Brown hyena – Parahyaena brunnea – has stripes on the legs only

Although the hyenas look a lot like dogs (wolves and foxes especially) they are closer relations to the cat family. The have long necks, powerful heads, jaws and front legs. They feed mostly on carrion but also hunt in packs like dogs to bring down animals as big as zebra. They also use the advantage of groups to chase away predators like the cheetah and eat what they have captured. The brown hyena will eat things that wash up along the coast in Africa. There are 3 species of hyena – spotted, striped and brown; the spotted being the largest and most powerful. Also in the family is the smaller aardwolf that looks more like a fox than a wolf. They all live in Africa and the striped hyena also lives throughout the Middle East and eastward to India.

Spotted – Crocuta crocuta – the largest is a powerful hunter

Striped hyena – Hyaena hyaena

baby brown hyena

aardwolf