La iena macchiata, conosciuta anche come iena ridens (o Crocuta crocuta), è originaria dell'Africa subsahariana. È un predatore generico e può vivere in molti ambienti, anche se non nelle foreste pluviali o nei deserti: ha forti zampe anteriori, collo muscoloso e zampe posteriori più deboli. Ha la testa larga con un grande muso, la pelliccia color sabbia con macchie nere e una criniera che parte dal collo e arriva a metà dorso.
Latin Name
Crocuta crocuta
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spotted-hyena
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Animal Facts
The spotted hyena's 'laugh' is a distress call that a hyena gives when it is being chased or attacked. Despite popular perception, spotted hyenas are formidable predators, not scavengers.
Hyenas are the only members of the order 'Carnivora' that give birth to young with open eyes and fully developed teeth.
Females are larger than males and dominate in spotted hyena society, they are hyper-masculinised; their external reproductive parts look male.
Spotted hyenas are extremely intelligent; their group cooperation and skill learning abilities are on par with chimpanzees.
Spotted hyenas have an extremely strong bite that allows them to routinely crush bone; their bite is stronger than a lion's. They can be very dangerous, in Malawi, in 1962, a pair of spotted hyenas killed 27 people.