hyena

Any of three species of carnivorous doglike mammals living in Africa and Asia. Hyenas have extremely powerful jaws. They are scavengers, feeding on the remains of animals killed by predators such as lions, although they will also attack and kill live prey. (Genera Hyaena and Crocuta, family Hyaenidae, order Carnivora.)

The species are the striped hyena (H. hyaena) found from Asia Minor to India; the brown hyena (H. brunnea), found in South Africa; and the spotted or laughing hyena (C. crocuta), common south of the Sahara. The aardwolf also belongs to the hyena family.

Spotted hyenas live in female-led groups called clans. Males remain with the group until puberty and then move on to join other groups. Females are usually 10% larger than males and are dominant over them. When a litter contains more than one female, they usually fight to the death. The female clitoris is unusually large, resembling a penis; females also possess fatty pads resembling a scrotum. Thus, females appear to have male genitals and show many ‘male’ characteristics of behaviour.

The peniform clitoris of female spotted hyenas makes giving birth difficult: 18% of first pregnancies result in maternal death and 60% of firstborns suffocate in the birth canal.