Updated
The spotted hyena is a powerful hunter, not just a scavenger, and lives in clans run by females, which are larger and dominant over males. Its jaws can crush bones to reach the marrow. In Uganda, spotted hyenas live in Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley, and are most often seen at dawn, at dusk or on night drives. Kidepo also has the rarer striped hyena.
Clan life
Clans can number from a handful to several dozen animals that share a territory and a communal den, but members often hunt and feed in smaller groups. Rank is inherited from the mother, and cubs of high-ranking females get priority at kills. Their whooping calls carry for kilometres at night and help clan members keep in touch, while the famous giggling sound is made during tense moments at a kill.
Hunting and scavenging
In many places spotted hyenas kill most of their own food, chasing antelopes such as kob and hartebeest over long distances. They also steal kills from lions and other predators when they have the numbers, and lions steal from them too. They digest bone, skin and hooves, so little is left of a carcass, and their droppings turn white from the calcium.
Where to see it
Look on early morning drives on the Kasenyi plains in Queen Elizabeth, in Buligi in Murchison and in Kidepo’s Narus Valley. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to lions in Uganda, night safari animals, Queen Elizabeth and Kidepo game drives.
Frequently asked questions
No. Spotted hyenas kill much of their own food.
Females, which are larger and dominant over males.
In Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley.
To keep in contact with clan members over long distances.
