hyena

(also ‘hyeana’ only in some parts of the world)

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

male ~~ male; hagine (?)

female ~~ female

baby ~~ cub, pup, whelp

group ~~ clan (family group), pack (while hunting), cackle

voice (call) ~~ wailing calls; howling screams; laughter

home ~~ den

Special Features:

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

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 (sibilings), called “incest”!

hyena attacking a wildbeest

Hyenas are good at hunting.  They not only hunt but also steal the hunt of other animals, including lions!

Hyenas eat carrion (the dead and decaying bodies of other animals) and so help in keeping the surroundings clean of rotten meat and stink.  However, they are also a nuisance to the farmers because they kill the livestock.

hyena scavenging

Though hyenas look very dirty, they are hygienic in their own way:  they have ‘latrines’, specific areas away from their dens, where they defecate (shit)!

Most human societies have viewed hyenas as cruel, greedy and treacherous animals; and, because the hyenas dig the graves and steal the dead bodies, people think of them as the tools of demons and witches!

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!

Mr Mulugeta feeding hyenas

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!

hyena charmers (?) in Nigeria

Figures of Speech:

as restless as a hyena

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