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, a hyena's laugh is not a sign that it is amused. It giggles when it is excited, frustrated or stressed, for example when many hyenas want the same food.

Spotted hyenas make many different sounds, such as whoops and giggles. Their loud whoop calls can be heard from kilometers away. They also have keen senses of sight, hearing and smell.

Spotted hyenas 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, female spotted hyenas lead the clan. A hyena cub gets its rank in the clan from its mother.

You may have heard that hyenas always stay together in one big pack. In fact, even though they live in a clan, spotted hyenas spend most of their time alone or in small groups. They meet up for things like guarding the territory and the den.

When young male hyenas grow up, they leave and join other clans, while females stay in the clan they were born in. A male hyena that joins a new clan waits in a line, called a dominance queue, and moves up as older males leave or die.

Spotted hyenas live in savannas, semi-deserts, open woodlands and mountain forests. Bigger clans live where there is more food, and smaller clans live in dry desert areas of southern Africa. Spotted hyenas mark their territory with scent and calls, and clan members work together to defend it. They can travel as far as 80 kilometers in a single night.

Hyenas look like big dogs, but they are more closely related to cats. A spotted hyena has a short, rough coat with dark spots, a big head and rounded ears. It stands about 2 to 3 feet tall at the shoulder, and 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.

Spotted hyenas have strong jaws and sturdy teeth. Their teeth are strong enough to crush big bones. You may have heard that the hyena has the strongest bite of all animals. In fact, only for its size is the spotted hyena's bite one of the strongest of any mammal.

Spotted hyenas eat meat, and 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, spotted hyenas hunt most of their own food and also eat food they find. They 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, and they are born almost all black. Mothers move their cubs to the clan's communal den when the cubs are a few weeks old. Hyena cubs drink their mother's milk for a long time, about a year or longer.

Words to know

• clan: a hyena group
• territory: clan land
• communal: shared by all
• savannas: grassy plains
• queue: a waiting line