Hyenas Are More Closely Related to Cats Than Dogs
A hyena is a carnivorous African mammal. Despite looking dog-like, it belongs to the feline branch of the carnivores.
A hyena is a powerful carnivorous mammal of Africa and Asia. It looks like a dog and behaves like one in a pack, but it sits in the *Feliformia*, the cat branch of the carnivores, alongside mongooses and civets. The dog-like build is convergent evolution, not relationship. The reputation as a pure scavenger is also wrong: spotted hyenas hunt most of what they eat, and lions scavenge from them at least as often as the reverse.
- An African carnivore. *A spotted hyena.*
- Feliformia — the cat branch. *In the Feliformia.*
- Laughing hyena — the spotted species. *The laughing hyena.*
- Clan — its social group. *A hyena clan.*
- Greek — *hyaina*, from a word for pig. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | hyena | A hyena. |
| Plural | hyenas | Two hyenas. |
| Variant | hyaena | Also spelled hyaena. |
| Greek | hyaina | Hyena. |
| Related | hys | Pig. |
- The clan defended the kill.Behaviour.
- Hyenas are feliform, not caniform.Classification.
- The laugh is a social signal, not amusement.Communication.
Hyena facts against the reputation
- Spotted hyenas hunt most of their own food
- Lions steal from hyenas as often as the reverse
- Clans are matriarchal, led by a dominant female
- The laugh signals excitement or stress, not humour
- Their jaws can crush bone, and they digest it
Latin *hyaena*, from Greek *hyaina*, from *hys*, a pig, apparently from the bristled mane.
Are hyenas dogs?
No. They belong to the cat branch of the carnivores, related to mongooses and civets. The dog-like shape is convergent evolution.
Do hyenas only scavenge?
No. Spotted hyenas hunt most of their food, and lions frequently steal kills from them.