This is a book that I made for my friend Lucas. I hope that you like it. I hope you have fun reading this book.

1. Diet
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A hyena is an omnivore and that means that they will eat plants and other
animals.The hyena is known to be a very powerful predator .The type of
animals that they will eat is small animals like birds, hares, foxes, jackals,
fish, snakes and carrion they only eat small animals if only that they are out
on their own. When hyenas are working together then they will usually hurt
in a group that can be bigger than 2 or 5 hyenas that will join in the hunt.
When they hunt as a group they will take down very big hoofed animals like
zebra, wildebeest, thompson’s gazelle, grant's gazelle, topi, waterbuck,
eland, impala and they will also eat hartebeest to.Hyenas will normally go
after the same animals that lions eat and when this happens then hyenas
and lions will always end up confrontation with each other that will lead to a
fight between lions and hyenas. The other food that the hyena will eat is
fruit, eggs, and invertebrates. The other animals that they will eat is gazelle,
buffalo, topi. These animals will often kill an animal but these animals are
known to be scavengers ( which means that they take food from other
animals or takes food that another animal has lifted behind). But
sometimes hyenas will get their meal from stealing from other animals like
lions. Hyenas have very powerful jaws and very sharp teeth and they will
use them to break the bones of their prey so that they can eat the bones
and the marrow of the animal. A spotted hyena can eat about 3 to 6 kgs
(6.6-13.2 lbs) of meat in a single day. In their stomach they have
something that is called concentrated hydrochloric acid this can help them
to digest bones of the animal that the hyena has killed not only that these
animals have great teeth and jaws they also have a very strong digestive
system and this can help them to digest the bones, teeth, tough skin and
the horns of the animal. A hyena can go seven days without drinking water.
The other food that the hyena will eat is zebra, antelope and dead animals.
The hyena will eat so many different types of animals and the animals that
they will eat is large ungulates, birds, reptiles, insects and dead animals
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2. that an lion has killed. The spotted hyena is known to be an scavenger and
they are always after leftovers that other predators have lifted behind. But
these animals do not scavenge all the time these animals are except
hunters and the type of animals that they will see as prey is wildebeest or
antelope these are some of the largest animals that the hyena faces they
can also go after small animals to and those animals are birds, lizards,
snakes and they will also eat insects to. Hyenas eat so many different
types of animals these animals usually scavenge a kill that a lion has
made. These animals are known to be very good on being a scavenger
because they have very powerful jaws that can easily crush bones by using
their jaws so that they can be able to eat the animal so that it can digest it.
These animals will also hunt a young hippo or a baby elephant and they
can also eat fish. the best time to see an hyena hunt is at night. Which
means they are nocturnal.
Habitat/Range
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Hyenas can be found on all different types of habitats and the type of
places where these animals can be found is in grasslands, woodlands,
savannas, sub deserts, forest edges and the mountains. The spotted
hyena can be found everywhere in Africa and the type of habitats that they
live in is deserts, forests and they can also be found up in the mountains
as well. The parts of Africa that they can be found in central and in
Southern Africa and they can also be found in the south of the Sahara
Desert. The best place to find them is habitats that have lots of zebras and
antelopes and these places are grasslands, savannas and woodlands,
They can also be found in the Middle east and they can also be found in
Asia to and the other type of habitats that these can be found in is
savannas, dry plains and brush.The other type of habitats that these
animals live in is flat open terrain. The best continents to find hyenas is in
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3. Africa and in Asia. They can also live on the south of sahara but they do
not go on areas that have extreme desert conditions. The striped hyena
lives in Africa, Arabia, Asia minor, and on India on the savanna, thorn bush
and stony desert areas. Hyenas can also be found on open terrain like
grasslands, or semi-desert and brush areas this is where there are lots of
animals that the hyena gets to hunt and they also live on the high altitudes
that is in Ethiopia. The striped hyena can be found in the north and
Northeast of Africa.The habitats that the striped hyena lives in is arid
steppes, dry rocky brush lands and acacia shrubland.The spotted hyena
can also be found in the forests of the Congo Basin. The other places that
the hyena can be found in parts of Asia, Africa and in Europe mostly the
most all of the four different species all normally can be found on the
African savannah. But there are some hyenas that live in Asia and in the
part of Asia where this animal can be located in the jungles that is in India
and on Western Asia.
Size/Weight
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The size of a spotted hyena is 28 to 35 inches tall and they can weigh
about 90 to 190 pounds. The females are a lot heavier than the males are.
The length of hyenas are 37 to 59 inches (95 to 150 centimeters) long.
They can also grow about 29.5 to 33 inches (75 to 85 centimeters) tall to
the shoulder. The weight of the spotted hyena is 99 to 176 pounds (45 to
80 kilograms). The weight of the hyenas 90 to 190 pounds and they can
stand about 28 to 35 inches tall. The striped hyena can grow about 39 to
45 inches (100 to 115 centimeters) long and they can also grow about 26
to 30 inches (66 to 75 centimeters) tall at the shoulder. The length of an
striped hyenas tail is 12 to 16 inches (30 to 40 centimeters). The weight of
the females is 57 to 75 pounds (26 to 34 kilograms) and the weight of the
males are 57 to 90 pounds (26 to 41 kilograms). A male spotted hyena will
grow about 79-86cm (32-34 in.) and the size of the females can grow
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4. about 84-89 cm (34-35in). The weight of the males are 56-63 kg (123-138
lb.) and the weight of the females is 67-75 kg (147-165 lb). The spotted
hyena can grow about 28 to 35 inches tall and they can weigh about 90 to
190 pounds. The striped hyena can weigh about 55 to 121 pounds.
Hyenas can weigh about 82 to 190 pounds (37-86 kg) a spotted hyena can
grow about 45 inches (114 cm) long plus a 13 inch (33 cm) that is how
long the tail is. The size of their head and their body is 34 to 59 in (86 to
150 cm) that is the weight of their tail.. They can also grow about 10 to 14
in (25 to 36 cm) and the weight of these animals is 110 to 190 lbs (50 to
86 kg). A spotted hyena can grow about 47-55 inches (119-140 cm) this is
the length of these animals. A spotted hyena can weigh about 110-176
pounds (50-79 kg). The females are a lot larger than the males are. An
hyena can stand about 27 to 35 inches (69-89 cm) at the shoulder.
life span
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The hyena can live about 12 to 25 years. The spotted hyena can live about
25 years when they are living in their natural habitat and when they are in
captivity they can live about 40 years when they are living in a zoo. The
spotted hyena can also live about 20 years to when they are in the wild and
when they are in captivity then they can live about 41 years when they are
in a zoo to. They live a lot longer in captivity than the ones that live in the
wild.The average lifespan of a spotted hyena is 12 years but the most
common lifespan for an hyena is 20 to 25 years. The striped hyena can
live about 10 to 12 years when they are in the wild and when they are living
at a zoo they can live about 20 to 25 years when they are in captivity.
Hyenas can live about 25 years when they are in captivity. They can also
live about 25 years in the wild to. The average lifespan for a hyena is 25
years. A hyena can live about 12 years when they are in the wild and they
will also live about 25 years when they are living in a zoo.
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5. 1 interesting fact
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Hyenas live in a group that is called a clan they can have about 100 hyenas
in the group. The leader of the clan is a female that that is called a
matriarch. Hyenas have a whole different family than other animal families
have that is because they always seem to fight with each other a lot.
Females will fight with each other because to see which one is the most
strongest. The females can be very aggressive so that they can keep the
males in line. The spotted hyena can hold about 5 to 90 hyenas in their
clan. The female is in charge of this group.The spotted hyena is a very
social animal they can live in a group that can hold about 50 to 100
members in the group. A spotted hyena clan has the female as the
dominant animal and that means that they have matriarchal society. The
females are bigger, assertive and aggressive than the males are. There
are a lot of female cubs than there are male cubs. The males in the clan
are forced to stay on the outskirts of the clan. The males are only allowed
back in when they are hunting or fighting. There are some hyena clans that
have 80 members in the family. There are some hyena clans that can hold
about 70 members in the group to. Hyenas are known to be fearsome
predators but these animals show another side of their personalize and
that happens when they are in their group that is called clan. The female
that is the leader of the clan is an alpha female which holds a lot of families
in the group. The leader of the clan is usually the female that is the oldest
and the most highest rank out of all of the females that are the head of the
family. The best time that the hyena families will help each other is to
protect their territory and to find a den to give birth to cubs. There are two
different types of hyena clans there is one that lives in East Africa this is
where they can find great herds of antelope in these types of areas. East
Africa has lots of food for thirty-five hyenas that can be in one clan that
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6. will eat some great fresh prey for them to eat. The other hyena clans can
be found on the desert that is called Kalahari Desert which is located in
South Africa this is where food is scarce and that means that there is not a
lot of prey for the hyenas to eat that also means less hyena members.
Hyenas will come together so that they can protect their territory and they
also need each other so that they can catch food. It is way easier for a
hyena to hunt as a team to hunt on their own.
2 interesting fact
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The spotted hyena can use so many different types of noises and sounds
to talk to each other. Hyenas are known for their great vocalization one of
the sounds that they make kind a sounds like a human laugh. The hyena
known to be one of the most vocal mammals that live in Africa.
Researchers have found out that hyenas use 11 different sounds for lots
of different reasons. The human laugh sound that they make is sign means
that they are nervous, excitement or submission to a dominant hyena. The
other sounds that hyenas will make is a sound that is called a “whoop” this
is the type of sound that they will use to call to their cubs when the cubs
gets lost and they will also use this sound so that they can claim territory
and to call to the clan members. When hyenas are greeting each other
then they will use a groan and a squeal. The other sounds that they will use
is grunting, growling and yelling and they will use these sounds for
communication with other hyenas in the area. Hyenas can claim their
territory by calling and by scent marks to. The spotted hyena can even talk
to each other when they are far away from each other and they can do this
by scenting marks on their territory. The other way on how these animals
talk to each other is a sound that is called a whoop this is the human laugh
that they make. Hyenas can use so many different types of sounds for
hyenas to talk to each other and the sounds that these animals will make is
wailing calls, howling screams and the famous laugh they will use this
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7. sound to talk to other clan members that can be heard over three miles
away so that they can tell the clan members that they have found food.
Hyenas use so many communication techniques to talk to each other. The
sounds that they will use for vocal communication is whoops, yells,
howls,and cackles. There some sounds that can be hard to listen for a
human to hear. Some of the vocalizations that they will use can be very
loud they can be heard over seven miles away. The communication
sounds that they use can also include nonverbal behaviors like body
postures. When their tail is being carried up high or over the back means
for a high level of social excitement. When their tails are down or between
the legs that means that they are afraid of something. To mark their
territory they will normally use urine and feces this will till other hyena clans
to stay away from their territory. A hyena can use very loud calls and they
will use these calls to send out messages to other hyenas. The type of
communication that they will use to talk to each other is growls, cackles
and rumbles. The spotted hyena are also called the laughing hyena this is
the type of sound that it sounds like a person laughing. This sound means
that the spotted hyena is nervous or upset.
3 interesting fact
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Hyenas are very good predators that means that these animals have to
hunt other animals so that they can survive but sometimes hyenas will also
go after each other but they only do that if another hyena walks into their
territory. They will kill any hyena that comes in hear their territory. The
hyenas biggest enemy are lions the reason why because they go after the
same food and overlap territories. When the hyena is organizing, chasing
down or killing prey lions will usually steal it from the hyenas and lions can
mark and establish territories and both animals are always on guard. The
hyena is known to be a scavenger studies has shown that they can kill up
about 95% of prey. Lions usually always intimidate hyenas into letting go of
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8. the kill so it is really lions that is more than scavenger then the hyena is.
scavenge a lot more than hyenas do. If prey is located anyway in the area
than they will scavenge way a lot more often than they usually do. When a
spotted hyena is by itself then they will catch an medium size prey that can
grow about 40 pounds without any problems. A group of hyenas can hunt
much easier than a alone hyena will. The spotted hyenas play a very
important role in Africa. The role that they do that is so important is that
they help keep the population of all the animals that live all over Africa in
check and because they can also eat anything that they can find.These
animals seem to always clean up everything that is on their path. The
animals that are related to hyenas are cats, civets and genets.
Responding
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Being a baby hyena can be very hard for a them. A mother will only give
birth to only two cubs and the competition that is going on between them
can start right away.The moment that they are born they will have dark fur
and then their eyes will start to open and they will also start to grow some
teeth. The reason why these animals fight is to see who is the dominant
one and who gets to feed on their mothers milk first they can sometimes
even kill the ones that are way too weak to fight back. The mother always
keeps the cubs in private dens to first ensure for their survival. The spotted
hyena is the only species that uses specific dens as a shelter for their
cubs. The male and the female all mate at any time during the year. There
are some cubs that can be born three to four months later. The baby
hyenas will all be born inside of the den . When the cubs are two or three
weeks old then the mother will start to move them into a shared den with
other cubs from and this is where they will meet the rest of the clan
members and then they will begin to establish their rank. This is where the
cubs will learn how to hunt, how to eat and to learn how to fight for the clan.
when the cubs are two months old then the cubs will start to lose their
brown coat and then they will start to look like their spotted parents. The
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9. females will stay in the same clan where they were born in but when males
are older than they will have to find a clan of their own. They will do this
when they are 3 years old. A baby hyena is called a cub. A hyena cub can
weigh about 3 pounds (14 kilograms) this is their weight when they are
born their fur will start to change when they are one and half months old.
Hyenas are the only animal that is born with teeth. THe gestation period for
a hyena is 4 months. A female hyena can have about 1 to 3 cubs but they
will normally have 2 cubs and these babies will be born in a den. When the
babies are born than they can weigh about 1 to 1.6 kgs). If the cubs are
born with the same sex soon after they are born they will start to fright very
violently which always reaches to death. The milk of the spotted hyena is
very rich and it also has a lot of protein that can content about 14,9% and
the fat is about 1.4% their milk is so much different lions and the wild dogs
milk. The cubs can go seven days between feeding. Females are totally
responsible when it comes to taking care of their babies when the cubs
are 2 or 6 weeks old then the mother will start to move them into a
communal den. The young hyenas are dependent on their mother’s milk
and that can be about 8 months then they can stop drinking their mother
milk when they are 12 or 16 months old. The males will start to leave the
den when they are 2 years old and the females will stay in the clan for the
rest of their lives. The spotted hyena will reach maturity when they are 2 or
3 years old. The females can breed when they are about 11 to 21 months
old. The spotted hyenas will reach maturity when they are about three
years old. The females will maturity a lot ter than the males do. Breeding
can happen any time of the year. after their gestation period is over which
is in 110 days than the females will start to give birth to a litter of one or
three cubs. The moment that they are born then their eyes will start to
open. They will also start to have milk in their teeth. When the cubs are
born they will start to be covered with dark brown fur this coat does not
have spots on them. The females will normally riase their cubs in a
underground nursery this places is also shared with other females that is in
the clan who have their own litters. The only time that they can come out of
the den is to drink milk fromt its mother. The females do not regurgitate
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10. food for their babies. The cubs will start to go their first hunt with the grown
ups after their first year that will be the time that they will start to hunt. They
will continue to drink their mother's milk in about 12 to 18 months.
Survival Status
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The spotted hyena is totally endangered because their numbers
because their numbers are starting to shrink because they are being
hunted, trapped and they are also being poisoned by people. Hyenas
and people do not get alone with each other. The reason why because
hyenas will attack the farmers livestock. The farmers will even kill them
when they ever come too close to their land. There are some hyenas
that can be seen wandering around the villages that is in Africa. The
other reason why people kill hyenas is because they will scavenge
people’s garbage’s so that they can look for food and also a lot of
people are scared of them because they do not understand them or
even learn about them. Getting attacked by a hyena is very rare ( that
means that it normally never happens) but there will be times that hyenas
do attack people. But the most dangerous animal is not the hyena is the
people because they are hurting the hyena because they are getting
shot right in the spot. People really have to look at the hyenas as an very
smart animal that should being a lot of joy to our hearts. The biggest
predator to a hyena is a human. Humans and hyenas have always hated
each other one of the threats that hyena faces is that people are killing
them so that they can protect their livestock from becoming an easy
meal for these predators. The other reason that humans kill hyenas is
because people believe that hyenas were related to witchcraft and
supernatural activity this makes people want the hyena even more.
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11. Message from the author
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We must do something to help and save these amazing animals. These
animals need all the help that they can get. Hyenas have the right to
continue to live on this planet. They are doing their part in nature and we
should find our own place in nature to. This is a very big planet and it is
filled with wonders and discoveries that are just waiting to found. We
have to make this planet a safe place for us and for the other creatures
that we share it with. This is our beautiful home and it deserves to have a
second chance to live on for the next generation to come on this planet.
There is a big, bright and beautiful future that is what will happen if we
find a way to protect our planet. This is our world and our home will be a
much happier and a much cleaner place to live in. We have to make
room for other living creatures to. God made animals for a reason just
like he made us. That is what I know about the hyena and other animals
that live on this planet to. Together we can make a difference in our
beautiful planet that we all share.Thank you so much for doing your part.
With you reading and enjoying this book. You are helping your favorite
animal and its survival in the world. Without your support, love and
respect. Your favorite animal will have a chance to make a comeback.
This is a huge thank you for helping these animals and everything else
that has to do with nature. Nature it is very important because without
nature our planet will not be so beautiful and full of wonder that can open
a persons eyes to world that they never had imagined. Nature thanks you
for your support.
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