The latest European record of Chasmaporthetes lunensis lunensis (Del Campana, 1914) from Schernfeld (Bavaria, Germany) in terms of the changes in the European carnivore paleoguilds

The hyaena Chasmaporthetes lunensis lacks the robust and hyper-robust dentition of its bone-cracking relatives. Its gracile skeleton reflects an adaption to fast running and chasing down prey. The species was widespread on the northern hemisphere throughout the Pliocene and the Early Pleistocene ca. 4.5-1.5 myr, and, hence, an important component of the Holarctic fauna as a cursorial carnivore. By the earliest Pleistocene the relatively long-lived and seemingly fairly stable carnivore guild of the European Pliocene turned over, and canids of genera Lycaon and Canis replaced Chasmaporthetes. Its last known European occurrence is that from the German site Schernfeld with five isolated teeth documenting one large individual.