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Hyena Information And Characteristics With Picture
This animal named hyena has been present on earth since ancient times. Fossils of hyenas from millions of years ago have been discovered in different parts of the world and at present there are four species of them present on earth, which are known as striped hyena, spotted hyena, aardwolf and brown hyena.
Among the hyena species, the population of spotted hyena and aardwolf does not face any problem, but among their species, the population of striped and brown hyena is facing the threat of extinction at present.
Hyenas can be seen in the forests of Africa. Apart from this, fossils of different hyena species have been found in the southern parts of Mexico and the United States. At that time the population of hyenas was spread to Africa, Asia and Europe.
Hyenas like to live in groups and are considered to be carnivorous animals. You will be surprised to know that when lions are in a group in the jungle, they act as the biggest enemy of hyenas but hyenas have the ability to kill even lions. The laughter of hyenas is considered very popular all over the world.
Where Are Hyenas Found
All four species of hyenas can be seen living in different areas in different places. Among their species, spotted hyenas are found in large numbers in the forests of Africa. Spotted hyenas live in West African forests and these carnivorous animals cover a large area which includes Kenya, Botswana, Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania and some areas of South Africa.
Like spotted hyenas, brown hyenas can also be seen in Botswana and Namibia. Apart from this, brown hyenas are found in southern and western Zimbabwe, South Africa and southern Mozambique. Among their species, the largest population of brown hyenas is found in the Kalahari Desert. Striped hyenas along with spotted hyenas can be seen living in West African regions as well as in the north and northeastern parts.
Striped hyenas can be seen living in the Sahara Desert, Middle Eastern countries and parts of Central Asia. Apart from this, striped hyenas can also be seen in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya. Striped hyenas cover the largest population among all the species of hyenas present.
Apart from this, aardwolf hyenas are considered to be native to eastern and southern African forests. Two subspecies of aardwolf are found, the first of which lives in Mozambique, Angola, Somalia and Uganda and the second can be seen in Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania and Egypt. Read- 20 Beautiful Bird Living In Amazon Rainforest With Picture
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Scientific Name Of Hyena
The scientific name of hyena is Hyaenidae and hyenas are carnivorous animals. Hyenas have characteristics like both dogs and cats. Hyenas have physical similarities with dogs but are closely related to cats.
Habitat Of Hyena
Hyenas can live in any type of grassland. Apart from this, the habitat of hyenas consists of savannas, forest areas, mountains, as well as sub-desert areas. The northern part of the Indian subcontinent is the habitat of striped hyenas.
Brown hyenas can be seen inhabiting dry and sandy desert lands or coastal areas while spotted hyenas prefer forests as well as semi-deserts and savannas. Apart from this, striped hyenas are found in rocky mountainous areas where they make their caves or dens.
Some types of hyenas like to live in groups while some like to live separately. Spotted hyenas are extremely social animals and in the forest they live together in large herds called clans. There can be more than 80 hyenas in a clan and the herd is mostly led by a female spotted hyena.
Brown hyenas also live in clans but their number is quite different from spotted hyenas. A herd of brown hyenas consists of 4 to 6 hyenas. Striped hyenas are mostly seen living alone or sometimes in pairs and these are cave-dwelling hyenas. Apart from this, female aardwolves live with their children.
How Do Hyenas Look Like
This animal is biologically similar to a cat but the hyena looks like a dog. That is why it is also called hyena dog and the general appearance of the hyena is similar to all mammals. The body structure of the hyena looks like a wolf and its torso is small.
The shape of the skull of a hyena looks almost like that of a canid but the hyena is slightly larger than that of a canid. While hunting, the hyena catches its prey with its strong teeth instead of claws. Except for the spotted hyena, in most of its species, the size of the male hyena is larger than that of the female and they have large ears.
In its species, the body of the spotted hyena looks different from the striped and brown hyena and aardwolf. Spots are present on the body of the brown hyena while stripes are present on the body of the striped. The body colour of the spotted hyena changes from yellow to brown with age.
The hair of brown hyena appears dark brown and the hair of striped hyena is dirty brown. The tail of brown hyena is short which helps in differentiating between striped and brown hyena.
Size And Weight Of Hyena
The height of spotted hyena, brown hyena and striped hyena is about 2.2-3 feet, 2.2-2.6 feet and 1.9-2.6 feet. Apart from this, their length can be about 3-6 feet, 2.7-4 feet and 2.8-5 feet. Out of these, the size of spotted hyena is the largest.
The length and height of aardwolf is about 22-31 inches and about 16-20 inches and the weight of hyena is found to be different according to their species. The weight of spotted, brown and striped hyena is about 44-64 kg, 40-44 kg and 22-55 kg and the weight of an aardwolf is about 7-10 kg. Read- Cat Facts And Beliefs About Cats In The World
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What Do Hyenas Eat
Hyenas are very clean eaters in their food. Not only this, they eat their prey till the last morsel and their food can contain all types of meat. Apart from this, these hyenas can be both scavengers and hunters. Spotted hyenas are predatory animals. They kill with their teeth and are also considered to be the most aggressive species of hyenas.
The diet of spotted hyenas includes sheep, wild animals, cattle, giraffes, goats and sometimes fish. Both striped and brown hyenas are scavengers i.e. they eat dead animals. In their species, brown hyenas eat carcasses left by other predators.
The diet of striped hyenas in their species includes decomposed bones, ligaments and bone marrow. Aardwolves get their food from insects and termites and catch them with the help of their sticky tongue.
How Do Hyenas Reproduce
Different species of hyenas show different types of reproductive displays. Spotted hyenas and brown hyenas do not have a mating time. Spotted hyenas pair up with different partners but none of their pairs last long.
Mostly it has been observed that female hyenas prefer younger males and the breeding process of spotted hyenas is the most complex of all due to the position of their reproductive organs. Apart from this, the process of mating between a pair of spotted hyenas takes place in the form of a dance.
The gestation period lasts the longest in spotted hyenas and after about 110 days the female gives birth to two babies. Apart from this, the female raises them alone without any help from the male hyena.
In their species, females in brown hyenas mate with males outside their herd. Females give birth to 1 to 5 babies after about 90 days and males bring food to their babies. But striped hyenas are considered monogamous. Striped hyenas live in pairs and mate with the same hyena throughout their lives.
In addition, striped hyena babies are raised by both parents and their gestation period lasts for about 90-91 days. Aardwolf hyenas also mate with different partners but both the female and the male raise their babies together and their gestation period lasts for about 89-92 days.
How Long Do Hyenas Live
Hyenas can live for about 12 years in the wild and can live up to 25 years in good conditions. Among their species, brown hyenas have the shortest lifespan among all hyenas.
How Fast Can Hyenas Run
A spotted hyena is capable of running the fastest of all hyenas with a speed of about 64 kilometers per hour and the brown hyena has also been seen to have a speed similar to that of the spotted hyena. Apart from this, the speed of the aardwolf hyena ranges from about 8-12 kilometers per hour on summer nights to about 3-8 kilometers per hour on winter nights.
How Do Hyenas Communicate
Hyena communication is frequent and loud and there are many ways in which hyenas can communicate with each other. Their ways of communicating include barking, laughing and growling. Fun fact is that the laughter of hyenas is very famous all over the world.
How Many Hyenas Are There In The World
The National Wildlife Foundation has presented an estimate of the total population of hyenas all over the world and it is believed that about 10,000 hyenas of all species currently exist in the world. Apart from this, loss of habitat is the main threat that these animals are facing. The conservation status of hyenas varies among their species.
Spotted hyenas and aardwolves are present in large numbers and their population is not a concern. The IUCN Red List has listed hyenas under animals of least concern. Apart from this, the population of striped hyenas and brown hyenas is continuously decreasing, so they have been classified as endangered animals in the IUCN Red List.
Hyena Behavior
Hyenas are considered to be very aggressive predators and their anger is often compared to that of lions. Hyenas are dangerous and they attack directly and the bite force of hyenas is the strongest.
Hyenas are not considered useful animals when it comes to domestication. Because they are dangerous and cannot be tamed easily. Hyenas are dangerous and can even hunt human babies.
Hyena Facts For Kids
1. What are hyenas famous for?
Among the hyena species, spotted hyenas are famous scavengers and mostly depend on the leftovers of other predators. Apart from this, these courageous animals are also skilled hunters who can kill and eat wild animals or antelopes. They also kill and eat birds, lizards, snakes and insects in their diet.
2. Why are hyenas so unique?
Hyenas look like dogs but they are not dogs and are their own biological species. Hyenas are genetically more related to meerkats and mongooses. These animals are so unique that they have their own biological species called Hyaenidae.
3. Are hyenas aggressive?
Hyaenas are aggressive animals but spotted hyenas prefer to use their intelligence to maintain peace and cooperate. Also, hyenas are very cooperative with their clan members and close relatives.
4. Do female hyenas eat first?
There is also a strict hierarchy between females and males in a clan of these animals and females dominate in hunting. Also, females and their children eat food before the males.
5. What is the legend of hyenas?
In Khoikhoi mythology, the spotted hyena is often the target of jackal machinations. In addition, Gogo folklore associates the spotted hyena with the origin of death. One of the many such stories is that the hyena prevents humanity from achieving immortality.
6. Are hyenas intelligent?
Hyenas are considered intelligent, social and caring animals. Most of the negative associations of hyenas can be explained by an aspect of their behaviour or physiology. For example, their association with the dark side may be a result of the hyena's nocturnal lifestyle and their love of cattle.
7. Who is the hyena's worst enemy?
Competition between hyenas and lions for resources leads to infanticide and in addition the practice of killing each other's young exists.
8. Why do lions not like hyenas?
Hyenas will attack lion cubs if they get the chance because they are both carnivorous animals and hunt the same prey and they are both territorial animals.
9. Why are hyenas considered bad?
Hyenas are mostly misunderstood and persecuted. Hyenas are considered a pest and a burden to local communities. Since ancient times many cultures have despised hyenas because of their reputation for digging up corpses and attacking children and livestock.
10. What is special about hyenas?
Hyenas are tireless animals with excellent eyesight, hearing and smell so that they can detect carrion and are also skilled hunters. All hyenas are more or less nocturnal, and intelligent, curious, and opportunistic in their diet, hyenas frequently come into contact with humans.