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Description
A Propotamochoerus palaeochoerus gets in a terrible situation involving not one but two predators 10 million years ago during the late Miocene on the edge of a lake in what is now Rudabánya, Hungary. The small wild pig had been captured by a Simocyon diaphorus, which had carried it up a fallen tree in attempt to prevent other predators stealing the pig. However it wasn't quick enough and is now having a tug-of-war with a Thalassictis montadai over its prey, the ailurid trying its best to bite onto the pig while the hyena pulls as hard as it can on the leg. Meanwhile a Deinotherium giganteum and some Anas ducks mind their own business in and on the other side of the lake.

Had originally planned to get this done for International Red Panda Day (September 16) but clearly I ended up late. The extant red panda is a unique animal, being a primarily herbivorous carnivoran and also the only extant species of the Ailuridae family. However this family showed much greater diversity in prehistory, and from the fossil record we know that its mostly vegetarian diet is distinct not just among carnivorans, but also within its own family. Jaws and teeth of fossil ailurids show that many of the family's prehistoric members were carnivorous or omnivorous, and one of the largest was Simocyon, which reached sizes comparable to a mountain lion/puma/cougar (fuck me that animal has lots of names), which ranged across Eurasia and North America during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Simocyon would have had a mostly carnivorous diet, and the strength of its jaws suggests it may have even been bone-crushing like hyenas, and also shows adaptations for climbing such as a false thumb formed from a wrist bone (also seen in red pandas).

Though a cougar-sized and powerful predator in its own right, Simocyon was smaller than various contemporary predators like large cats or amphicyonids, and may have employed its tree-climbing to evade them. There were also similarly-sized carnivores, such as the early hyenas Thalassictis and Ictitherium, which were smaller than extant spotted hyenas and may have been more jackal or coyote-like in niche. Thalassictis has been found at the Rudabánya site of Hungary's Edelény Formation, where Simocyon also occurs. The pig Propotamochoerus is also known from the area, and while there is little information I can find about this obscure taxon, multiple sources call it 'small' and from my own scaling of this skull it does appear within prey size range for these carnivorans.

Deinotherium and ducks of the genus Anas are also known from fossil remains at Rudabánya and make for neat background animals to add atmosphere. If the Deinotherium looks familiar that's probably because I got lazy and copypasted it from my own older drawing (which is also set in Rudabánya so feel free to imagine it's the same individual).

Description
A Propotamochoerus palaeochoerus gets in a terrible situation involving not one but two predators 10 million years ago during the late Miocene on the edge of a lake in what is now Rudabánya, Hungary. The small wild pig had been captured by a Simocyon diaphorus, which had carried it up a fallen tree in attempt to prevent other predators stealing the pig. However it wasn't quick enough and is now having a tug-of-war with a Thalassictis montadai over its prey, the ailurid trying its best to bite onto the pig while the hyena pulls as hard as it can on the leg. Meanwhile a Deinotherium giganteum and some Anas ducks mind their own business in and on the other side of the lake.

Had originally planned to get this done for International Red Panda Day (September 16) but clearly I ended up late. The extant red panda is a unique animal, being a primarily herbivorous carnivoran and also the only extant species of the Ailuridae family. However this family showed much greater diversity in prehistory, and from the fossil record we know that its mostly vegetarian diet is distinct not just among carnivorans, but also within its own family. Jaws and teeth of fossil ailurids show that many of the family's prehistoric members were carnivorous or omnivorous, and one of the largest was Simocyon, which reached sizes comparable to a mountain lion/puma/cougar (fuck me that animal has lots of names), which ranged across Eurasia and North America during the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Simocyon would have had a mostly carnivorous diet, and the strength of its jaws suggests it may have even been bone-crushing like hyenas, and also shows adaptations for climbing such as a false thumb formed from a wrist bone (also seen in red pandas).

Though a cougar-sized and powerful predator in its own right, Simocyon was smaller than various contemporary predators like large cats or amphicyonids, and may have employed its tree-climbing to evade them. There were also similarly-sized carnivores, such as the early hyenas Thalassictis and Ictitherium, which were smaller than extant spotted hyenas and may have been more jackal or coyote-like in niche. Thalassictis has been found at the Rudabánya site of Hungary's Edelény Formation, where Simocyon also occurs. The pig Propotamochoerus is also known from the area, and while there is little information I can find about this obscure taxon, multiple sources call it 'small' and from my own scaling of this skull it does appear within prey size range for these carnivorans.

Deinotherium and ducks of the genus Anas are also known from fossil remains at Rudabánya and make for neat background animals to add atmosphere. If the Deinotherium looks familiar that's probably because I got lazy and copypasted it from my own older drawing (which is also set in Rudabánya so feel free to imagine it's the same individual).