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They dominant the males and even have external genitalia. In the spotted variety community, however, the women are bigger. Male individuals in the aardwolf, striped, and spotted hyena species are usually larger than their female counterparts. Like dogs, their short claws are non-retractable, but they have more ribs than canids and rough tongues similar to felines. The spotted hyena, as its name suggests, sports dotted pelage. Learn about the ugliest animals on earth here.Īardwolves, brown -, and striped hyenas have lined coats. They also have downward sloping spines, long front legs, and short hind legs. Interestingly, they have both feline and canine features, and all sport manes. Generally speaking, hyenas are four-legged animals with scraggly fur and large ears. Currently, there are four species of these animals scavenging throughout large swaths of Africa, the Middle East, and Eurasia. These animals belong to the carnivorous suborder Feliformia - sometimes called Feloidea - which includes meat-eating mammals with “cat-like” physical and behavioral features. The Greeks associated the two animals because they both had manes. As we discussed under the brown hyena section, Hyaena derives from the ancient word “hyaina,” which relates to wild pigs.

Hyaena hyaena is the scientific name for striped hyenas. The taxonomic label for spotted hyenas comes from the ancient Greek word “Κροκόττας,” which translates to “golden jackal.”Ĭolloquially, spotted hyenas are also known as laughing hyenas. For decades, people thought “crocuta” came from the Latin word “crocutus,” which means “saffron-colored one,” but they were wrong. The scientific name for the spotted hyena is Crocuta crocuta. Under the Roman pen, hyaina became hyaena, and when Middle English emerged as the prominent language, hyaena morphed into hyena.īrunnea comes from the Latin word “brunneus,” which means “brown.”īrown hyenas are also known as strandwolves. Hyaena derives from the ancient Greek word “hyaina,” which evolved from “hys,” meaning hog or pig. Hyaena brunnea is the scientific name for the brown hyena. See all of our entertaining and insightful animal articles.

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Other names for aardwolf include “maanhaar-jackal,” “any hyena,” “termite-eating hyena,” and “civet hyena.” The Nama people use “|gīb” to label the animal. Combined, they mean “complete in front,” a reference to the aardwolf’s five-toed front feet.Ĭristata derives from the Latin word “cristatus,” which means “provided with a comb,” a reference to the animal’s mane. Proteles is a portmanteau of two ancient Greek words, teleos and protos, which roughly translate to “complete” and “front or first,” respectively.

The scientific name for aardwolves - which means “earth-wolves” in the Afrikaans and Dutch languages - is Proteles cristata. The scientific name for hyena is Hyaenidae, which doubles as the animal’s taxonomic family that includes four extant species dispersed over three genera. You can check out more incredible facts about hyenas. Hyenas have a bite force that’s greater than lions. The spotted hyena has a bite force of 1,100 PSI, whih is slightly below a polar bear‘s bite force of 1,200 PSI.

Hyenas have one of the strongest bite forces in the animal kingdom.

Ancient Greeks and Romans believed hyena parts were effective shields against evil and ensured fertility.

The 26th president of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt, maintained an animal menagerie that included a hyena.

Contrary to popular belief, hyenas have more in common with cats than dogs.

Females dominate in spotted hyena clans.

Some species have bright white feces due to the large amount of calcified bones they eat.

In some parts of Somalia, these animals are a delicacy.

In the end, the lions killed 35 hyenas, and the hyenas managed to kill six lions. The situation grew so deadly that the military intervened.

In 1999, the lions and hyenas of Ethiopia’s Gobele wilderness went to war.

Talking hyenas are a staple in Disney animated features, including Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Noah’s Ark, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and, of course, The Lion King.

Hyenas rival lions in terms of predatory prowess and the spotted hyena’s community structure will make you shout, “no way!” So, let’s abandon our assumptions and dive into the wild and wondrous world of these animals. Plus, they play a vital role in the African, Middle Eastern, and Asian ecosystems. We think of them as savage gluttons with demonic laughs. Humans tend to make snap judgments about these animals. Hyenas are animals that are biologically closer to cats than dogs.