Spotted hyena

The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is a species of hyena (or "hyaena" in British English). They are often called the laughing hyena. They are found almost everywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are between 27,000 and 47,000 individuals, though their population is getting smaller in the wild. This is because of habitat loss and illegal hunting. They lived in Europe for at least a million years until the end of the Pleistocene.

The spotted hyena is the largest member of the Hyaenidae. They are the most social Carnivora animals, take with prey blue wildebeests, and plains zebras, Thomson's gazelle, topi, and group behavior kills me, then escapelied various to kill then, then they want to animals hunting died, at then Bushbuck, gerenuks, sheeps, goats, and cattles, are likely prey hunting upon in Northern Africa. with various group sizes. Hyenas are pack hunters. Their behaviors are still not well understand. However, their social system is not cooperative but competitive. Females take care of their own cubs only, and males are not interested in helping females with their cubs. Females are larger than males and they can control them. The females are the only mammalian species not to have a vaginal opening.Glikman S.E. et al 2006. Mammalian sexual differentiation: lessons from the spotted hyena. Trends Endocrinol Metab 17:349–356. 

The spotted hyena is a successful scavenger as well as hunter They can eat skin, bone and other animal waste. Spotted hyenas hunt with a family group of about two to five other hyenas. The family lives in large communities (called "clans") which may have up to 80 individuals.Kruuk, Hans 1972. The spotted hyena: a study of predation and social behaviour. University of California Press, p7.

They  run around herds of animals and choose one to attack. After they have selected their prey, they  chase them for a long time. They can run at speeds up to 60 km/h. Humans have known spotted hyenas for a long time. In the Upper Paleolithic, humans made paintings of hyenas in caves. Spotted hyenas have a negative reputation in Western culture and African folklore. In African folklore, spotted hyenas are described as ugly and scared animals. In Western culture, they are seen as greedy, stupid, foolish, powerful and a dangerous animal.

 Books 

 References 

 Other websites 

 The IUCN Hyaenidae Specialist Group page on spotted hyena 
Davis, Delbert Dwight & Story, Harriette Elizabeth (1949), The female external genitalia of the spotted hyena, Fieldiana: Zoology, vol. 31, no. 33, Chicago Natural History Museum
 McPherson, Jamie The Good, the Bad and the Hyena , BBC Wildlife, Summer 2008.

Category:Mammals of Africa
Category:Hyaenas