Protictitherium is a genus of basal, civet-like hyena. The genus includes the earliest species of hyena known, P. gaillardi. The various species were small animals with retractable claws, who probably spent the majority of their time in trees, hunting insects and small animals, very much like modern civets. 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.