Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) Fact Sheet: Summary

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Feliformia

Family: Hyaenidae

Genus: Crocuta

Species: Crocuta crocuta - spotted hyena

Body Weight: 40-86 kg (88-190 lb); females often weigh more than males.

Body Length: 144-179 cm (4.7-5.9 ft)

Tail Length: c. 2.5 cm (0.8 ft)

Pelage: Short, light brown, beige, sandy, or ginger hair; spotted with black or brown on the neck, shoulders, back, flanks, rump, legs, and tail base.

Range: Sub-Saharan Africa, though historically across Africa and Eurasia.

Habitat: Generalist; semi-desert, savanna and open woodland, dense, dry woodland, and montane regions. Sea level to 4,100 m (13,450 ft).

IUCN Status: Least Concern (2014 assessment)

CITES Appendix: not listed

Population in Wild: 27,000-47,000 individuals; most abundant within the Serengeti ecosystem and Kruger National Park

Locomotion: Run with a loping gate; travel long distance in search of prey. Non-arboreal. Strong swimmers, capable of submerging for up to 12
seconds.

Activity Cycle: Nocturnal, though not uncommonly active in daylight. Often rest for long periods of time.

Social Groups: Highly social, living in clans of one to several matrilineal lines and immigrant males. These stable units are composed of 8-80 individuals. Clan members often range widely. Cooperatively defend territory, food resources, and the communal den site. Dominance hierarchies govern interactions. Females dominate males, receiving preferential access to food.

Diet: Carnivorous, primarily taking medium to large ungulates; though consuming a wide variety of mammals and other animals. Devour all parts,
including hair and bones. Scavenge at times.

Predators: Commonly killed by lions, other spotted hyena, and humans.

Sexual Maturity: 2-3 yrs. Males first reproduce c. 3-4 yrs, females 2-5 yrs.

Gestation: 98-111 days, 110 commonly reported.

Litter Size: 1-2 typically, triplets rare.

Birth Weight: c. 1.5 kg (3.3 lb).

Age at Weaning: c. 1 year.

Typical Life Expectancy:
Managed care: median life expectancy of about 24 years

Feature Facts

• Large, African carnivore
• Form highly social clans, which together can hunt down large ungulate prey such as zebra, buffalo, or giraffe
• Hunt a wide variety of prey and scavenge at times
• Specialized teeth and digestion enable the consumption of nearly all portions of their prey: meat, bones, and hair
• Clan members cooperatively defend territory, food resources, and the communal den site
• All clan members adhere to a strict social hierarchy; females are dominant to males
• Females typically remain in their natal clan for life, while males emigrate shortly before reaching sexual maturity.