Hyena

Hyenas are feliform carnivores, meaning they are more closely related to cats than to dogs, though they look rather wolf-like. They are fairly massive animals with short torsos, thick short necks, high shoulders and a back that slopes down towards lower hind quarters. The front legs are long, the hind legs very short, and the coat is sparse and coarse; most species have a mane of long hair.

There are four living species: the striped hyena, the brown hyena, the spotted hyena and the aardwolf. All except the spotted hyena have striped coats. In most species males are larger than females, but the female spotted hyena outweighs and dominates the male.

Hyenas are vital parts of most African ecosystems. They are mainly nocturnal, though they sometimes leave their lairs in the early morning.

Hyenas began in the forests of Miocene Eurasia about 22 million years ago. The first ancestors were probably lithe and civet-like. The family later split into lightly built dog-like hyenas and robust bone-crushing hyenas, and the bone-crushing group includes today's spotted, striped and brown hyenas.

The bone-crushing hyenas became the main scavengers of Eurasia and Africa. They never reached North America. The striped hyena probably evolved in Africa and spread into Eurasia late on. It once lived in parts of Europe, including France and Germany.

The spotted hyena split from the striped and brown hyenas about 10 million years ago. It spread widely in the Middle Pleistocene, from Europe to southern Africa and China, and later vanished from Europe, probably through climate change and human pressure together.

Hyenas feature in the folklore of many cultures. They are often seen as frightening, linked with witchcraft, or used in traditional medicine.

Hyenas groom themselves often, in a rather cat-like way. They mark territory with a strong-smelling, creamy secretion from their anal glands, which they paste onto grass stalks. Humans can smell it several metres downwind.

The spotted hyena is highly social, very vocal, and makes whoops, giggles, groans and laughs. It is an active pack hunter and may kill as many as 95% of what it eats. Striped and brown hyenas are generally not sociable, though they may live in family groups and gather at kills. The striped hyena is fairly quiet and is mainly a scavenger that also eats fruit.

Except for the aardwolf, hyenas can drive larger predators such as lions off their kills, despite a cowardly reputation. When attacked by lions or dogs, striped and brown hyenas feign death, while the spotted hyena fights back fiercely. Striped hyenas are usually very timid around people, but attacks on humans have happened, mostly rarely.

Spotted hyenas are among the few mammals other than bats known to survive infection with rabies virus. They have shown little or no disease-related death during outbreaks in other carnivores, partly because of the high level of antibodies in their saliva.

Despite this apparent resistance, little is known about the immune system of spotted hyenas, and even less about the other species. Expansions in immune-related gene families in the spotted, striped and brown hyenas are thought to have led to their scavenging way of life.

This is general awareness only, not veterinary advice. If you find an injured or unwell wild animal, contact a vet or a wildlife rescue.

What is a hyena?

A hyena is a meat-eating mammal in the family Hyaenidae. Although it looks dog-like, it is more closely related to cats and civets.

Are hyenas related to dogs?

Not closely; they are more closely related to cats and civets. They resemble canids in some ways because of convergent evolution, such as running and catching prey with their teeth. Their grooming, scent marking and mating are more like those of other feliforms.

Do hyenas really laugh?

The spotted hyena makes a sound like hysterical human laughter, among many other calls. The striped hyena is much quieter, with a chattering laugh and howling.

Are hyenas cowardly?

Not really. Apart from the aardwolf, hyenas are known to drive larger predators like lions off their kills.

Are hyenas dangerous to people?

Striped hyenas are usually very timid around people. Spotted and striped hyenas have both been known to attack humans, but this is rare.

Hyena jaws are so strong that striped and spotted hyenas have been recorded killing dogs with a single bite to the neck without breaking the skin.

Spotted hyena cubs are born with their eyes open and with teeth already coming through. Striped hyena cubs are born with their eyes closed.

Male striped hyenas help raise their cubs, but male spotted hyenas do not.

In Tabwa mythology of East Africa, the spotted hyena is said to have first brought the sun to warm the cold earth.