OREANDA-NEWS. A fossilized skull of a giant hyena was found in the Crimea. According to the Crimean Federal University, the weight of the animal during life could reach about 100 kilograms. The remains of a hyena were found in the Tavrida cave. According to experts, this is the first find of the skull of an ancient prehistoric hyena on the territory of Europe. Previously, only fragments of skulls and individual teeth were found in Europe.

«Previously, only one such skull was found in Russia in Transbaikalia. There are two more similar ones from China known all over the world», the press service explained. The bones of an ancient lynx and the fang of a saber-toothed cat Homotherium were also found in the cave.

The cave was discovered near the village of Zuya in the Belogorsky district of Crimea in 2018 during the construction of the Tavrida highway. Speleologists found there a large number of remains of ancient animals — mastodons, horses, elephants, rhinos, saber-toothed cat homotherium, hare Hypolagus and others. According to scientists, the cavity remained sealed for at least 1 million years. Near the cave, archaeologists found a flint flake about 40 thousand years old. At the same time, scientists have not found any archaeological evidence of human habitation in the cave itself.