hyena

(also ‘hyeana’ only in some parts of the world; for the right pronunciation, please click here)

a spotted hyena

a kind of animal – looks like a dog, but related to ‘mongoose’ and ‘cat’ – four-legged, meat-eating medium-sized, with reddish-brown to tan coloured short, rough, dirty-looking hair (coat); front legs longer than the back legs so that the body slanted down towards the back; strong jaws, sharp teeth, long, bushy (in some kinds) tail; moderately long hair on the back of the neck (mane) and along the back which sticks out when frightened (in some kinds); size: 5 feet long, 2-3 feet tall at the shoulder, and weighs 40-85 Kg. (females larger than males); feeds on (eats) meat of other animals and occasionally vegetable matter; lives for 12-25 years; 4 species: striped hyena, brown hyena, spotted hyena and aardwolf, native to Africa and Asia

a brown hyena

Special Features:
Female hyenas of ‘spotted hyena’ are larger than males and are dominant in the clan.

hyenas hunting a live wildbeest

Female hyenas have male-like sex organs, and have the power to choose whether to mate with a particular male or not.  This ability, the scientists believe, is to avoid sex within the children of the same family (siblings), called “incest”!

Mr Mulugeta feeding hyenas

In ancient Egypt, however, hyenas were domesticated and eaten!!

The hyena people of Africa:  there are some people who keep hyenas with them, just like some people keep dogs or cats.

The most popular are:

A brave man called Mulugeta Wolde Mariam of Harar, Ethiopia, who makes a living by feeding hyenas every night to entertain tourists; the wild hyenas are fed pieces of meat from his mouth!

A group of young men who moves about towns in Nigeria making a living by showing its hyenas on leash, and also some baboons and snakes is a sight worth seeing!