Ekorus ekakeran

Ekorus ekakeran is a large, extinct mustelid mammal. Fossils, including largely complete skeletons, are known from the late Miocene of Kenya.

== Description == Ekorus reached almost , comparably to a wolf and much bigger than the modern honey badger (Mellivora capensis). Standing tall at the shoulders, its build was not similar to that of modern mustelids. Small, modern-day weasels have short legs and can only achieve short bursts of speed. Living large mustelids are either aquatic predators (the otters, Lutrinae), or terrestrial animals with a crouching stance and heavy limbs with adaptations for digging (the wolverine, and various groups called badgers). Ekorus is a representative of an extinct ecological type of mustelid – large stalking and running mammals comparable to dogs, cats, hyenas, and amphicyonids. The legs of Ekorus are built like those of leopards. The face is short, with a felid-like tooth pattern; Ekorus was a hypercarnivore. Analysis of the elbow indicates that it was a strong runner, like modern hyenas and dogs, and did not grapple with its paws, as bears and raccoons do. The legs are long; the feet are short and stout.