Spotted Hyena

Spotted hyenas eat a wide variety of food items, including hoofed animals and carrion (dead animals). A common myth is that hyenas only scavenge, or steal, food from other predators. In fact, over 70% of what spotted hyenas eat comes from animals they hunt themselves. Due to unique stomach acids, digest parts of animals that many other animals can't, such as skin and bones.They can consume up to one-third of their body weight in a single meal!

At the Zoo, the hyenas eat a specialized ground carnivore diet, raw chicken, and bones.

Hyena fossils have been discovered in Africa, Asia, and Europe. However, for the past 8,000 years, the spotted hyena has only lived in Africa. This species is found all over Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. The number and density of hyenas vary in different parts of their range.

Spotted hyenas are found in various habitats, including savanna, grassland, woodland, forest edge, semi-desert, and mountainous areas up to 13,000 feet.

Although it is one of the top predators in Africa, lions will sometimes kill hyenas as they compete for food and often scavenge each other's kills.

Unfortunately, hyenas are often misunderstood and face threats from humans. They can be poisoned, trapped, or killed through culling. As people change the land and cut down forests, they come into closer contact with hyenas, leading to more conflicts. In addition, droughts caused by climate change and other human activities hurt the natural food chain. This makes it difficult for top predators like hyenas, as their food sources become scarcer.

Spotted hyenas are the largest living members of the hyena family. They have big heads, thick necks, and strong jaws that give them one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom. Their teeth are designed to crush bones, and their stomachs are very acidic, which helps them digest bone pieces.

Their front legs are longer than their back legs, making them look hunched. They have four short toes with non-retractable claws that help them grip the ground when they run, reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Spotted hyenas have short, rough fur that is yellowish-grey with darker spots. Their ears are rounder compared to other hyena species, and they have a short fur mane that stands up along their back from their head to the middle. In this species, females are bigger than males. Interestingly, female hyenas have external genitalia that can be mistaken for that of males, and they have three times more testosterone than the males do.

Spotted hyenas have a polygynous mating system, which means that males can mate with multiple females. They can breed throughout the year, and the gestation period, or the time a female carries her young, lasts about four months. When they give birth in secluded dens, females typically have one to four cubs, with two being the most common number. The cubs are born weighing around three pounds and have brownish-black fur, their eyes open, and a set of teeth. Right after they are born, they can start acting aggressively, which helps them establish a dominance order among themselves. The strongest cub can access the mother’s milk, which is very rich in energy. Unfortunately, this aggression sometimes results in the weaker cubs not surviving.

After two to five weeks, the cubs move to a communal den. They start eating meat from the kills nearby at around five months old, but they continue to nurse until they are more than a year old. By the time they are about a year old, the cubs begin to follow their mothers when they go hunting and scavenging. Until then, they are left in the den with an adult to take care of them. When male cubs turn a little over two years old, they leave the clan they were born into and join a new one, while females usually stay with their original clan for their entire lives.

Spotted hyenas are known for their unique sounds, with researchers recording over 11 different vocalizations. These include wailing calls, howling screams, and their famous "laughter," which can be heard from as far as three miles away. This laughter is used to let other members of their clan know when there's food nearby.

In addition to vocal sounds, hyenas communicate through a behavior called "pasting." This involves them leaving a smelly substance from near their tails on grass stalks. This scent gives important information about the individual hyena. Their tails also play a role in communication. Normally, a hyena holds its tail pointing down. If a hyena's tail is upright, it suggests aggression; if it's pointed forward over the back, it shows social excitement; and if the tail is tucked tightly between the legs, it indicates fear.

Spotted hyenas live in a "fission-fusion" society, meaning group members do not remain together all the time but often hunt or explore on their own or in small groups. clan members work together to protect their territory, food, and dens.

In spotted hyena clans, females are larger than males and more socially dominant. Among female spotted hyenas, there is a strict hierarchy. There is a clear ranking among the females, and the top female gets to eat first when there’s food available. This helps her have more babies than those lower in rank.

Rather than resting in dens, adult spotted hyenas sleep in holes or under bushes or scrubs to find shade during the day's heat. Hyenas use watering holes to cool off or hide extra food. Spotted hyenas can be active day and night, depending on their needs and whether humans are around, but they are generally nocturnal.