Hyenas suffer from a bad reputation as cowardly villains in movies. You likely know them for their creepy laughter and scavenging habits. However, they are highly intelligent hunters who live in complex female-run societies. They crush bones with their jaws and outperform chimps in teamwork tests. Furthermore, the Ancient Egyptians once tried to keep them as pets. Let’s explore the life of the Spotted Hyena.
Hyenas
Hyenas are actually more closely related to cats than to dogs. Despite their appearance, they belong to the suborder Feliformia. Thus, they share more DNA with mongooses and meerkats than they do with wolves or jackals.
Spotted hyenas live in a strict matriarchal society where females rule. Even the lowest-ranking female in the clan outranks the highest-ranking male. Consequently, adult males must act submissively toward female cubs to avoid punishment.
Female spotted hyenas possess a pseudo-penis that is larger than the male’s anatomy. They must urinate, mate, and give birth through this single narrow canal. Sadly, this makes the birthing process incredibly dangerous and often fatal for first-time mothers.
Their famous “laughter” actually signals stress or anxiety, not amusement. The high-pitched giggling sound usually happens when they are being chased or attacked by a dominant clan member. Therefore, a laughing hyena is likely terrified rather than happy.
Ancient Egyptians attempted to domesticate striped hyenas as a food source. Tomb paintings show servants force-feeding the animals to fatten them up for the dinner table. However, they eventually abandoned the practice because the animals were too aggressive to tame.
They hunt roughly 95 percent of their own food rather than just scavenging. While they have a reputation as cowardly thieves, spotted hyenas are actually highly efficient predators. They often hunt in groups to take down massive prey like wildebeest and zebra.
Hyena cubs are born with their eyes open and their teeth fully erupted. Unlike kittens or puppies, they are ready to fight immediately after birth. Tragically, siblings often attack each other within minutes to establish dominance in the den.
Their jaws generate a bite force of 1,100 pounds per square inch. This power allows them to crush the leg bones of a giraffe to get to the nutritious marrow inside. Consequently, they leave almost no trace of a carcass behind.
Hyena poop turns stark white after it dries in the sun. This strange coloration occurs because their diet consists of huge amounts of calcium from digested bones. Fossilized white hyena droppings have been found by paleontologists dating back thousands of years.
They outperform chimpanzees in certain cooperative problem-solving tests. Experiments show that hyenas learn to pull ropes together to release food faster than primates do. They achieve this without any verbal communication, relying solely on social cues.
Spotted hyenas have hearts that are huge relative to their body size. Their heart constitutes about one percent of their total body weight, which gives them incredible stamina. Thus, they can chase prey for miles without tiring, eventually exhausting the other animal.
They use a gross substance called “hyena butter” to mark their territory. They rub a smelly paste from their scent glands onto grass stalks to leave messages for other clans. The smell is so distinct that humans can often detect it from a distance.
Not all hyenas laugh or live in large clans. The striped hyena and the brown hyena are much more solitary and quiet than their spotted cousins. These species usually forage alone and rarely make the famous giggling sounds.
Mother hyenas produce milk with an incredibly high protein and fat content. This super-rich diet allows them to leave their cubs for days while they hunt long distances. As a result, the cubs can survive longer periods without feeding compared to other carnivores.
They recognize individual voices within the clan. A mother can distinguish the call of her own cub from dozens of others in the chaotic den. Furthermore, their “whoop” calls can be heard over three miles away to rally the group.
