Least ConcernSpotted Hyaena
Crocuta crocuta
Mammals · Carnivora · Hyaenidae
Proteles cristata
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
For all that it belongs to the hyena family, it neither hunts nor scavenges large prey: it has specialised almost entirely in eating termites, with a sticky tongue that can lap up 250,000 of them in a single night.
Weight
8 kg – 14 kg
Size
55 cm – 80 cm
Life expectancy
7 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Sources consulted: AnAge; SA-Venues; JungleDragon; ResearchGate; National Geographic; A-Z Animals; Animal Diversity Web; GBIF
Best time: All year round in the savannahs of eastern and southern Africa, at night; it feeds almost exclusively on termites of the genus Trinervitermes.
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented — showing 10 of 22.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Aardwolf — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Based on what we already know about aardwolf.
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