Striped hyena

Hyaena hyaena · The striped hyena is a scavenging carnivore native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.

Also called Striped hyaena.

Striped hyena
Photo: Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
Striped hyena
Photo: Slyronit, CC BY-SA 4.0
Striped hyena
Photo: Dr. Shamshad Alam, CC BY-SA 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderCarnivora
FamilyHyaenidae
GenusHyaena
SpeciesHyaena hyaena

Where it lives

Dry scrub of North and East Africa, the Middle East and India.

Fun facts

  • Its jaws are so powerful that they can bite through and splinter a camel's thigh bone.
  • If attacked, it can evert its rectum and spray a foul-smelling liquid from its anal glands as a defense.
  • Striped hyenas are monogamous, and both the mother and father help raise and feed their cubs.
  • Wild striped hyenas usually live about 12 years, but in captivity some have survived to age 23.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).