineages
Research indicates that the living spotted hyenas of Africa are closely related to the extinct Late Pleistocene cave hyenas from Europe and Asia. This relationship is supported by both morphological and ancient DNA data. The genus Crocuta, which includes both African spotted and Eurasian cave hyenas, shows a deep divergence of approximately 2.5 million years ago (Ma) between African and Eurasian populations. This divergence suggests that ancestral Crocuta left Africa around the same time as early Homo species. Despite this split, there was bidirectional gene flow between African and Eurasian Crocuta, complicating prior taxonomic classifications.
Genetic and Molecular Insights
Molecular systematics using a supermatrix of nuclear and mitochondrial genes has resolved the phylogenetic relationships among the four extant hyena species. The analyses consistently place the aardwolf as the most basal lineage, with the spotted hyena (Crocuta) as a sister group to the clade containing the brown hyena (Parahyaena) and the striped hyena (Hyaena). This genetic evidence suggests that the aardwolf, despite its specialized termite-feeding habits, is derived from a lineage of bone and meat-eating hyenas.
Relatedness and Social Structure
Spotted hyenas exhibit complex social structures, living in clans that resemble the social systems of some primates, such as baboons and macaques. These clans are characterized by hierarchical structures and frequent social interactions among both kin and unrelated group members . Genetic studies have shown that within a clan, relatedness is higher within matrilines than among them, even across generations. However, overall relatedness within clans is low due to high levels of male-mediated gene flow among clans.
Conclusion
Hyenas are closely related to each other within the Hyaenidae family, with the aardwolf being the most basal lineage. The spotted hyena shares a close evolutionary relationship with the extinct Eurasian cave hyenas, and there has been significant gene flow between African and Eurasian populations. The complex social structures of spotted hyenas, combined with their genetic diversity, highlight the intricate evolutionary history and adaptive strategies of these fascinating carnivores.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
Pleistocene Chinese cave hyenas and the recent Eurasian history of the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta
Hyena paleogenomes reveal a complex evolutionary history of cross-continental gene flow between spotted and cave hyena
Behavioural structuring of relatedness in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) suggests direct fitness benefits of clan‐level cooperation
Long-Read Genome Sequencing Provides Molecular Insights into Scavenging and Societal Complexity in Spotted Hyena Crocuta crocuta
Molecular systematics of the Hyaenidae: relationships of a relictual lineage resolved by a molecular supermatrix.
Society, demography and genetic structure in the spotted hyena
Genetic relatedness and space use in two populations of striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena)
Extended and Continuous Decline in Effective Population Size Results in Low Genomic Diversity in the World’s Rarest Hyena Species, the Brown Hyena
Genome-Wide Analyses Provide Insights into the Scavenging Lifestyle of the Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena).
Hyena societies
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