Hyena only laugh when they are stressed. Photo by Beverly Setlowe.

Hyena (family Hyaenidae) can be brown, striped or spotted, with a head and body that somewhat resembles a dog. The hyena as a species are among the most abundant large carnivores in Africa. The striped hyena is very rare. Hyena unfortunately have a false reputation of being cowardly because of their sloping posture, but they are actually excellent hunters. They have the strongest jaws of any land mammal and can run 25 to 30 miles per hour for a good distance. Hyena are capable of eating every part of their prey, including bones, horns, hooves and even teeth. They usually hunt alone or in pairs then all the clan members scramble to get their share. Clans are territorial, marking their territories with anal secretions; urine is not used for marking.

The social structure of a hyena clan is different from that of most other land mammals. The females lead the hyena clans, the most dominant (alpha) female at the top. These clans may consist of up to 80 members. Females are usually about 20% larger than their male counterparts. They also have genitalia which mimics that of males, only larger. Hyena are “polygynous”, meaning that females may have several male mates. Females share dens but they do not share the responsibility of raising young. Hyena have a four month gestation period and the young are not weaned for up to 1.5 years, when they become effective hunters.

Hyena greet by sniffing and inspecting each other. They communicate using a variety of different sounds such as “whoops” and “lows” (a low-pitched sound). They only let out the famous laughing sound when they are stressed.