Although hyenas look as though they should belong to the dog family, they are actually a separate group of carnivores. There are four species: the meat-eating spotted, striped and brown hyenas, and the insectivorous aardwolf. Hyenas live in family groups and hunt or scavenge together, usually at night. Spotted hyenas can kill large prey such as wildebeest after chasing them for several kilometres. A hyena’s strong jaws and large teeth can crush even large bones, horns and hooves, making sure there is little left after a kill.

Spotted hyena

The spotted hyena is a ferocious meat-eater with a loud and varied call, including whoops and grunts, that sometimes sounds like human laughter. It lives in large groups, or clans, of up to 80 individuals headed by a dominant female. It may hunt large prey, such as wildebeest, antelope or zebra, after a long chase, but occasionally will scavenge kills made by other predators. Lions often scavenge on the kills made by the hyenas, but the hyenas may drive them off if they outnumber the lions.

Striped hyena

Striped hyenas are master scavengers. They have powerful jaws for dealing with the parts of a kill, such as bones and hooves, that other animals leave behind. They also feed on fruit and vegetables which provide an important source of water in the dry grasslands. They hide in caves or dense undergrowth during the day, coming out at night to scavenge.

Aardwolf

The aardwolf differs from other hyenas because it is nocturnal, solitary, and feeds not on meat but almost entirely on termites, licking them up with its broad tongue. It may eat up to 3000 termites on a night's hunting. It sleeps in underground burrows by day.

The aardwolf inhabits the savanna and scrublands of eastern and southern Africa. Not being fast enough to run away, when threatened by a predator it will raise its mane in an attempt to make itself look larger and fiercer.