Hyenas

In the world of animals, there are a lot of unique animals, but the Hyena is the real animal that stands out. Its massive jaws can crush the bones of its prey and usually it eats the whole carcass of its prey. They scientific name for the Hyena is Crocuta Crocuta.

They Hyena mostly live in Africa, south of the Sahara, but except in the Congo Basin. Also large numbers of Hyenas live in Ethiopia, British Somalialand, and Ngrongoro Crater. Their habitat is usually a flat grassland. It is mostly dry and sometimes rocky area. There are few trees or plants. Mostly there are shrubs. There are also some mountains in the region.

The Hyena eats mostly wildebeests, gazelles, zebra, buffalo, rhino calves, and most species of ungulates. The Hyena mostly gets its food by hunting packs or alone, or by scavenging after kills of other animals or other Hyenas. The hunting usually takes place at night when they are most active. When the kill their prey they rip their prey from limb to limb and usually eats the whole carcass of its prey. To do that Hyenas massive jaws contains teeth so strong and so sharp to crush bones of its prey. Hyenas store their food underwater to to hide from other carnivores stealing the left over meat. One Hyena can eat up to 14.5 kilograms of meat per meal. Hyenas can spot and will usually try to hunt the young, weak, diseased, injured, or dead prey, but if drove extreme hunger it can take down a full grown male lion.

The Hyena natural enemies are the lion, wild dogs, leopards, cheetah, and jackals. The Hyena is very competitive with the lion. They both try to take bit of each others kills, but most of the time a Hyena kills its prey, the lion comes and starts eating and the Hyena has to wait. Like the lion hyena tries to take bit of meat from the leopard and cheetah kills. Jackals often annoy Hyenas and try to take bits of meat from the Hyenas kills.

The Hyena protects it self in its habitat by the spots on it back used for camouflage. Also if attacked its massive jaws can crush the bones of its attacker and the Hyena is capable of running down and killing an unaided bull wildebeest, 3 times its own weight. But even though the Hyena is dangerously endangered because it is hunted for its skin.

In conclusion the Hyena is one of the ferocious and mightiest animals in the animal kingdom.

Bibliography

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