Hyenas are popular scavengers and this reputation overshadows the tales of their hunting skills. Hyenas are in fact good hunters. Hyenas have good strength and stamina that aid them in hunting. In addition to hunting, hyenas are also known to drive off larger predators, like lions, from their kills!
The spotted hyena is the largest of all the species of hyena. They actively hunt medium and large-sized hoofed animals, even if they scavenge occasionally.
They may kill as many as 95 per cent of all the animals they eat. They kill and eat birds, lizards, snakes, and insects. A solitary spotted hyena can chase an adult wildebeest for a distance of five kilometers at speeds of up to 60 km per hour and bring it down alone.
The striped hyena is primarily a scavenger. But it will also attack and kill any animal it can overcome. It supplements its diet with fruit as well. A clan of hyenas is usually made of ten to fifteen members. The clan leader is a female and so are many elder members of the clan.
Picture Credit : Google