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The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), also known as the laughing hyena, [3] is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus Crocuta, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN due to its widespread range and large numbers estimated between 27,000 and 47,000 individuals. [1]
It is still unclear whether the genus evolved in Africa or Asia, although the oldest known fossils are from Africa and dated to about 3.8 mya. [1] The earliest remains from Asia currently attributed to the genus is Crocuta honanensis from the Early Pleistocene of China dating to around 2.5-2.2 million years ago, but its relationship to the living spotted hyena is ambiguous.
The spotted hyena is very vocal, producing a number of different sounds consisting of whoops, grunts, groans, lows, giggles, yells, growls, laughs and whines. [47] The striped hyena is comparatively silent, its vocalizations being limited to a chattering laugh and howling. [48] Whoop of a spotted hyena in Umfolosi Game Park, South Africa.
It is helpful to be able to understand the source of scientific names. Although the Latin names do not always correspond to the current English common names, they are often related, and if their meanings are understood, they are easier to recall. The binomial name often reflects limited knowledge or hearsay about a species at the time it was named.
Spotted hyena attacks on humans are underreported. During 1960 coup and the Red Terror, [10] hyenas were reported extensively fed on human corpses. In El Kere and Bare of south-eastern Ethiopia, 50 people were attacked by hyena in the year 1998/1999, of which of majority of them (35 out of 55) were children.
A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae.This family has two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae.The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to southern Europe, Africa and Asia, whereas the Mungotinae comprises 11 species native to Africa. [2]
The aardwolf (Proteles cristatus [3]) is an insectivorous hyaenid species, native to East and Southern Africa.Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch. [4] [5] It is also called the maanhaar-jackal [6] [7] (Afrikaans for "mane-jackal"), termite-eating hyena [8] and civet hyena, based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet.
A civet (/ ˈ s ɪ v ɪ t /) is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae.