Species Information

The Hyena is the most common large carnivore surviving in Africa, and Hyena have been responsible for killing and for eating humans. Hyena are dangerous, powerful predators. They live in the plains of Africa and shelter in holes in the ground or among rocks and in dense vegetation.

The spotted hyena have the female as the most dominent, with the females being bigger than the males. The spotted hyena grow to 36 inches tall and can weigh up to 180 lbs. They can live up to approximately 20 years in the wild and can survive in many different habitats, from deserts to grassy savannahs to Forest to mountain ridges up to 14,000 feet.

Although the external female genitalia have a superficial similarity to those of the male, they are nonetheless female organs and only the females bear and nurse young. Why the female hyena developed in this manner is not known, but it may have been necessary for them to appear large and strong to protect their young from males, as hyenas have cannibalistic tendencies.

Hyenas use numerous ways to communicate their feelings to other members of the clan and to intruding clans. When a hyena is about to attack it carries its tail straight,; when excited it holds its tail forward over the back; and when frightened the hyena keeps its tail between its legs. The animals also have numerous vocal calls, i.e. its laughing sounds have been featured in many hollywood movies to stimulate danger and even terror. Hyenas actually make a variety of vocalizations including wailing calls, howling screams and the well-known "laughter" used to alert other clan members up to three miles away of a food source.

Its powerful jaws allow the hyena to crush up bones with ease and the digestive system of hyenas allows the eating of carrion and even animal droppings. Hyena hunt mostly at night and leave little evidence of kills they have made. Hyena often steal from leopards and will even steal from lions if they far outnumber the larger predators.

Although hyenas were once thought to be chiefly scavengers living off of carrion (dead or decaying flesh), studies have found that they hunt and kill their own prey the majority of the time. During wars, African tribes traditionally left their dead for the hyenas to eat.

Hyenas are incredibly well equipped animals that can survive almost any wilderness situation.. Drought and lack of water, lack of game, cold to extremely hot conditions and even when the clan is attacked by a pride of lions. Hyena have adapted and evolved over time to represent one of Africa's most successful animals.

Information source: David Ireland, and Virtual Zoo