HYENA, the name applied to members of the family Hyaeni dae, a group of Carnivora (q.v.) distinguished by the four toes on each foot, the comparative length of the forelegs, the non-retrac tile claws, and the enormous strength of the jaws and teeth, enabling them to crush hard bones. Three species are known, belonging to the genus Hyaena.
The striped hyena (H. striate) has the widest distribution, being found in India, Persia, Asia Minor, North and East Africa. About the size of a wolf, the animal is greyish-brown in colour, marked with indistinct longitudinal stripes of a darker hue. There is a mane along the neck and back. The animal is nocturnal in habits and has an unearthly cry, aptly compared to demoniac laughter. It feeds mainly on carrion, but occasionally carries off sheep, goats and dogs. It is a solitary and cowardly animal.
The spotted form (H. crocuta) ranges from Abyssinia to the Cape, and is yellowish-brown, with darker spots. The brown hyena (H. brunnea) is South African, and about the size of the striped species. It is ashy brown in colour, with a lighter collar, chest and belly. Both spotted and striped hyenas have been found fossilized in the Pliocene of Europe.