News: A study in Science Advances found that female spotted hyenas can inherit their mother’s social rank, gaining better access to food, allies and breeding opportunities.

Key Findings

• Social inheritance → High-ranking mothers pass social status to daughters.
• Female dominance → Females dominate males and compete strongly for rank/resources.
• Matrilineal clans → Social position is strongly linked to maternal lineage.
• Evolutionary impact → Higher rank → better resources + breeding opportunities → greater reproductive success.

Important Facts

• Nickname → “Laughing hyena” due to characteristic vocalisations.
• Taxonomy → Despite dog-like appearance, more closely related to cats (feliforms).
• Distribution → Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Diet → Carnivorous; both hunts + scavenges.
• Reproduction → Female has a distinctive pseudo-penis and no external vaginal opening.
• IUCN → Least Concern.
• Study → 29 years + 8 generations + 2,743 hyenas in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater.