The Protictitherium were a primitive genus of civet-like hyena, including the earliest species of hyena known, Protictitherium gaillardi. They were small animals with retractable claws, who probably spent the majority of their time in trees, hunting insects and small animals. Although one of the first and most primitive hyena genera to appear, they were quite successful, appearing around 15 million years ago and surviving until 4-5 million years ago.