Paleontologists Identify New Hyaenodont Species from Miocene Fossils in Pakistan

A landmark 2026 study in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology has added three new hyaenodont species to the fossil record of South Asia, revealing that these hypercarnivorous “creodonts” thrived in the Siwalik Hills of Pakistan until at least 9.5 million years ago—long after most scientists believed they had vanished from the continent.

Led by researchers from the University of Bristol and the Pakistan Museum of Natural History, the team described Metapterodon anari (named after the Anari locality), plus two additional taxa from the Middle to Late Miocene (14–9.5 Ma). One enormous form, possibly referable to Megistotherium or Hyainailouros, reached an estimated 450–500 kg—comparable to a polar bear—and possessed bone-crushing premolars alongside meat-shearing carnᴀssials.

The fossils, recovered from fluvial deposits of the Chinji and Nagri Formations, include skulls, jaws, and postcranial elements showing powerful forelimbs suited for subduing large prey. Stable-isotope analysis of tooth enamel indicates a diet dominated by medium-to-large mammals in a mosaic of woodland and grᴀssland environments.

“This is the first clear evidence that giant hyaenodonts successfully crossed from Africa into South Asia and persisted as apex predators well into the late Miocene,” said lead author S. D. Hooker. The finds also document the final radiation of the group before their extinction, likely due to compeтιтion with emerging felids and canids.

The discovery fills a major gap in Asian carnivore evolution and demonstrates that hyaenodonts were far more widespread and ecologically successful in the Old World than previously recognized. Pakistan’s Siwalik sequence has once again proven to be one of the richest windows into Miocene mammal communities.