Class:  Mammal Length:  95 - 180 cm Height:  70 - 90 cm Weight:  40 - 70 kg Speed:  max. 50 km / h   General Information:  Hyenas live in groups that are ruled by females. Their territory is marked by urine and animals that do not belong to the group and are intruding will be hunted down. In a particular group, hyenas will communicate with certain noises and smells. The most well known noise made by hyenas is the giggling-sound that they make after a successful kill or when they get excited. Hyenas will spend the majority of the day at their "base". Here they will feed their young that can only take in fluids for the first nine months. After this they are able to digest meat and other solid foods. The young will stay at this base until hey are able to hunt for themselves.   Eating habits:  Hyenas are scavengers and are therefore not very attractive to humans. They do, however, play an important role in the ecosystem. Hyenas have the strongest teeth in the entire animal kingdom and can even bite through bones. Although they are scavengers they do hunt for themselves from time-to-time but only when they are unable to scavenge food from other animals. People should definitely stay away from hyenas, as they are prone to attacking without any real provocation.   Hyena spotting:  Hyenas are nocturnal animals and are therefore seldom visible during the day. During the night, however, you can spot them in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve and the Krüger National Park.