AI overview
The brown hyaena is a carnivorous mammal native to southern Africa that scavenges for food across arid and semi-arid landscapes. It plays an important ecological role by feeding on carrion and controlling populations of smaller animals, helping to maintain the balance of its ecosystem.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Parahyaena
- Image
- Parahyaena brunnea 3.jpg
Show 4 more facts
- P105
- species
- P141
- Near Threatened
- P1034
- carrion
- P523
- Pliocene
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
The brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), also called the strandwolf, is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique, western Eswatini, and South Africa. It is the only extant species in the genus Parahyaena. It is currently the rarest species of hyena. The largest remaining brown hyena population is located in the southern Kalahari Desert and coastal areas in Southwest Africa. The global population of brown hyena is estimated by IUCN at a number between 4,000 and 10,000 and its conservation status is marked as near threatened in the IUCN Red List.
Description