Hyenas are known to be bizarre beasts–their odd-looking appearance, maniacal laugh, and varied dietary hasbits are why they fall among the list of animals that have a great deal of misinformation, myth, or legend associated with them. Because of the way hyenas were portrayed in movies like “The Lion King,” they are often considered to be wild creatures as compared to animals like the cheetah and lion.

Pixabay/Pexels | Some hyena species don't even look all that scary

People don't know much about hyenas and we're here to change that. Did you know that hyenas have four sub-species? Spotted hyenas are the most common and thus, they are studied more than the other three.

Let's take a look at all four species of hyenas.

1. Spotted Hyenas

As mentioned above, spotted hyenas are the most common of the four species. This is why more often than not, when you see a hyena, you observe that there are spots all over its body. These animals are present all over Southern Africa but are likely to be seen in many national parks. Studies have shown that spotted hyenas steal prey that has been killed by lions. They have teeth that can crush bones with little to no effort and a stomach that can digest these bones too.

Pixabay/Pexels | These creatures are found all over the National Geographic channel

2. Striped Hyenas

Striped hyenas happen to be the only sub-species that are found outside Africa. These creatures are found in the Middle East, India, and sometimes in Central Asia too. Even though the species can be found in so many countries, it has not been closely studied. From the little amount of study that has been done on striped hyenas, it was found that even though they are mostly seen alone, these animals interact with others frequently.

Itai Perelman Nasich/Pexels | There’s still much to be uncovered about the striped hyena

3. Brown Hyenas

Compared to spotted hyenas, brown hyenas are hairier as well as a bit smaller in size. They are found  roaming the deserts of Southern Africa. It is very unlikely for a person to spot brown hyenas as they exist in low population densities and as a result, not many people encounter one of these creatures. if they do, it'll most likely be at a nature show or a safari.

4. Aardwolf

This is a species of hyenas that looks the least like the other species discussed above This animal resembles a fussy fox and what it eats is also quite different from what the other hyena species eat. The Aardwolf mostly feeds on termites and it is said that these creatures can eat up to 300,000 termites in one night!

Did you get to learn something new about hyenas today? If so, you’re welcome!