Spotted hyenas can break into cars and buildings by learning to open doors and latches!
Hyenas - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Hyenas For Kids
When hunting wildebeest, hyenas can figure out which animals are sick or injured just by watching how they move!
A hyena can run nearly as fast as a horse — up to about 60 km/h (37 mph) — for several miles without getting tired!
Habitat & Survival
Spotted hyenas can live in almost any habitat, from sea level to mountains as high as 13,000 feet (4,000 meters)!
Hyenas can survive in very hot climates because they’re most active at night when temperatures are cooler!
Unlike many predators, hyenas can live in areas close to human settlements and have learned to adapt to urban environments!
A hyena clan’s territory can be as big as 250 square miles (650 km²) — which is about 50,000 football fields!
Striped hyenas dig complex dens with multiple entrances and rooms that can be up to 30 feet (9 meters) long!
Hyenas help keep their ecosystems healthy by eating diseased animals and cleaning up carcasses that could spread illness!
Some hyena clans return to the same den sites for many years — sometimes even decades — passing them down through generations!
Aardwolf hyenas have adapted to eat almost nothing but termites, consuming up to 300,000 termites in a single night!
Hyenas can survive for several days without drinking water because they get most of their moisture from their prey!
Brown hyenas have clever tricks to survive in the harsh Namib Desert, where very few large mammals can live!
Striped hyenas create food hiding places in different locations throughout their territory, remembering hundreds of hiding spots!
Hyenas can survive in areas with temperatures ranging from below freezing to over 120°F (49°C)!
Brown hyenas walk up to 31 miles (50 kilometers) each night looking for food!
Spotted hyenas often use drainage pipes under roads as safe passages between different parts of their territory!
Some hyena clans dig special “bathroom” areas that serve as community message boards through scent marking!
Hyenas can survive in areas where most predators (animals that hunt them) can’t by eating foods other animals avoid, like bones and rotting meat!
Different hyena species avoid competing with each other by being awake at different times of day!
Spotted hyenas sometimes create temporary camps (temporary homes) away from their main den during long hunting trips!
Hyenas can dig through hard-packed soil to create new dens, using their powerful front legs and sharp claws!
A hyena can smell food from farther away than the length of 40 school buses!
Life Cycle
Female spotted hyenas usually give birth to two cubs at a time, but can have up to four!
Hyena cubs begin eating meat at about 5 months old, but they continue nursing for up to 18 months!
Unlike most mammals, spotted hyena cubs are born with their eyes open and with a full set of teeth!
Female hyenas get to choose their mates — they can accept or reject a male, so only the ones they like get to be dads!
Hyena cubs start learning to hunt at about 8 months old — and by 2 years, they’re full hunters!
Baby hyenas are born black and develop their spots or stripes as they grow older!
Male spotted hyenas leave their birth clan when they’re about 2–6 years old to join new clans!
A mother hyena’s milk is some of the richest milk produced by any carnivore (meat-eating animal), containing about 15% fat!
Spotted hyena cubs often start fighting with their siblings just after they’re born — and sometimes their fights can be so rough that one cub dies!
Female hyenas can delay pregnancy by pausing the growth of their baby until conditions are just right for giving birth!
Female spotted hyenas have strong body chemicals called androgens that help make them bigger and more powerful than males!
Hyena cubs begin participating in clan social activities when they’re around 1 month old!
A mother hyena’s milk contains special antibodies (disease fighters) that help protect cubs from diseases!
Spotted hyena cubs establish their social rank before they’re even one year old!
Female hyenas can nurse their cubs for up to 18 months, one of the longest nursing periods of any meat-eating animal!
Hyena cubs practice hunting skills by playing with objects like sticks and bones!
Twin hyena cubs often have different fathers due to female hyenas mating with multiple males!
Hyena cubs start learning their clan’s unique vocal patterns when they’re just a few weeks old!
A female hyena can produce up around 2–4 liters of milk per day to feed her growing cubs!
Spotted hyena cubs weigh about 3 pounds (1.5 kg) at birth, which is quite large for a meat-eating animal!
Diet & Feeding
A hungry adult spotted hyena can eat up to one-third of its body weight in a single meal — that’s like a 60-pound child eating 20 pounds (9 kg) of food!
Hyenas have special bacteria (tiny helpful germs) in their digestive systems that allow them to eat rotting meat without getting sick!
The aardwolf species (type) of hyena eats about 200,000-300,000 termites every night with their sticky tongues!
Spotted hyenas can completely consume a wildebeest, leaving nothing but a few bones, in about 13 minutes!
A clan of spotted hyenas can eat an entire elephant over several days, including the bones!
Hyenas have such strong digestive acids that they can digest bones within 24 hours!
