Hyaena

Hyaenas (sometimes Hyenas) are mammals. They are the family Hyaenidae, in the order Carnivora. They live in Africa, and in west and south Asia. In the past they had a much wider distribution. Now there are two subfamilies with four species.

With only four species, it is the fourth-smallest family in the Carnivora, and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia.Rosevear D.R. 1974. The carnivores of West Africa. London: British Museum (Natural History), p3414.  Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components to most African and some Asian ecosystems.Mills, Gus & Hofer, Heribert 1998. Hyaenas: status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/SSC Hyena Specialist Group. 

Hyaena walk much like bears because their front legs are longer than their back. Except for the aardwolf, hyaenas are known to have one of the world's strongest bites. Its function is to crush bone.

 Relationships 
Hyaenas look much like canids, but they are actually in the Feliformia, with cats and mongooses. Although related to felines and viverrids, their life style is similar to canids. 

Convergent evolution has taken place. Both large hyaenas and canids are non-climbing, running hunters which catch prey with their teeth rather than claws. Both eat food quickly and may store it. Their calloused feet have large, blunt, non-retractable nails, good for running and making sharp turns. However, the hyaenas' grooming, scent marking, defecating habits, mating, and parental behaviour are similar to the behaviour of other feliforms.Kruuk, Hans 1972. The spotted hyena: a study of predation and social behavior. University of California Press, p274. Spotted hyenas are matriarchal. This means that females dominate and males are inferior.Holekamp, Kay E., and Laura Smale. "Dispersal status influences hormones and behavior in the male spotted hyena." Hormones and Behavior 33.3 (1998): 205-216

 Hunting 
Spotted hyaenas were long said to be cowardly scavengers, but they kill as much as 95% of the food they eat.http://www.hyaenidae.org/the-hyaenidae/spotted-hyaena-crocuta-crocuta/crocuta-diet-and-foraging.html They can drive off leopards or lionesses from their kills. Hyenas are mostly nocturnal animals, but may leave their lairs in the early morning. Except for the very social spotted hyaena, hyenas are generally not gregarious animals, though striped and brown hyaenas may live in family groups and come together at kills.

Spotted hyaenas are intelligent creatures. They work together well and are cooperative. They have strategic hunting methods and work to steal and protect food it from other predators. Their main targets are zebra and wildebeest. Their main rival is the lion. Whether spotted hyaenas do or do not chase lions off their kills is mostly a matter of numbers.

 Taxonomy 
 Family Hyaenidae
 Subfamily Hyaeninae
 Spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta)
 Striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena)
 Brown hyaena, (Hyaena brunnea, formerly Parahyaena brunnea)
 Subfamily Protelinae
 Aardwolf (Proteles cristatus)

 References