Cranial Findings of Pachycrocuta brevirostris (Hyaenidae, Carnivora) from the Taurida Cave (Crimea, Early Pleistocene).

Cranial materials of the large hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris (Gervais, 1850) from the Early Pleistocene (~1.8-1.6 Ma) locality in the Taurida cave (Crimea) belong to individuals of different individual ages, from juvenile to senile. The relative facial length of the "short-faced hyena" P. brevirostris has been shown to be greater than that of the recent spotted hyena Crocuta сrocuta (Erxleben, 1777). As P. brevirostris matured, the facial and frontal regions increased significantly in height, and the dorsal profile line of the skull elevated noticeably. New material on P. brevirostris is of great importance for studying the geographical variability and evolution of this widespread species of carnivorous mammals of the Early Pleistocene.