Striped Hyena!
Striped Hyena Hyaena hyaena. They are in the Hyaenidae family. There are three species of Hyenas which included Brown, Spotted, and Striped.
Superficially Striped Hyenas resemble the Canidae (dogs) family. However, they are more closely related to the family Viverridae. This family consists of civets and genets. Also, the family Felidae containing species of cats.
Hyenas have a very distinct body profile. Their hind legs being shorter than their forelegs, thus making their back slope downward. Other common traits found in the Hyena species are large heads, big ears, muscular frame, and with the exception of the Spotted Hyena, a mane that extends along their back down to their tail. The Hyena family also has very strong and powerful jaws and teeth.
All Hyena species are nocturnal and they can be found in savanna and semiarid habitats in Africa. Hyenas usually live in family groups controlled by a matriarch and are hunter-scavengers.
The Striped Hyena is of medium size with gray to pale brown to black patches on its throat and five to six vertical stripes down its sides. The Striped Hyenas mane extends from the back of its neck and merges with its bushy tail as stated previously. When the Striped Hyena is threatened by a predator, their mane will stand straight up not unlike most dogs and cats.
The Striped Hyena with its powerful jaws and teeth can crush bone. The Hyena has pound for pound one of the strongest bite force strength of land mammals in the world.Even though the Striped Hyena is classified a carnivore it will occasionally be found eating fruits and vegetables.
The average size of a Striped Hyena is about three and a half feet long with approx. an eight inch long tail. On average they will stand approx. two to two and a half feet tall at the shoulder and weigh between 49 to 120 pounds.
The Striped Hyena is found in Africa as stated above, however, they can also be found with ranges extending into southwest Asia. The Striped Hyena’s range is about 12 miles.
As for social units as mentioned before Hyenas live in family groups. The Striped Hyena, however, is mostly solitary.
Their gestational period is 84 days and they can have between 1 and 6 pups. Striped Hyenas are considered monogamous. Both the male and female helping to raise the pups.
The Striped Hyena is listed as near threatened by the IUCN as global population is estimated to be under 10,000 mature adult individuals. They experience deliberate and incidental persecution along with a decrease in their prey base.
