Hyena , (family Hyaenidae), any of three species of coarse-furred, doglike carnivores found in Asia and Africa and noted for their scavenging habits. Hyenas have long forelegs and a powerful neck and shoulders for dismembering and carrying prey. Hyenas are tireless trotters with excellent sight, Learn about hyenas, carnivorous beasts that are scavengers and hunters in Africa and Asia. Find out their physical features, diet, reproduction, classification, and conservation status. Hyena are one of the most misunderstood and under-appreciated species in the animal kingdom. Read 10 amazing facts about spotted hyena from our Wild Tomorrow South Africa Board member and hyena expert, a.k.a. “ hyena man”, Axel Hunnicutt. Axel is a member of the IUCN Hyena Specialist Group and led a Hyenas originated in the jungles of Miocene Eurasia 22 million years ago, when most early feliform species were still largely arboreal. The first ancestral hyenas were likely similar to the modern African civet; one of the earliest hyena species described, Plioviverrops, was a lithe, civet-like animal that inhabited Eurasia 20–22 million years ago, and is identifiable as a hyaenid by the structure of the middle ear and dentition. The lineage of Plioviverrops prospered and gave rise to ...
