Scientific name: Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena)
Weight: 90 to 190 lb.
- Size: 28 to 35 in. tall
- Life span: Up to 25 years in captivity
- Habitat: Savannas, grasslands, woodlands, forest edges, subdeserts, and mountains up to 13,000 ft.
- Diet: Carnivorous
- Gestation: 90 to 110 days
- Predators: Humans
- Conservation Status: Least Threatened
General Background: The brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea, formerly Parahyaena brunnea), also called strandwolf, is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. 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.
Depicted as scavengers, hyenas are actually skillful hunters. There are 3 subspecies of hyena in the world. Estimated population of 10 000 mature individuals. Clans can grow to 80 individuals