Amazing Dark Colored Beautiful 13 ” Cave Hyena Skull from Ultra Rare Location

RARE EXTINCT   Museum Quality Cave Hyena 13” OLD  HYENA 

Species:   Cave Hyena   crocuta crocuta spelaea

Species description: The cave hyena was a top predator in Asia and Europe.  These hyenas were  pack carnivores who hunted most every herbivore it wanted  , IT was one of larger ones  with only the dinocrocuta  and  adrocrocuta larger .It was about 8 ft long  IT looked similar to a modern hyena except much bigger  including the head was much wider and different shaped possessing a long body and short legs. This species once ranged from Iberian Peninsula to Northeastern China .This hyena was a highly specialized animal  that was so ruthless it could kill almost anything with its progressive and regressive features being more developed than the modern African species. IT preyed on large animals like wooly rhinoceros, red deer, giant deer and wild horses in Europe and Asia   .

It began over 2 million years ago as a species and was extinct about 30,000 years ago at end of Neanderthals . It would steal Neanderthals food also as documented, 30,0000 years ago it went extinct  due to competition with other predators and climate change, and loss of grasslands which they hunted. .

Geological strata: Late Miocene thru Pleistocene  Strata 

 Geological period: 2.5 million -30,000 Years ago 

Item location:  Russia 

Item rating and description: 1-10     9.9 This 13” Cave hyena  specimen is very rare due to location and its also very very old . It wasn’t tested but believed due to color of dark reddish brown to be possibly a million years old. Most specimens of cave hyeans are light colored all thru Europe but they in whole terms are so rare -this is amazing. These were vicious killers , and the beautiful color and high quality with what I can see just work done on palate make it special . Look how dark the teeth are also . It is at least 30,000 years old . This was found 20 years ago in a rare location close to deer bones so it was able to catch many types of prey including deer. This fossil  animal is top notch with only a few spots of resto over the skull, mainly on palate underneath .  It’s like an early huge giant dog , and this specimen displays so well. IT was a high quality prep job even though not a lot was done. While nothing is perfect this is so rare an animal and so complete no one can complain.  Its my first one complete, and first from this area. Germany is normal for these but so rare now it’s a treasure  and not expensive .

Price:  $12,999