Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
The spotted hyena is the most common large carnivore in Africa and a highly efficient predator that actually kills up to 95% of its own food. Their powerful jaws can crush bone, extracting nutrients no other predator can access.
- Mass (typical / record)
- 65 kg
- Top speed
- 65 km/h
- Body length
- 1.7 m
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Habitats
- savannah, grassland, semi-arid
Bite force (est.): 1,100 PSI · IUCN: LC (Least Concern)
Unfairly maligned as mere scavengers, they actually hunt up to 95% of their food. In East African folklore, hyenas are associated with witchcraft and trickery, though they are increasingly recognized as sophisticated predators.