Hyenas in Tanzania — The Misunderstood Hunters

Everything you think you know about hyenas is probably wrong. Disney gave them a bad rap. In reality, spotted hyenas are skilled hunters that kill 50-80% of their own food. They have larger brains relative to body size than chimpanzees. Their social structure is more complex than lions'.

Hyenas are the ultimate survivors. They thrive where lions decline. They eat everything — bones, horns, hooves, skin. Their jaws can crack open giraffe femurs. Their stomachs dissolve bone.

Spotted hyena clans are led by females — and it is a strict hierarchy. The alpha female's cubs outrank adult males. Females are larger and more aggressive than males. They even have pseudo-penises (enlarged clitorises) that make birth difficult and dangerous.

Cubs are born fighting. In litters of two, sibling rivalry is literal — the stronger sibling often kills the weaker. Only about 40% of cubs survive to adulthood.

Hyena vocalizations are the soundtrack of the African night. Each call has meaning:

• Whoop — Long-distance contact call. Carries for kilometers.
• Giggle — Sounds like manic laughter. Sign of excitement or stress during feeding.
• Groan — Submissive greeting between clan members.
• Lowing — Mothers calling cubs.

Hyenas and lions are mortal enemies. They steal kills from each other constantly. A clan of 20 hyenas can overwhelm 3-4 lionesses and steal a kill. But a male lion can scatter an entire clan with a single charge. The relationship is defined by numbers — whoever has more bodies wins.

• Serengeti — Massive clans, dramatic lion-hyena interactions
• Ngorongoro Crater — Dense hyena population, excellent den viewing
• Ruaha — Large clans in the Great Ruaha River area
• Nyerere (Selous) — Good populations, less studied than the north

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