Hyena

Hyena, doglike carnivore that is a renowned scavenger. Hyenas have powerful jaws capable of crushing large bones that other predators cannot eat. The hyena's range spans Africa, the Middle East, and southwestern Asia, including India. In prehistoric times, hyenas also roamed Europe. Their habitat is usually open plains and grasslands, but they are sometimes found in rocky terrain, brush-covered areas, and open forests.

There are three species of hyenas: the spotted hyena, the striped hyena, and the brown hyena. Of these, the spotted hyena is the largest, measuring about 2 m (about 7 ft) long, including its 30 cm (12 in) tail. It weighs up to 86 kg (189 lb). Adults of this species are brown-gray with dark brown or black spots. The spotted hyena sometimes makes an eerie call that sounds like a human laugh, earning this animal the name of the laughing hyena.

The size of striped and brown hyenas ranges in length from 1.2 to 1.5 m (3.9 to 4.9 ft), including the 30 cm (12 in) tail, and in weight from 25 to 55 kg (55 to 120 lb). Striped hyenas are yellow-brown with dark stripes, and brown hyenas have dark brown coats with distinct stripes on the legs. Both of these species have upright manes on their necks and backs.

All hyenas share the characteristic of a distinctly sloping back, resulting from a size difference between their large, muscular front legs and smaller back legs. Each foot has four toes with nonretractable claws that help hyenas to run on the open plains. Hyenas have small heads that contain massive jaws and teeth. A prominent anal pouch, located under the base of the long, bushy tail, is used for scent marking.

Most active at night, hyenas typically scavenge the kills of other animals, feeding on the body parts left behind. They are able to bite through tough hides and crush and digest large bones. Indigestible materials, such as hair, hooves, and horns, are formed into pellets in the digestive tract and regurgitated through the mouth. Hyenas also make their own kills. Capable of running up to 65 km/h (40 mph), individual hyenas will attack sheep, goats, wildebeest, and other animals, and they will form packs of ten or more to bring down a zebra.

Hyenas usually associate in strongly territorial clans, which are centered around communal dens. A clan may consist of 10 or 12 females, 20 young, known as whelps, and a number of males on the fringes. Pair bonding is not evident, and the female, larger than the male, selects her mating partners. Females conceive throughout the year, giving birth to one to five whelps after a gestation period of 92 to 110 days.

In many areas hyenas have traditionally been hunted by humans, who view them as predators of livestock. Habitat loss and persecution by humans have threatened hyenas in some areas. The brown hyena’s numbers have been somewhat reduced in some areas due to competition with spotted hyenas.

Scientific classification: Hyenas make up the Hyaenidae family in the order Carnivora. The spotted hyena is classified as Crocuta crocuta, the brown hyena as Parahyaena brunnea, and the striped hyena as Hyaena hyaena.