Hyenas are large feliform mammals found in Africa and Asia. Although they look a little like dogs, hyenas are members of the Hyaenidae family and are more closely related to cats than dogs!
What is the weight of a hyena?
Striped hyenas typically weigh between 57 to 90 pounds (26 – 41 kg).
Meanwhile, a brown hyena will come in at around 75 to 160 pounds (34 – 72.6 kg).
Spotted hyenas are the largest and heaviest of all, weighing in at 88 to 190 pounds (40 – 86 kg) on average.
Unusually in the animal world, spotted females tend to be heavier than males.
They can grow up to 5.9 feet (1.8 meters) in length.
Thought to have existed for more than 24 million years, Hyenas are widespread across Africa and Asia, living in a huge range of different habitats from grasslands, woodlands and savannahs to deserts, forests and even mountains.
Spotted hyenas are social creatures and live in large clans of up to 80 members. By contrast, striped and brown hyenas live in much smaller groups and can often be found foraging alone.
As nocturnal animals, you’ll be very lucky to see many of them during the daytime.
Hyenas love to scavenge from the kills of other predators.
They also often fight over the same territories as lions and hunt down the same prey, including wildebeest, antelope, birds, lizards and snakes.
~ Fun Fact ~
You’ve heard the term “laughing hyena”? It’s more of a myth since research has shown that this is actually more likely to be a sign of conflict or frustration rather than happiness.
Resources
https://www.livescience.com/55037-hyenas.html
http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-hyenas/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63455/12-wild-facts-about-hyenas