the.com/hyena
the laugh you hear before the lion realizes it's been outnumbered and outsmarted.
means A carnivorous African and Asian mammal known for scavenging, its sloping back, and its eerie cackling call.
from From Latin 'hyaena,' borrowed from Greek 'hyaina' — built on 'hys,' meaning 'pig' or 'swine,' likely because the animal's bristly mane and back reminded the Greeks of a hog. The cackle came later, in our imaginations; to the ancients it was simply the swine-like beast.
- matriarchy
- Females rule clans and outrank every male
- bone crushers
- Jaws digest bone, leaving white droppings
- smarter than apes
- Beat chimps at cooperative puzzle tasks
- false dog
- Closer kin to cats and mongooses
- the laugh
- Giggles signal stress, not joy
spotted hyena of serengeti — largest hyena species, ~4,000 individuals in serengeti, apex scavenger with bone-crushing bite force of 1,100 psi
clan of hyenas tarangire — tarangire national park, tanzania has clans of 50+ hyenas that hunt cooperatively and defend territory year-round
striped hyena middle east — solitary nocturnal hyenas across iran, arabia, and north africa; smaller species rarely seen despite wide range