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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about hyenas. Certain movies have portrayed hyenas in a negative light, but there is so much more to these animals than films would have you believe. First and foremost, there is more than one hyena species.

Technically, there are currently four described species in the hyena family, however, one we won’t be discussing today as it is more commonly known as the aardwolf and we want to save them for their own episode. The other three hyena species are the spotted hyenas, who most people know. These are the most social of the hyena species; the brown hyenas, who look like a spotted hyena and maned wolf had a baby. These are still social but tend to form smaller groups than spotted hyenas; and lastly are the edgelords, the striped hyenas who may only form small groups or even live alone. While all hyenas look like they would be somewhat related to dogs, they’re actually more closely related to cats!

Hyena clans are usually led by a dominant female. Female hyenas tend to stay within the group they were born into, but males will venture off to find a new clan to join - sometimes forming their own bachelor groups in the process. When they do eventually join a clan, the males may have a chance to mate with the females, but enticing them is only half the battle. More on this in just a bit.

Hyenas range in scattered populations throughout Africa and western Asia. They’re found in arid environments like savannahs, grasslands, and open scrublands. Hyenas are mainly nocturnal and crepuscular, meaning they’re most active at night and twilight hours. During the day, hyenas stay in dens either made from nature surroundings, such as caves, or in burrows dug by other animals or themselves.

When active, these animals search for food. Now, there seems to be this prevailing myth that hyenas are scavengers that steal the meals of other animals, but this isn’t entirely accurate. Spotted hyenas specifically hunt a majority of their meals - these being medium to large sized antelope like wildebeest. When they are found at a scavenged meal, it’s almost always an animal that was brought down by a hyena.

Brown and striped hyenas on the other hand do tend to scavenge more frequently, but all hyenas may also hunt rodents, insects, eggs, and even fruit! In size, hyenas average 100 pounds (45 kilograms) in weight. While eating, a hyena may pack away more than 30 pounds (13.6kg) in one sitting and they can utilize every part of a carcass. Hyena teeth are strong enough to break bones and their stomachs are acidic enough to handle just about any animal parts they consume, so really they play an important role in cleaning up the habitats in which they live.

Many people are familiar with the laughing call of the hyena, but only spotted hyenas produce this sound. Some people have described it as maniacal, but it’s really a sound of anxiety. When spotted hyenas are under stress, they laugh - something I can absolutely relate to. Another, perhaps less well known sound hyenas produce sounds something like this. They make this sound to communicate with one another. Each member of the clan has a unique sound and all the other members know each other’s call. Personally, I think it sounds really pretty.

There’s also some debate over the cuteness of hyenas, and while this is completely subjective, we would love to direct your attention to this. And the love mama hyenas have for their babies is astounding. Not only do they nurse their young for more than a year, they basically give birth through a penis. Technically it’s called a pseudopenis, but babies come out of that - and don’t even get me started on how awkward mating is. Of course, this only applies to spotted hyenas, but the point still remains that hyena moms are loving. In fact, in brown hyenas, the moms may even share nursing responsibilities until all the babies are grown. In the wild, hyenas may live to be a decade to more than two decades old! Hopefully this has shed some light on how awesome, and kind of weird, hyenas actually are!

For more facts on hyenas, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Jordan Samuel for today’s request. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.