Brenda Khan
Hyenas are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae. They are highly skilled hunters and scavengers, and their diet consists of a wide and diverse array of animals. They are known to eat other mammals such as zebras, gazelles, giraffes, rabbits, warthogs, snakes, insects, wildebeests, antelopes, wild dogs, and more. They are also known to supplement their diet with fruits and vegetables when available.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet | Carnivorous; opportunistic feeders; scavengers |
| Diet composition | 90-95% meat; 5-10% plant material (fruits, berries, vegetables) |
| Meat sources | Wildebeests, zebras, antelopes, warthogs, snakes, birds, rabbits, gazelles, giraffes, wild dogs, lions, tortoises, wild boars, goats, sheep, horses, donkeys, bugs, mice, hares, fish, reptiles, calves, cubs, young mammals |
| Plant sources | Fruits, berries, vegetables, grass, grasshoppers, melon |
| Scavenging | Feed on carrion meat left by larger predators such as lions; also eat garbage and crops in times of scarcity |
| Hunting | Hunt in packs; can run at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mi/h) |
| Eating habits | Eat food quickly; can eat at least 14.5 kg of meat in a meal; can eat a gazelle fawn in less than two minutes; a group of 35 hyenas can completely consume an adult zebra in 36 minutes |
| Digestion | Able to completely digest organic components of bones |
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What You'll Learn
Spotted hyenas eat birds, reptiles, and mammals
Spotted hyenas are highly skilled hunters and are the most carnivorous members of the Hyaenidae family. They are adept at hunting prey larger than themselves, such as wildebeests, antelopes, and even lions. Spotted hyenas are also known to prey on birds, reptiles, and mammals. They are social animals that live in large communities or "clans" of up to 100 individuals.
The diet of spotted hyenas consists of a diverse array of animals, including mammals, birds, and reptiles. They prefer to hunt mammals that exceed 40 pounds in weight, according to the Zoological Society of Milwaukee. Some of the larger animals that spotted hyenas prey on include wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes. They typically hunt in groups of two to five individuals, but the number can vary depending on the size of the prey.
Spotted hyenas are very efficient at consuming their prey. They are able to splinter and eat even the largest ungulate bones and can completely digest them. They can digest all organic components of bones, not just the marrow. This ability to consume and digest bones makes them highly effective predators.
In addition to their hunting abilities, spotted hyenas are also known to scavenge. They frequently feed on the carrion of previously killed animals, but this is not the only source of their diet. They are opportunistic feeders and will supplement their diet with fruits and vegetables when available. It is estimated that around 5% to 10% of their diet consists of plant material.
Spotted hyenas are known for their vocalizations, producing a range of sounds, including whoops, grunts, groans, lows, giggles, yells, growls, laughs, and whines. They are highly efficient predators and play an important role in the African ecosystems they inhabit.
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Striped hyenas eat bugs, fruit, and hares
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is a scavenger with a varied diet, eating anything from bugs and fruit to hares and wild boar.
Striped hyenas are the smallest of the bone-cracking hyenas and are known for their primitive, viverrid-like characteristics. They are not fussy eaters, but they do have an aversion to vulture flesh. They will attack and kill any animal they can overcome, hunting prey by running it down and inflicting mortal wounds by tearing out the viscera. They are also known to feed on carcasses, such as feral horses and water buffalo in eastern Jordan, and village refuse. In Turkmenistan, they are recorded to feed on wild boar, kulan, porcupines, and tortoises.
Striped hyenas have a high-calcium diet, which results in their feces turning white very rapidly and being visible from long distances. They compete with grey wolves in the Middle East and Central Asia for food, where a large portion of their diet comes from wolf-killed carcasses.
Striped hyenas are known to supplement their diet with fruit. In Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, a seasonal abundance of oil willow fruits is an important food source. They also eat insects, with grasshoppers being a notable food source in the Caucasus.
Striped hyenas are monogamous and protective of their young, with hyenas with cubs transporting food back to their dens.
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Brown hyenas eat termites, melon, and eggs
Hyenas are feliform carnivoran mammals that belong to the family Hyaenidae. There are four extant species of hyena: the spotted hyena, the striped hyena, the brown hyena, and the insectivorous aardwolf. The brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), also called the strandwolf, is the rarest species of hyena. It is found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, and South Africa. The largest remaining population of brown hyenas is located in the southern Kalahari Desert and coastal areas in Southwest Africa. Brown hyenas are primarily scavengers, and their diet mostly consists of carcasses killed by larger predators. They also supplement their diet with insects, eggs, and fruit.
Brown hyenas have powerful jaws, and young animals can crack the leg bones of springboks in five minutes. They have exceptional senses of smell and can locate carcasses from kilometers away. They are aggressive kleptoparasites, frequently appropriating the kills of black-backed jackals, cheetahs, and leopards. They may cache excess food in shrubs or holes and recover it within 24 hours. In the Kalahari, 80% of a brown hyena's activity time is spent at night, searching for food in an area spanning 19.3 miles on average.
The brown hyena is not dependent on frequent drinking and can survive close to urban areas by scavenging. They favor rocky, mountainous areas as these provide shade. They have home ranges of 90-180 square miles in size. Brown hyenas have a social hierarchy comparable to that of wolves, with a mated pair and their offspring. They live in clans composed of extended families of four to six individuals. Territories are marked by 'pasting', during which the hyena deposits secretions from its large anal gland on vegetation and boulders.
The brown hyena is the only surviving species of the dog-like hyena lineage, with the bone-crushing hyenas becoming the top scavengers of Eurasia and Africa. The brown hyena is distinguished from other species by its long, shaggy, dark brown coat, pointed ears, and short tail. Its legs are striped brown and white, and adults have a distinct cream-colored fur ruff around their necks. While brown hyenas eat termites, they are not as specialized as the aardwolf, which can eat up to 300,000 termites each night using its long, sticky tongue.
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Hyenas are voracious feeders
The spotted hyena, in particular, is known for its hunting prowess and is considered the most carnivorous member of the Hyaenidae family. They are very efficient at eating their prey, able to splinter and digest large ungulate bones completely. They can consume at least 14.5 kg of meat in a single meal and are known to eat more than 30 pounds of meat in a sitting. Spotted hyenas are social animals that live in large communities or "clans" of up to 100 individuals, and they often hunt in groups of 2 to 5 members, or even more when targeting larger prey.
Striped hyenas, on the other hand, are primarily scavengers, although they will also attack and kill animals they can overcome. They are known to scavenge on impalas, gazelles, wildebeests, and zebras, and they hunt goats, sheep, horses, and donkeys. While they are less carnivorous than their spotted cousins, they do supplement their diet with fruits and insects.
Brown hyenas are also scavengers and are known to eat carrion. They rarely kill their own prey, except for small mammals and birds. They are also known to enjoy melons, bird and insect eggs, and plant material.
Overall, hyenas are opportunistic feeders and will eat almost anything available to them. They are not picky eaters and will even scavenge through garbage or steal crops when food is scarce. Their powerful teeth and jaws allow them to consume a wide variety of foods, from tortoises and wild boars to fruits and vegetables.
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Hyenas are highly-skilled hunters
Hyenas are highly skilled hunters. They are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae, which consists of four different species: the brown hyena, striped hyena, spotted hyena, and the aardwolf. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems.
Spotted hyenas are adept hunters and are the most common species of hyena. They are also the most carnivorous member of the Hyaenidae family. They hunt in packs, which makes them powerful predators. Their clans can grow up to 100 hyenas large, and they are led by an alpha female. Spotted hyenas are very efficient at eating their prey. They are able to splinter and eat the largest ungulate bones and digest them completely. They can also digest all organic components in bones, not just the marrow. They are known to hunt wildebeest, either singly or in groups of two or three. They catch adult wildebeest after chases of up to 5 km (3.1 mi) at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mi/h). They also hunt zebras, but this requires a different hunting method due to the zebras' habit of running in tight groups and the aggressive defence from stallions. Typical zebra hunting groups consist of 10-25 hyenas. When hunting Thomson's gazelles, spotted hyenas usually operate alone and prey primarily on young fawns. They also hunt Cape buffalo on occasion, although this is rare due to differences in habitat preference. In the southern Kalahari, their principal prey includes gemsbok, common eland, lechwe, waterbuck, wildebeest, and springbok.
Striped hyenas are primarily scavengers but will also attack and kill any animals they can overcome. They frequently scavenge on impalas, gazelles, wildebeests, and zebras. They also have the ability to hunt and will go after goats, sheep, horses, and donkeys.
Brown hyenas are regular carrion eaters and, unlike other hyena species, they do not usually kill their prey by themselves. However, they do sometimes hunt tiny mammals and birds.
Hyenas are voracious feeders and can hunt a wide and diverse array of animals, ranging from small mammals and insects to huge mammals bigger than their size. They are known to eat tortoises, wild boars, rabbits, warthogs, snakes, birds, insects, wild dogs, and other mammals. They are also known to scavenge carrion meat left by larger predators such as lions. In cases of extreme scarcity, hyenas can dig through garbage, steal crops, and even eat grass and grasshoppers.
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Frequently asked questions
Hyenas are primarily carnivorous animals. They eat other mammals like zebras, gazelles, giraffes, rabbits, warthogs, snakes, wildebeests, antelopes, wild dogs, and lions.
No, hyenas are opportunistic feeders and will supplement their diet with fruits, vegetables, and plant material when available. On average, it is estimated that around 5% to 10% of a hyena's diet consists of non-meat food.
Hyenas are highly skilled hunters that can take down prey larger than themselves. They typically hunt in packs and are known to be scavengers that feed on carrion meat left by larger predators.
The diet of a hyena depends on its species. Spotted hyenas are adept hunters and frequent scavengers that eat reptiles, birds, and bugs. They prefer to go after mammals that exceed 40 pounds in weight. Striped hyenas are primarily scavengers but will also attack and kill animals. They frequently scavenge impalas, gazelles, wildebeests, and zebras, and they hunt goats, sheep, horses, and donkeys. Brown hyenas are regular carrion eaters and also eat fruit, bird and insect eggs, and small mammals and birds.
