The cave hyena was an apex predator that once dominated the northern Eurasian ecosystems.

Nature · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Larger and more robust than its modern African cousin, the cave hyena was a formidable hunter that shared the landscape with Neanderthals and early humans. While often misunderstood as a mere scavenger, this apex predator shaped the Pleistocene, leaving behind vast bone accumulations in caves across Europe and Asia.

The cave hyena, Crocuta spelaea and Crocuta ultima, was a dominant force across Eurasia during the Pleistocene epoch. Weighing an average of 88 kilograms—roughly 60% heavier than the living African spotted hyena—these animals were perfectly adapted to colder climates, following Bergmann's rule. Genetic research, including a 2020 nuclear genome study, indicates that Eurasian populations diverged from African lineages approximately 2.5 million years ago. While they share a spotted appearance and clan-based social structure with modern hyenas, their skeletal anatomy shows subtle differences, such as thicker, shorter limb bones and a distinct skull structure where the upper premolars touch.

These predators were not strictly cave-dwellers; they utilized open-air dens and inhabited environments ranging from frigid steppe-tundra to tropical savannah. Their diet was diverse, focusing on large ungulates like wild horses, steppe bison, and aurochs. In many sites, such as the karst caves of the Czech Republic or the Fouvent-Saint-Andoche site in France, these remains are found in massive quantities. They were active hunters, though they also scavenged larger herbivores like woolly mammoths and rhinoceroses. Their presence was so pervasive that they frequently competed with other apex predators, most notably the cave lion, for both territory and carcasses.

The relationship between cave hyenas and early humans was complex. They coexisted with Neanderthals, often alternating occupation of the same cave sites. Evidence suggests that hyenas occasionally scavenged or even hunted Neanderthals, while humans sometimes butchered hyenas for their pelts or used their teeth to create pendants. The eventual extinction of the cave hyena, which occurred between 31,000 and 24,000 years ago in Europe, remains a subject of debate. It was likely not caused by climate change alone, but rather a combination of factors, including human activity and a decline in the availability of their primary prey animals.

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