34 Facts About Spotted hyena

Spotted hyena, known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus Crocuta, native to sub-Saharan Africa.

The spotted hyena is the largest known member of the Hyaenidae, and is further physically distinguished from other species by its vaguely bear-like build, its rounded ears, its less prominent mane, its spotted pelt, its more dual-purposed dentition, its fewer nipples and the presence of a pseudo-penis in the female.

Spotted hyena is the most social of the Carnivora in that it has the largest group sizes and most complex social behaviours.

However, the social system of the spotted hyena is openly competitive rather than cooperative, with access to kills, mating opportunities and the time of dispersal for males depending on the ability to dominate other clan-members.

Spotted hyena society is matriarchal; females are larger than males, and dominate them.

Related searches

Spotted hyena is a highly successful animal, being the most common large carnivore in Africa.

In functional terms, the spotted hyena makes the most efficient use of animal matter of all African carnivores.

Spotted hyena has a long history of interaction with humanity; depictions of the species exist from the Upper Paleolithic period, with carvings and paintings from the Lascaux and Chauvet Caves.

From Classical antiquity until the Renaissance, the spotted and striped hyena were either assumed to be the same species, or distinguished purely on geographical, rather than physical grounds.

Unlike the striped hyena, for which a number of subspecies were proposed in light of its extensive modern range, the spotted hyena is a genuinely variable species, both temporally and spatially.

The ancestors of the spotted hyena probably developed social behaviours in response to increased pressure from other predators on carcasses, which forced them to operate in teams.

Spotted hyena has a strong and well developed neck and forequarters, but relatively underdeveloped hindquarters.

For its size, the spotted hyena has one of the most powerfully built skulls among the Carnivora.

The spotted hyena has its carnassials situated behind its bone-crushing premolars, the position of which allows it to crush bone with its premolars without blunting the carnassials.

Spotted hyena clans are more compact and unified than wolf packs, but are not as closely knit as those of African wild dogs.

Spotted hyena hierarchy is nepotistic; the offspring of dominant females automatically outrank adult females subordinate to their mother.

Spotted hyena societies are more complex than those of other carnivorous mammals, and are remarkably similar to those of cercopithecine primates in respect to group size, structure, competition and cooperation.

Also, like cercopithecine primates, dominance ranks in Spotted hyena societies are not correlated with size or aggression, but with ally networks.

Spotted hyena is a non-seasonal breeder, though a birth peak does occur during the wet season.

Spotted hyena milk has the highest protein and fat content of any terrestrial carnivore.

The general form of a spotted hyena den is tunnel-shaped, with a spacious end chamber used for sleeping or breeding.

The intelligence of the spotted hyena was attested to by Dutch colonists in 19th-century South Africa, who noted that hyenas were exceedingly cunning and suspicious, particularly after successfully escaping from traps.

Unlike its brown and striped cousins, the spotted hyena is a predator, not a scavenger; this has been shown since the 1960s.

In west Africa, the spotted hyena is primarily a scavenger who will occasionally attack domestic stock and medium-size antelopes in some areas.

Spotted hyena has an extensive vocal range, with sounds ranging from whoops, fast whoops, grunts, groans, lows, giggles, yells, growls, soft grunt-laughs, loud grunt-laughs, whines and soft squeals.

Related searches

Spotted hyena populations began to shrink roughly 20,000 years ago, completely disappearing from Western Europe between 14 and 11,000 years ago, and earlier in some areas.

However, the striped and brown hyena occur at greater densities than the spotted species in desert and semi-desert regions.

Traditional Western beliefs about the spotted hyena can be traced back to Aristotle's Historia Animalium, which described the species as a necrophagous, cowardly and potentially dangerous animal.

Spotted hyena further described how the hyena uses retching noises to attract dogs.

In On the Generation of Animals, Aristotle criticised the erroneous belief that the spotted hyena is a hermaphrodite, though his physical descriptions are more consistent with the striped hyena.

Spotted hyena has been hunted for its body parts for use in traditional medicine, for amusement, and for sport, though this is rare, as the species is generally not considered attractive.

Several authors during the Scramble for Africa attested that, despite its physical strength, the spotted hyena poses no danger to hunters when captured or cornered.

Nevertheless, the spotted hyena was historically scantily represented in zoos, and was typically obtained in order to fill empty cages until a more prestigious species could be obtained.

Alfred Brehm wrote that the spotted hyena is harder to tame than the striped hyena, and that performing specimens in circuses were not up to standard.