Hyenas

thumb|Aardwolf, smallest member of the hyena family, skeleton (Museum of Osteology)

species of mammal

species of hyena

The aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) is an insectivorous hyaenid species, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means 'earth-wolf' in Afrikaans and Dutch. It is also called the maanhaar-jackal (Afrikaans for 'mane-jackal'), termite-eating hyena and civet hyena, based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet.

species of mammal

REDIRECT Striped hyena

Crocuta is a genus of hyena containing the largest extant member of the family, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Several fossil species are also known, with the Pleistocene Eurasian cave hyenas either being regarded as distinct species or subspecies of the spotted hyena.

Proteles is a genus of distinctive hyenas which contain the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) and its close fossil relatives. It is the only extant genus of the subfamily Protelinae.

Ethiopian and Eritrean folklore

Rabid hyena and urban legend

Parahyaena is a genus of hyenas that contains the extant brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea). Parahyaena howelli, an early member of this genus, has been dated to approximately 4 million years ago.