Striped hyena
Hyaena hyaena (Linnaeus, 1758)
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), also called the Striped hyaena, is a mammal in the family Hyaenidae and the order Carnivora. It is a large, terrestrial, nocturnal scavenger whose main food is carrion.
Quick facts about the striped hyena
Adult body mass ranges from 25 to 55 kg, with a representative value of 41.71 kg. Gestation lasts from 90 to 92 days, and the IUCN Red List lists the species as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 25 kg – 55 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 24 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Scavengersrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 25 years
- Main food
- carrionsrc for Main food
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 90 days – 92 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.4 – 2.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2.19 years – 2.34 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.36src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the striped hyena
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the striped hyena live?
Not recorded
What is the striped hyena?
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only extant species in the genus Hyaena. It is listed on the IUCN Red List as near-threatened, as the global population is estimated to be under 10,000 mature individuals which continues to experience deliberate and incidental persecution along with a decrease in its prey base such that it may come close to meeting a continuing decline of 10% over the next three generations.
It is the smallest of the bone-cracking hyenas and retains many primitive viverrid-like characteristics lost in larger species, having a smaller and less specialised skull. Though primarily a scavenger, large specimens have been known to kill their own prey, and attacks on humans have occurred in rare instances. The striped hyena is a monogamous animal, with both males and females assisting one another in raising their cubs. A nocturnal animal, the striped hyena typically only emerges in complete darkness, and is quick to return to its lair before sunrise. Although it has a habit of feigning death when attacked, it has been known to stand its ground against larger predators in disputes over food.
The striped hyena features prominently in Middle Eastern and Asian folklore. In some areas, its body parts are considered magical, and are used as charms or talismans. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, where it is referred to as tzebua or zevoa, though it is absent in some Bible translations into English. Ancient Greeks knew it as γλάνος (glános) and ύαινα (húaina) and were familiar with it from the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. The striped hyena is the national animal of Lebanon.
From the Wikipedia article “Striped hyena” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Striped_hyena&oldid=1384038298), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the striped hyena endangered?
The striped hyena is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List: it is close to qualifying as threatened.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Near Threatened species.
How is the striped hyena classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyHyaenidae
- genusHyaena
- SpeciesHyaena hyaena (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Canis hyaena, Hyaena hyaena barbara, Hyaena hyaena hyaena
Other names and names in other languages (58)
- Striped hyaenaEnglish
- Striped hyaenaEnglish
- Striped hyaenaEnglish
- Gestreepte HiënaAfrikaans
- عرفاءArabic
- ضبع مخططArabic
- Daba'a MoukhattatArabic
- Паласатая гіенаBelarusian
- Ивичеста хиенаBulgarian
- ডোরাকাটা হায়নাBangla
- Bleiz-broc'h roudennekBreton
- Hiena ratlladaCatalan
- hyena žíhanáCzech
- Stribet HyæneDanish
- StreifenhyäneGerman
- Ραβδωτή ΎαιναGreek
- HienoEsperanto
- Hiena RayadaSpanish
- VööthüäänEstonian
- کفتار راهراهPersian
- juovahyeenaFinnish
- Hyène rayéeFrench
- ઝરખGujarati
- צבוע מפוספסHebrew
- लकड़बग्घाHindi
- LakadabagdaHindi
- csíkos hiénaHungarian
- Iena striataItalian
- シマハイエナJapanese
- ზოლებიანი აფთარიGeorgian
- ಕುರ್ಕKannada
- ಕತ್ತೆಕಿರುಬKannada
- 줄무늬하이에나Korean
- КафтарLezghian
- КафтӀарLezghian
- КускафтарLezghian
- तरसMarathi
- Hyena BelangMalay
- Tééh łééchąąʼí noodǫ́zígííNavajo
- StripehyeneNorwegian Bokmål
- Gestreepte HyenaDutch
- Hiena pręgowanaPolish
- Hiena-raiadaPortuguese
- Hiena riscadaPortuguese
- Hiena-listradaPortuguese
- Hiena-riscadaPortuguese
- Полосатая гиенаRussian
- Hyena pásaváSlovak
- Пругаста хијенаSerbian
- Strimmig hyenaSwedish
- கழுதைப்புலிTamil
- దుమ్ములగొండిTelugu
- КафторTajik
- ไฮยีนาลายแถบThai
- çizgili sırtlanTurkish
- Гієна смугастаUkrainian
- دھاریدار لگڑبھگاUrdu
- 條紋鬣狗Chinese
Relatives of the striped hyena
Other species in the same genus Hyaena.
CompareStriped hyena vs Hyaena bilkiewicziStriped hyena vs Hyaena bokcharensisStriped hyena vs Hyaena dubbahStriped hyena vs Hyaena schillingsi
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the striped hyena?
The striped hyena is a mammal in the family Hyaenidae, order Carnivora. It is a large, terrestrial scavenger.
How heavy is a striped hyena?
Adult Striped hyenas weigh from 25 to 55 kg, with a representative body mass of 41.71 kg.
What does the striped hyena eat?
The striped hyena is a scavenger whose main food is carrion.
Is the striped hyena endangered?
No. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a striped hyena live?
Sources give a lifespan of 24 years for the striped hyena, with values up to 25 years.
How many young does a striped hyena have?
The representative litter size is 2.5 young, with 1.36 litters per year, after a gestation of 90 to 92 days.
Who named the striped hyena?
The scientific name Hyaena hyaena is credited to (Linnaeus, 1758).
Is the striped hyena nocturnal?
Yes. The striped hyena is nocturnal.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/striped-hyena
“Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/striped-hyena.
@misc{striped_hyena_2026,
title = {Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/striped-hyena},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}