#playfulhyenas

[worldwidexplorer]

Spotted African Hyenas

Last week, I wrote about wild dogs, and some of the observations I've made about them while on safari. This week, my focus turns to hyenas. Many people understandably do not realize that there is a difference between the two, but there absolutely is! Wild dogs have faces that remind me of German Shepherds with massive satellite ears. Hyenas have a unique appearance all their own.

Female spotted hyena, Uganda

Hyena cubs are playful little creatures! We got to observe these two siblings playing with each other and jumping on their mom during a quiet morning in rural Uganda. We loved watching them and they were so curious about their surroundings!

Playful spotted hyena cubs with their mother, Uganda

One of the strangest behaviors of spotted hyenas such as these, has to do with siblings. When more than 1 hyena of the same gender is born, oftentimes one of the same gender cubs will kill the other cub within the first month of life! This is especially true of female hyena cubs. Young cubs are born with very dark fur. As they age, the fur gets spots and they start to resemble adults in appearance.

Young spotted hyena cub. Kruger National Park, South Africa

Until next week,

Marisa