Striped Hyena
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a species of hyaena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It is the smallest of the true hyenas and retains many primitive viverrid characteristics lost in larger species, having a smaller and less specialized skull. Adult weight can range from 49 to 121 pounds, averaging at about 77 pounds. The striped hyena features prominently in Middle Eastern and Asian folklore. In some areas, its body parts are considered magical, and are used as charms or talismans. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, where it is referred to as tzebua or zevoa, though the species is absent in some Bible translations into English.
Hyena kisses.
oh my goodness <3
Looooook how happy they are :D
Hyenas are big cats that evolved to fill a dog-like niche left vacant in their environment.
Actual DOGCATS
Actually, nope! Although they’re feliforms (so are mongooses and meerkats) and are thus closer to big cats than they are to dogs, they evolved from something like a civet. The early hyenas were dog-like in appearance and likely habits (to the point that they’re known as dog-like hyenas), but when canines arrived, they started developing different forms and finding other niches to fill. For example, one species that developed from hyenas that crossed the Bering land bridge to North America wound up evolving into a cheetah-like hyena, Chasmaporthetes. It’s been suggested that—prior to its extinction—Chasmaporthetes was the reason pronghorns needed to be so fast.
The only surviving dog-like hyena is the aardwolf, a tiny and adorable insectivore. The other surviving line of hyenas are the “bone-crushing” ones, which includes spotted, brown, and striped hyenas, all of which have traits specialized for supplementing their diet by scavenging carcasses. Spotted hyenas actually further adapted to the point that they are very skilled predators on their own—most of the scenes in nature that are initially assumed to be spotted hyenas waiting for a lion to finish eating its kill will turn out to be a lion that scared off hyenas after they brought down prey, with the spotties waiting to get back the meal that was stolen from them.
In other words, the Lion King is dirty feline propaganda and you should not listen to Disney’s lies.
