 Spotted Hyena |
 Brown Hyena |
 Striped Hyena |
Spotted Hyena: The largest and best-known member of the hyena family, the Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is primarily a predator, not a scavenger. Individuals have been clocked at over 55 kilometres per hour, and when hunting in packs are capable of taking down the largest of prey. Spotted Hyenas have such strong jaws and teeth that they devour even the bones of their kill. This, combined with their very strong stomach acid, results in them having crusty white droppings (from all the bone meal). The hyena's distinctive laughing call, used to disorient prey and gather the pack, has resulted in their nickname "laughing hyena".Spotted Hyenas live in the savannas and deserts of Africa, in clans numbering 40 individuals on average - and as large as 100. While Spotted Hyenas have no real predators (besides humans), they are on occasion killed by lions, which eat the same foods and will often clash with hyena over kills. Although lions are much larger, hyenas will defend their kills if possible, and hyena packs have been known to kill lions if they outnumber them significantly. Like many social carnivores, spotted hyenas are playful, especially when young. In captivity they can become very tame, and Europeans living in Africa have sometimes successfully made pets of them. Brown Hyena: The Brown Hyena (Parahyaena brunnea, formerly Hyaena brunnea) lives mainly in the Kalahari and Namib deserts of southern Africa. It is smaller than the Spotted Hyena, and unlike its spotted cousin is largely a scavenger. It is, in fact, the largest land animal to derive the majority of its diet from scavenging. Because of the scarcity of food in the desert, they supplement their diet with fruit and vegetables.Also unlike the Spotted Hyena, the males and females of this species are practically indistinguishable. Their clans are also smaller, ranging between 4 to 15 members. Besides man, Brown Hyenas are commonly killed by Lions and Spotted Hyenas. Striped Hyena Striped Hyena are a long-haired hyena with large, pointed ears. They are gray to straw-colored with a black muzzle and black stripes on their head, torso, and legs. The striped hyena can erect the long hair on its mane and appear 38% bigger, which it does when it feels threatened. Males and females do not differ in average height or length, but males do tend to be slightly heavier. The striped hyena is generally considered solitary, but has some social organization. It forages individually and is rarely seen in groups. It does, however, associate in small family groups at the den. Immature family members will help feed younger siblings by bringing food back to the den. The striped hyena is predominantly a scavenger; its diet consisting mainly of carrion and human refuse. It scavenges large and medium-sized mammals, such as zebras, wildebeests, gazelles, and impalas, even eating bones from carcasses if the meat has been picked off. It supplements its diet with fruit, insects, and occasionally by killing small animals like rodents, reptiles, and birds. |