Spotted Hyena

The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is a large carnivoran of sub-Saharan Africa that lives in female-dominated clans and hunts most of its own food. Despite the dog-like build, hyenas belong to the cat-like suborder Feliformia, and the species is listed as Least Concern, though its numbers are declining outside protected areas.

🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Spotted Hyena in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Mammals lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.

Clans of up to several dozen animals are organized in strict hierarchies in which females are larger and socially dominant over males, and cubs inherit their mother's rank. Females have an elongated, penis-like clitoris through which they urinate, mate and give birth. Females are exposed to unusually high androgen levels, one factor thought to contribute to their dominance and masculinized anatomy.

Contrary to the scavenger reputation, spotted hyenas kill much of their own prey, including wildebeest and zebra, often by group pursuit. Their powerful jaws crack bones, and their digestive systems extract nutrients from skin and bone, leaving white droppings rich in calcium. Their "laugh" is a call of excitement or submission rather than amusement.

Hyaenidae are part of Feliformia and are closer to mongooses and civets than to dogs, an example of convergent evolution of bone-crushing, canid-like forms. Habitat loss, snares and conflict with livestock owners threaten populations outside reserves.

• Natural selection — how convergent forms arise
• Ecosystem — predators in African savanna communities