Both brown and striped species produce 2 to 4 blind,helpless cubs after a gestation period of 90-92 days. Cubs have similar coloration as adults. Female striped hyenas have six teats, brown hyena have four. Adults and sub-adults carry food back to the dens for the infants, and brown hyenas are known to nurse unrelated infants. However, spotted hyena do not carry food back to infant dens,nursing young outside their dens.
Striped hyena are now extremely rare due to hunting and habitat destruction.
Populations in North Africa and Arabia are in danger of extinction.