A strange-looking, and weird-sounding, creature lives in the African savannah. Locals pretend it does not exist, and it never features on any safari tour, so it lives in glorious privacy.
The leucrota, with its strange mouth and voice, is, in many ways, a living fossil or throwback. Probably the most ancient member of the hyena family (the Hyaenidae), it displays many feline characteristics. Although hyenas look more like dogs than cats, they are, in fact, more closely related to the big cats. The leucrota, then, may well be the nearest living descendent of the early 'proto-hyena' that lived 40 million years ago, betraying the feline ancestry of the hyena itself.
Toothless wonder
The leucrota has an elegant, feline body, maned around the neck in the male animal, with a long canine head, much like a hyena's. Most striking, however, is the creature's mouth, which stretches filly back to its ears, and is filled not with teeth, but with interlocking horizontal bony ridges. This bizarre feeding adaptation is unique in higher terrestrial mammals, and has baffled zoologists who can only speculate on its function. Most argue that it is probably used in tandem with a sawing action of the jaw, used when eating carrion.
The strangest feature of the leucrota is its voice, which resembles high-pitched human chatter, as of many people talking all at once. While medieval naturalists were quick to ascribe supernatural powers to the creature, we now know that this bizarre vocal effect is simply a peculiar form of the hyena's laugh. The leucrota version of this call is probably very close to the noise that the hyena's Eocene forefather would have made.
Out of Africa
Humans have generally shied away from contact with the leucrota, finding its gaping mouth and unnatural voice disturbing. However, its specialised dentition and lack of proper biting teeth means that the leucrota poses little threat to living creatures, including man.
The traditional myths and folklore of many Eastern and Southern African tribes portray the leucrota as an evil or unclean creature, to be avoided at all costs. Even today, Kenyan guides never include the leucrota on the normal safari itinerary, with the result that few, if any, tourists are aware that it exists. The leucrota's nearest relatives are the Laughing or Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), the Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) and the Brown Hyena (Hyaena brunnea). Its more distant cousins include the Felidae--cats--and mongooses. An alternative spelling for leucrota, used by classical Roman naturalists, is leucrocotta.
-Joel Levy
