About the Hyena
Hyenas are highly adaptable, intelligent carnivores found in Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. Although they possess dog-like bodies, hyenas are actually more closely related to cats and mongooses. There are four species: the spotted, striped, and brown hyena, alongside the insect-eating aardwolf.
The best-known species is the spotted hyena, famous for its cackling “laugh,” which is actually used to communicate excitement, stress, or frustration. These animals have incredibly powerful jaws and specialized teeth that allow them to crush and digest bones, teeth, and horns. They are both skilled hunters and resourceful scavengers, playing a crucial role in cleaning up their ecosystems.
Hyenas also have highly complex, matriarchal societies. Spotted hyenas live in large family groups called clans, which can have up to 80 members and are led by dominant females. Females are generally larger and more aggressive than males, and they hold the highest ranks, ensuring the best resources for their young. This unique social structure and their advanced problem-solving skills have fascinated wildlife biologists for decades.
Description of the Hyena
- Build: Solidly built with a large, dog-like head, thick neck, and broad shoulders designed for dismembering and carrying heavy prey.
- Sloping Back: The front legs are longer than the hind legs, which gives the back a distinct downward slope and a hunched gait.
- Legs & Paws: Calloused feet featuring four toes on each foot equipped with short, blunt, non-retractable claws.
- Ears: Rounded in the spotted hyena; larger and pointed in striped and brown hyenas.
- Jaws: One of the strongest bite forces in the animal kingdom, built to crush and consume dense bones.
- Teeth: Powerful, large cheek teeth used as bone-crushing tools and sharp canine teeth.
- Spotted Hyena: Has a sandy, ginger, or light-brown coat covered in dark brown or black spots.
- Striped Hyena: Has a pale gray to straw-colored coat with a black muzzle and prominent vertical black stripes.
- Brown Hyena: Features a shaggy, dark brown coat, a white neck/shoulder mane, and barred, striped legs.
- Mane: Many hyenas have a strip of longer, erectile hair (a mane) running down the back of their head and spine, which they use to appear larger.
- Weight: 88 to 190 lbs.
- Length: 4.7 to 5.9 feet long, plus a short 10 to 14 inch tail.
Hyena Species / Subspecies
Though Hyenas are usually divided into 4 species, we are only including 3 species because we list the Aardwolf in its’ own species category.
- Habitat & Range: Widespread across sub-Saharan Africa.
- Characteristics: The largest and most famous species. They are highly social, living in matriarchal clans that can reach up to 80 members. They are also exceptional predators that hunt up to 90% of their own food and boast the strongest relative bite force of any mammal.
- Subspecies: None officially recognized. Some slight regional variations in mitochondrial DNA exist between West, East, and South African populations, but these are not distinct enough to split into subspecies.
- Habitat & Range: Northern and Eastern Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and India.
- Characteristics: A medium-sized species with a shaggy coat, vertical stripes, and a prominent mane that is erected when threatened. They are primarily solitary scavengers with nocturnal habits.
- Habitat & Range: Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa), extending to coastal deserts.
- Characteristics: Also known as the “strandwolf,” they have a shaggy, dark brown coat and long, pale fur around their necks. They are primarily scavengers and are notable for their foraging capabilities, sometimes walking vast distances along beaches to consume seal carcasses.
Suitable Weapons
The .270 win through any of the .30 caliber cartridges work good for hyenas.
Hunting Area
- Spotted Hyena:This is the most common and widely distributed species. It is frequently hunted in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia, and Mozambique.
- Brown Hyena:Primarily native to the arid and mountainous regions of Southern Africa. It can only legally be hunted in Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
- Striped Hyena: The smallest and most elusive of the huntable species, found mainly in North/East Africa. Regulated hunting is highly restricted and mostly occurs in Tanzania and Uganda.
Restrictions
It is currently illegal to import a brown hyena into the USA.
