Creodonta

Creodonta, order of extinct carnivorous mammals first found as fossils in North American deposits of the Paleocene Epoch (65.5 million to 55.8 million years ago). The last creodont, Dissopsalis carnifex, became extinct about 9 million years ago, giving the group a more than 50-million-year history. Creodonts were diverse and ecologically varied. More than 180 species have been described. They ranged from the small weasel-like Isohyaenodonto the giant bearlike Megistotherium. They were diverse through the Eocene and Oligocene epochs (55.8 to 23 million years ago), but their numbers declined through the Miocene. For much of their history, creodonts coexisted with members of the Order Carnivora. The two groups probably had slightly different ecological specializations, and the creodonts may have been analogous to living carnivorous marsupials. Two main families are distinguished: the Oxyaenidae and the Hyaenodontidae. The oxyaenids had relatively short faces and powerful limbs, perhaps resembling badgers, wolverines, and bears. They first appeared in the early Paleocene Epoch (about 65.5 million years ago) and became extinct at the end of the Eocene (about 33.9 million years ago). Oxyaenids lived in Europe, Asia, and North America. The hyaenodontids were more diverse and abundant than the oxyaenids. Small species were generally like foxes or civets, while the larger ones were more like dogs or wolves. Hyaenodontids lived in North America, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Well-known genera of hyaenodonts include Sinopa and Hyaenodon.