Hyena Old world nocturnal mammal. Its front legs are longer than the hind ones. Hyenas feed mostly on carrion and it can crush bones with its strong jaws. It lives in ranges over most of Africa, Iran, India, Asia minor. The spotted hyena of Africa, about two and a half feet high at the shoulder and being the largest and boldest of its species. It chases game in packs and even invades camps and villages in search of refuse livestock. It occasionally attacks children or sleeping adults, and is famous as a grave robber. The striped hyena is smaller, and the closely related brown hyena or strand wolf (very rare) are shire and more solitary. Hyenas are valuable scavengers but were considered to repulse to humans because of the stench and its cry, which resembles maniacal laughter . |
