- s c i e n t i f i c .. c l a s s i f i c a t i o n
- kingdom. Animaliaphylum. Chordataclass. Mammaliaorder. Carnivorafamily. Hyaenidae
b a s i c .. i n f o
- length. 3.9 - 4.9 ft (including the tail which is about 12 inches)weight. 55 - 120 lb
A hyena's bite is capable of being equivalent to 800 lbs. & has one of the strongest jaws in the animal kingdom.Hyena's are highly intelligent predators, even more intelligent than lions.A group of hyenas is called a clan.Clans can include from 5-90 members.Clans are led by an alpha female (however in the PL universe on rare occasion an alpha male).Males are usually smaller & less agressive then females.Males usually leave their birth clan once they are about two years of age.Females tend to mate with males outside of their clan (for the PL universe this does not have to be so, just no inbreeding).Females rarly mate with highly agressive males, prefering calm, patient and charming males.Patience is extreamly important in courtship as it can last up to a year.Dominant & impatient males have harder times finding a mate.Females raise the pups by herself (again in the PL universe it does not have to be so).Other clan members do not care for another female's pups.As hyena pups are born with teeth it is not uncommon for pups to die in play fighting.Hyena milk is highly nutritious which allows them to leave the pups for up to a week without feeding to hunt.Each clan has at least one communal den.Females compete for rank and food.Close relatives do not even cross-suckle offspring.
A hyena clan's social hierarchy looks like this:
- Alpha (there is only ever one alpha; never a FemalexMale pairing)Adult FemalesPupsAdult Males
