Megistotherium: Not a gigantic hyaenodont creodont. More like a very basal seal.
Traditionally described as a gigantic hyaenodont creodont,
Megistotherium (Savage 1973; Miocene; Fig. 1) nests in the large reptile tree (LRT, 1544 taxa) at the base of the clade within Carnivora that ultimately produced extant seals and extinct Palaeosinopa (Figs. 1,2). In the LRT creodonts are large marsupial predators, convergent with members of the clade Carnivora.
Therefore
Megistotherium is also a sister to the Machaeroides clade (which gave rise to Stylinodon) both derived from the Kerbos and Gulo (wolverine) clades (which gave rise to terrifying short face bears, like Arctodus). So, several gigantic, fearless bear-like taxa arise from this branch within Carnivora.
Side note:
In overall size and general features, the skull of Megistotherium was similar, by convergence, to the giant Eocene elephant shrew, the mighty Andrewsarchus.
In the past,
several mammal taxa achieved gigantic proportions not found in today’s relatives.
References
Savage RJ 1973. Megistotherium, gigantic hyaeonodont from Miocene of Gebel Zelten, Libya. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Geology 22(7):483–511.
Source: https://pterosaurheresies.wordpress.com/2019/07/21/megistotherium-not-a-gigantic-hyaenodont-creodont-more-like-a-very-basal-seal/
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