A Spotted Hyena, mid-yawn, shows its impressive, scary-looking teeth

Photographed in South Africa from a safari vehicle

Please click twice on the image to view at the largest size

I was already aware of their formidable teeth and powerful, bone-crunching jaws, but this hyena gave me an opportunity to look very carefully at those teeth. Yes, pay attention to those very noticeable front canines...but please check out the others as well. Double click.
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I'm including a link to the information that follows the link in case one would like to learn more: a-z-animals.com/blog/hyena-teeth-everything-you-need-to-k...

The spotted or laughing hyenas, the most common and the largest group of hyenas, have 32-34 teeth that include conical premolars, specialized for breaking and crushing bones.

Unique from other carnivores, hyenas are distinguished by their incredible bone-crushing teeth. Hyenas display short, yet strong canines that protrude towards the front of the jaw. Gigantic carnassials are also found deep at the back of their jaws from which they can exercise the greatest amount of leverage. These carnassials are strong enough and perfect for crushing all the bones of prey, even as massive as wildebeests. Hyenas can consume too much bone material that even their droppings generate a chalky white hue.

Hyenas can give a powerful bite that is enough to kill their prey and crush their bones, including the entire skeleton. It can have a bite force up to 1,100 psi, making hyenas’ bite the 7th strongest among all animals, following the polar bear which has a bite force of 1,200 psi.

A single section of the spotted hyena’s dentition, the molars and premolars, has acquired giant jaw muscles, which allow them to create enormous levels of force.

Even though hyenas appear to be substantially smaller than many other predatory mammals, their jaws are more powerful than those of some giant cats. As hunters, lions, for instance, may seem larger and more resolute than hyenas, but only have a bite force of around 650 psi, making them the 10th animal with the strongest bite. Hyenas, on the other hand, have a bite force of approximately 1,100 pounds per square inch (psi) or over 9,000 newtons, which allows them to split open bones that are nearly 2 ½ inches wide, thanks to their vice-like grasp and canines that are sharp and strong enough to cut through bone and thick meat. This enables hyenas to gain access to the nutrient-dense marrow found within the carcass, which is otherwise impenetrable to other animals.

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From Wikipedia: The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus Crocuta, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN on account of its widespread range and large numbers estimated between 27,000 and 47,000 individuals. The species is, however, experiencing declines outside of protected areas due to habitat loss and poaching. The species may have originated in Asia, and once ranged throughout Europe for at least one million years until the end of the Late Pleistocene. The spotted hyena is the largest known member of the Hyaenidae, and is further physically distinguished from other species by its vaguely bear-like build, its rounded ears, its less prominent mane, its spotted pelt, its more dual-purposed dentition, its fewer nipples[11] and the presence of a pseudo-penis in the female. It is the only placental mammalian species where females lack an external vaginal opening, having a pseudo-penis instead.

The skull of the spotted hyena differs from that of the striped hyena by its much greater size and narrower sagittal crest. For its size, the spotted hyena has one of the most powerfully built skulls among the Carnivora. The dentition is more dual purposed than that of other modern hyena species, which are mostly scavengers; the upper and lower third premolars are conical bone-crushers, with a third bone-holding cone jutting from the lower fourth premolar. The spotted hyena also has its carnassials situated behind its bone-crushing premolars, the position of which allows it to crush bone with its premolars without blunting the carnassials. Combined with large jaw muscles and a special vaulting to protect the skull against large forces, these characteristics give the spotted hyena a powerful bite which can exert a pressure of 80 kgf/cm2 (1140 lbf/in²),[40] which is 40% more force than a leopard can generate.[41] The jaws of the spotted hyena outmatch those of the brown bear in bone-crushing ability, and free ranging hyenas have been observed to crack open the long bones of giraffes measuring 7 cm in diameter.

The spotted hyena is the most social of the Carnivora in that it has the largest group sizes and most complex social behaviours. Its social organisation is unlike that of any other carnivore, bearing closer resemblance to that of cercopithecine primates (baboons and macaques) with respect to group size, hierarchical structure, and frequency of social interaction among both kin and unrelated group-mates. However, the social system of the spotted hyena is openly competitive rather than cooperative, with access to kills, mating opportunities and the time of dispersal for males depending on the ability to dominate other clan-members. Females provide only for their own cubs rather than assist each other, and males display no paternal care. Spotted hyena society is matriarchal; females are larger than males, and dominate them.

The spotted hyena is a highly successful animal, being the most common large carnivore in Africa. Its success is due in part to its adaptability and opportunism; it is primarily a hunter but may also scavenge, with the capacity to eat and digest skin, bone and other animal waste. In functional terms, the spotted hyena makes the most efficient use of animal matter of all African carnivores. The spotted hyena displays greater plasticity in its hunting and foraging behaviour than other African carnivores; it hunts alone, in small parties of 2–5 individuals or in large groups. During a hunt, spotted hyenas often run through ungulate herds in order to select an individual to attack. Once selected, their prey is chased over a long distance, often several kilometres, at speeds of up to 60 km/h.

The spotted hyena has a long history of interaction with humanity; depictions of the species exist from the Upper Paleolithic period, with carvings and paintings from the Lascaux and Chauvet Caves. The species has a largely negative reputation in both Western culture and African folklore. In the former, the species is mostly regarded as ugly and cowardly, while in the latter, it is viewed as greedy, gluttonous, stupid, and foolish, yet powerful and potentially dangerous. The majority of Western perceptions on the species can be found in the writings of Aristotle and Pliny the Elder, though in relatively unjudgmental form. Explicit, negative judgments occur in the Physiologus, where the animal is depicted as a hermaphrodite and grave-robber. The IUCN's hyena specialist group identifies the spotted hyena's negative reputation as detrimental to the species' continued survival, both in captivity and the wild.

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Taken on: September 6, 2022

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spotted hyena

Crocuta crocuta

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Sets appears in: • Africa - 2022 • African Mammals

Groups appears in: • Africa • African Safari more » • Pictures of South Africa • Wild Africa • South African Wildlife • Africa Wildlife • BORN to be WILD • @ Large and Out of Africa • True African Wildlife Photography • Wildlife of Africa « less

Camera: Canon EOS R5, f/9.0, 1/1000 sec, 420mm, ISO 2500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS R5
Lens:	RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM + EXTENDER RF1.4x
Aperture:	f/9.0
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1000)
Focal Length:	420mm
ISO:	2500
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
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