When you think of a hyena, you might picture Scar’s henchmen from ‘The Lion King’. In this movie, Scar, together with the hyenas, causes the collapse of life on the savannah. But spotted hyenas are actually very important to their habitat! By eating carcasses, bones and all, they prevent the spread of disease. Learn more about these underappreciated animals here.
Crocuta crocuta
± 20 years
± 85 centimetres
120 - 170 centimetres
60 - 90 kilograms
Spotted hyenas have a long, thick neck, large round ears and a short, bushy tail. Their front legs are longer than their hind legs, giving them their characteristic sloping back. The spotted hyena is the largest species of hyena and is sand coloured with, as the name suggests, black spots. Although they look very much like dogs, hyenas are more closely related to meerkats and mongooses.
Spotted hyenas are very muscular and have powerful jaws with which they can easily break bones. Compared to a dog of the same size, their bite is more than six times as strong! Because they eat bones, their poop contains a lot of calcium. This makes the poop white and you can even use it as chalk!
Spotted hyenas are found across almost the entire African continent, south of the Sahara. Here, they inhabit grasslands, savannahs, forests, semi-deserts and even mountain ranges up to 4 kilometres high. Groups live there in a shared den. This is often a cave or a burrow dug by other animals, such as aardvarks.
Although their diet also includes animal remains they have not hunted themselves, spotted hyenas hunt the majority of what they eat. Their favourite meals are hooved animals such as wildebeest and gazelles. They hunt these by chasing their prey in small groups. Thanks to their excellent stamina, they can keep this up for miles. When one of the prey animals eventually tires, the hyenas easily finish it off.
Once a prey has been successfully hunted, the hyenas make noise which attract others of their kind. As many as 30 hyenas can feed on a single carcass this way. This creates a race to eat as much as possible as quickly as possible. An adult wildebeest can be completely devoured, bones and all, in just 13 minutes.
Spotted hyenas live in large groups of up to 80 individuals. These groups, also known as clans, are governed by a strict hierarchy. Rank is passed down from mother to offspring. Because males leave the group after puberty to join another, they automatically find themselves at the bottom of the social ladder.
Spotted hyenas use many different sounds to communicate with one another. The ‘laugh’ for which they are known is used to show that a fellow hyena is of higher rank.
Spotted hyenas also enjoy playing with one another. They do this, for example, by chasing each other or splashing water at one another whilst swimming.
The spotted hyena mates throughout the year. When a male wishes to mate with a female, he will frequently bow towards her, alternating between approaching her and moving away again. If a female shows aggression, the male will immediately take off. If the female is interested, she will also bow her head, after which they mate. Both males and females mate with multiple partners. As a result, even twins often have different fathers.
Although spotted hyenas live in large groups, they give birth to their young in secluded underground dens or caves. The cubs are born with a completely black coat. They already have fully developed milk teeth and their eyes are open. If more than one cub is born, they start quarrelling almost immediately. This fighting determines which of the cubs is the leader and has first access to their mother’s milk.
After two to five weeks, the cubs are moved to the clan’s communal den. Although the cubs are all together here, the mother cares only for her own cubs.
Although they are not hunted, spotted hyenas have a rivalry with lions. This is because they steal prey from one another. Who steals from whom depends on the number of animals in both groups. If there are far more hyenas, they will steal from the lions; otherwise, the lions will steal from the hyenas. However, if there is a male lion present, the hyenas will always make way.
Spotted hyenas are currently listed as ‘Least Concern’ on the IUCN Red List. Nevertheless, their population is declining. The main reasons for this are the loss and fragmentation of their habitat and people killing them. This is done deliberately by shooting hyenas and leaving poisoned carcasses for them. Livestock farmers in particular do this if they suspect that hyenas are preying on their animals.
It also happens accidentally. For example, because they get caught in traps intended for other animals. Spotted hyenas also sometimes eat roadkill. This means they venture onto the road, increasing the likelihood that they will join the roadkill.
Due to their poor reputation, there has historically been little focus on the conservation of spotted hyenas. Fortunately, this is already improving, and more and more is being done to protect these animals.
Rotterdam Zoo participates in the European population management programme for spotted hyenas. Based on the pedigree of hyenas in zoos, the coordinator determines which animals are best suited to each other for healthy offspring. These young hyenas are then transferred to other zoos, where they form the next generation. In this way, we are building up a healthy population as a reserve for wild animals, with the ultimate goal of returning hyenas to their natural habitat when conditions there are favourable.