by Gregory McNamee

Why are there no hyenas in Europe? Blame it on glaciation. The spotted hyena, now found only in sub-Saharan Africa, was once found in many parts of Europe and Asia.

Spotted hyenaâ€”Paul A. Souders/Corbis.

According to Spanish scientists who have been looking into the climatological history of Pleistocene Europe, the hyena found itself pushed out of its ecological niche during a period of widespread climate change, when, about 10,000 years ago, glaciers had extended to their maximum across the northerly landmasses. The researchers suggest, the disappearance of the hyena is not a matter of climate alone; that Ice Age transformation certainly played a major role, but it was also the increasing number of humans in the vast region, as well as other environmental factors, that deprived the hyena of its longtime home. That episode in climate history is worth keeping in mind as we track current climate change, which promises to remake the continents in many ways.
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