Wildlife Africa- African Wild Animals, Hyena, Behavior, Habitat, Breeding

HABITAT	Open savanna plains, well watered and with a big population of game, are the most suitable conditions for Spotted Hyenas.
HABITS	They live in clans of up to 20 individuals, sharing their sleeping den. Amongst clan members, the ties are very strong, greeting one another in a ceremony that involves much sniffing of the genitalia. The clan's territory is marked by secretions of the anal glands, and by communal latrines. They extremely noisy animals. Females are larger than males, attaining a mass of about 55 Kg. Their life-span is about 20 years.
DIET	Contrary to the general belief that Hyenas are exclusively scavengers, they are successful hunters. Their prey include the young of any antelope, and even adult Kudu and Wildbeest. They will also prey on rodents, reptiles and even on old and injured Lions.
BREEDING	About 1 to 3 pups are born after a gestation period of about 110 days. They are black, and their adult colors only start to appear at about 5 weeks. They reach maturity at about 3 years of age.

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Last revised: March 22, 2005.

ORDER	FAMILY	Scientific name
Carnivora	Hyaenidae	Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben,1777)