Hyaenas
EntdeckenSäugetiere
Hyaenas
hyaenidae
Hyaenas are fascinating and highly intelligent carnivores belonging to the family Hyaenidae. Despite their dog-like appearance, they are evolutionarily closer to cats, civets, and mongooses within the mammalian suborder Feliformia. Comprising four extant species—the spotted, striped, and brown hyenas, along with the specialized, insectivorous aardwolf—this diverse family occupies a critical role in their respective ecosystems. They are renowned for their incredible bone-crushing bite force, highly organized social structures, and complex vocalizations, including the famous "laugh" of the spotted hyena. While historically misunderstood as mere scavengers, many hyena species are actually highly successful and formidable apex predators capable of taking down large prey. Their unique adaptations, robust build, and complex matriarchal societies (particularly in the spotted hyena) make them one of the most captivating groups of mammals in Africa and parts of Asia.
Lebensraum: Hyaenas are highly adaptable and can be found across a diverse range of habitats including savannas, grasslands, semi-deserts, open woodlands, and mountainous regions.
Aussehen
Hyenas possess a distinctive, sloping profile due to their heavily built forequarters and comparatively lower, less developed hindquarters. They have broad heads, powerful jaws, and large, rounded or pointed ears. Their coats vary significantly by species: the spotted hyena features a yellowish-gray coat patterned with dark spots; the striped hyena is adorned with vertical black stripes over pale grey or beige fur and a prominent dorsal mane; the brown hyena has a dark brown, shaggy coat with striped legs; and the smaller aardwolf sports a yellowish coat with distinct black stripes. Sizes range from the small, slender aardwolf, which weighs around 10 kg, to the robust spotted hyena, which can weigh over 80 kg.
ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseMammaliaOrdnungCarnivora
Kategorie
SäugetiereSeltenheit
Common
Gefahr
1/5 · Sehr gering
Snaps
Mach den ersten Snap!
Interessante Fakten
Despite looking very much like dogs, hyenas are evolutionarily much closer to cats and mongooses in the suborder Feliformia.
Female spotted hyenas are significantly larger and more dominant than males, leading highly complex matriarchal societies called clans.
Hyenas have extremely strong stomach acids, allowing them to fully digest animal parts most other predators leave behind, including skin, hooves, and bone.
The aardwolf, a small and often forgotten member of the hyena family, possesses highly reduced teeth because it eats almost entirely termites.
Besondere Fähigkeiten
Fähigkeit
Bone-Crushing Jaws
Possessing exceptionally robust teeth and massive jaw muscles, most hyenas can crack open large bones to extract highly nutritious marrow that other predators cannot access.
Fähigkeit
Endurance Running
They have a highly efficient, loping gait that allows them to trot effortlessly for hours, enabling them to pursue prey or patrol vast territories over long distances without overheating.
Fähigkeit
Complex Communication
Spotted hyenas in particular utilize a highly sophisticated repertoire of vocalizations, postures, and scent-marking, including 'whoops' and 'laughs', to convey identity, rank, and intent to their clan members.
Maße und Details
- Länge
- 85-165 cm
- Gewicht
- 8-86 kg
- Lebenserwartung
- 10-25 Jahre
- Top Speed
- 60 km/h
- Gelegegröße
- 1-5
- Brutzeit
- 90-110 Tage
Ernährung und Fütterung
While the aardwolf specializes in eating termites, the other three hyena species consume a mix of scavenged carrion and freshly hunted vertebrates, including medium to large ungulates.
Altersunterschiede: Pups rely on their mother's highly nutritious milk for up to 18 months, gradually integrating solid meat brought back to the den.
Hauptnahrung
- Carrion
- Antelope
- Wildebeest
- Zebra
- Termites
Nahrungssuche
- Pursuit And Foraging
Ökologische Zusammenhänge
competitor
Lion
Panthera leo
Lions and hyenas frequently steal kills from one another and engage in intense, often fatal, territorial clashes.
hunts
Blue Wildebeest
Connochaetes taurinus
Spotted hyenas are highly successful pack hunters that frequently prey on wildebeest.
hunts
Snouted Termite
Trinervitermes trinervoides
The aardwolf relies almost exclusively on these specific termites, consuming up to 300,000 in a single night.
competitor
White-backed Vulture
Gyps africanus
Vultures and hyenas both flock to fresh carcasses, competing for access to the carrion.
Merkmale
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Auch bekannt als
Hyaena hyaenastriped hyena
Sammlungen
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Sicherheit
Gefahr
1/5 · Sehr gering
Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Wie identifiziert man Hyaenas?
Der einfachste Weg, Hyaenas zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.
Was ist der/die/das länge von Hyaenas?
85-165 cm
Was ist der/die/das gewicht von Hyaenas?
8-86 kg
Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Hyaenas?
10-25 Jahre
Was ist der/die/das top Speed von Hyaenas?
60 km/h
Was frisst Hyaenas?
While the aardwolf specializes in eating termites, the other three hyena species consume a mix of scavenged carrion and freshly hunted vertebrates, including medium to large ungulates.
Wo findet man Hyaenas normalerweise?
Hyaenas are highly adaptable and can be found across a diverse range of habitats including savannas, grasslands, semi-deserts, open woodlands, and mountainous regions.
Wie jagt Hyaenas?
Pursuit And Foraging
Snap-Karte
Zoome hinein, um Cluster aufzulösen und zu sehen, wo dieses Objekt fotografiert wurde.
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Neueste Snaps
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