Spotted hyena pictures and facts

The Spotted Hyena or 'Laughing Hyena' (Crocuta crocuta) is the largest species of hyena. Its coat is sandy, yellowish or gray with dark brown spots on most of its body. Males are built lighter than females, males can weigh from 45 to 60 kg, while females can weigh 55 to 75 kg on average, but large females have been recorded that weigh up to 90 kilograms. The females are dominant over the males. Spotted hyenas form groups which are called 'clans', which can grow up to 80 members. The size of their territory varies extremely from as small as 40 square kilometers in the Ngorongoro crater to 1000 square kilometers in the Kalahari. The clans defend these territories, but can also make long foraging trips to the neares ungulate herd. This has been labelled a "commuting" system... Among other vocal communication, the Spotted hyena's trademark is the giggling. This is associated with fear or excitement and is often given when an individual is being chased. Its diet consists of a variety of animals, including zebras, gazelles, wildebeest, topi, kongoni, waterbuck, eland, impala, warthog, hares, lions, ostrich eggs, Cape buffalo, bat-eared fox, golden jackal, porcupine, puff adder, domestic animals, termites, afterbirth other hyenas.

Image by rich115, found on Flickr, licensed under Attribution ShareAlike License v. 2.0