Do hyenas really laugh? Spotted hyenas are called laughing hyenas because of the giggling sounds they make. You may have heard that a hyena that laughs is happy. In fact, its laugh is not a sign that it is amused. It giggles when it is excited, frustrated or stressed. One example is when many hyenas want the same food.

Spotted hyenas make many sounds, such as whoops and giggles. Their loud whoop calls can be heard from kilometers away. They live in Africa, south of the Sahara desert. They live in groups called clans. You may have heard that male hyenas lead the clan. In fact, it is the female spotted hyenas that lead the clan.

Hyenas look like big dogs. But they are more closely related to cats. A spotted hyena has a short, rough coat with dark spots. It has a big head and rounded ears. It stands about 2 to 3 feet tall at the shoulder. An adult can weigh up to about 190 pounds (86 kilograms). Female spotted hyenas are often bigger than males.

Spotted hyenas are the largest of the four living kinds of hyena. The others are the striped hyena, the brown hyena and the aardwolf. Their jaws are strong and their teeth are sturdy. The teeth are strong enough to crush big bones. For its size, a spotted hyena has one of the strongest bites of any mammal.

Spotted hyenas eat meat. Many of their meals are hoofed animals such as wildebeest and zebra. They hunt alone or in small groups of a few hyenas. You may have heard that hyenas only eat leftovers from other animals. In fact, they hunt most of their own food and also eat food they find. They have keen senses of sight, hearing and smell.

Spotted hyenas use almost every part of their food. When they eat animals that are already dead, they help clean up the places where they live. Baby spotted hyenas are called cubs. They are born almost all black. A clan has a den near the middle of its territory. Mothers and cubs stay there. A cub gets its rank in the clan from its mother.

Words to know

• clan: a hyena group
• whoop: a loud call
• hoofed: having hooves
• den: a home place
• cubs: baby hyenas

The short version

Spotted hyenas are called laughing hyenas because of the giggling sounds they make, but the giggle is not a sign that a hyena is amused. They live in Africa, south of the Sahara desert, in groups called clans. Female spotted hyenas lead the clan. Hyenas look like big dogs, but they are more closely related to cats.

Quick facts

• Spotted hyenas live in groups called clans, and female spotted hyenas lead the clan.
• Hyenas look like big dogs, but they are more closely related to cats.
• Spotted hyenas hunt most of their own food and also eat food they find.
• Spotted hyena teeth are strong enough to crush big bones.
• Spotted hyenas are the largest of the four living kinds of hyena.