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Home | Animals | Mammals | Hyaenidae | Spotted Hyena
Spotted Hyena
Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Hyaenidae Genus: Crocuta Species: C. crocuta
Height
Hyenas stand 28 to 35 inces high at the shoulder.
Weight
90 to 190 pounds.
Habitat
Savannas, grasslands, woodlands, forest edges, subdeserts and mountains to 13,000 feet. The hyena is the most abundant large carnivore in areas where antelopes and zebras are found in masses. A formidable scavenger that lives wherever animal resources are adequate.
Diet
Omnivorous scavenger. The hyena eats vertebrates of all kinds, especially hoofed mammals, it seldom eats invertebrates, fruits, or vegetables. Utilizes carcasses of large vertebrates more efficiently than other carnivores. Eats everything but rumen contents and horn bosses of the biggest antelopes, even deriving nourishment from mummified carcasses. Bones, horns, hooves, even teeth are digested completely within 24 hours.
Breeding
2 young per litter.
Predators
Lion, leopard, and strange hyena