AnimalsSpotted hyenas live in large groups called clans, led by females. They are skilful hunters as well as scavengers, and their strong jaws can crush bone. Their whooping calls and giggling sounds carry far at night.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Crocuta crocuta
- Group
- Mammals
- Diet
- Carnivore (eats other animals)
- Lives in
- Africa south of the Sahara
- Habitat
- Savanna, grassland and open woodland
- A young one is called
- cub
- A group is called
- clan
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Mammalia
- Order Carnivora
- Family Hyaenidae
- Genus Crocuta
- Species Crocuta crocuta
More distant relatives in the order Carnivora: brown bear, cheetah, dog, domestic cat, giant panda, jaguar, leopard, lion, polar bear, red fox, red panda, sloth bear.
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
The spotted hyena is listed as Least Concern. The species is widespread or numerous enough that it is not considered at risk of extinction at present.
This is the IUCN Red List category as recorded in Wikidata on 11 November 2026. The IUCN Red List itself is the authority and may carry a newer assessment. What the categories mean.