Africa's Hunting Party - Hyenas
After a long day of adventure, the safari truck rolls into the night for one final surprise. When a mysterious bump jolts the narrator awake and a strange laugh echoes through the darkness, Professor Wild grabs his flashlight and reveals a clan of Spotted Hyenas feasting under the stars. With playful mystery, real science, and a moonlit savanna full of glowing eyes, this story explores the misunderstood world of hyenas — their hunting skills, family structure, and the eerie sounds that earned them their nickname.
3/20/20263 min read
It’s dark as the truck starts back up. You know you still have one more animal to see before the tour heads back to the resort. Even with the lights on, the truck’s visibility is very low. Even Professor Wild is driving slowly, and you have already learned how he prefers to drive. You try to stay awake. Today has been the best day of your life so far; you don’t want to miss a second. But it’s late, and your eyes are getting heavier until you can no longer keep them open.
Next thing you know, you are bounced out of your seat. “Sorry. Is everyone okay?” you hear Professor Wild ask from the driver’s seat. “Yeah, we’re okay,” your dad responds. “That log came out of nowhere,” Professor Wild says in his defense.
As you pull yourself back up into your seat after being so rudely woken up, you hear someone laugh to your right. “What’s so funny?” you ask. You turn to look at who is laughing, but there isn’t anyone to your right.
“I think we made it!” Professor Wild exclaims. “Which does worry me — that might not have been a log that I hit.” You watch Professor Wild grab a flashlight and head to the back of the truck as you rub your eyes, still trying to be fully awake. “I guess that laugh was all in my head,” you think to yourself.
As Professor Wild reaches the back of the truck, he switches on his flashlight. The beam lights up his face from below, giving him a huge smile that looks a little creepy in the shadows. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce you to the Spotted Hyena — or as you probably know them, Laughing Hyenas, because of the sounds that they make.” “Oh no!” you shout. “Did we hit one?” “Of course not,” Professor Wild says reassuringly. “We hit the water buffalo the hyenas are eating.”
“Did we kill it?” you gasp. “Oh, good heavens, no,” Professor Wild ensures. “The hyenas killed it, or they found it. It’s hard to say. Here in the Kruger National Park, Spotted Hyenas hunt roughly 75% of their meals, meaning there’s a 1 in 4 chance they just found this buffalo. Interestingly, where the hyenas live affects how much of their food comes from hunting — anywhere from 60 to 95 percent, depending on the region. They are actually very similar to African Wild Dogs in this way. They both hunt with endurance, or by running longer than their prey, and they are both successful on their hunts over 70 percent of the time.”
You head to the back of the truck to see the animal that Professor Wild just told you about. Once you get to the back, you see at least 15 — probably closer to 20 — hyenas. Light brown, spotted animals with backs that slope down slightly and small tails that are really hard to see in the dark, even with the light from the flashlight. And you hear that laugh you heard when you were getting back up coming from every hyena, making an almost constant laugh.
“With this many of them, are they really focused on family like the African Wild Dogs or the lions?” you ask. “Somewhat,” Professor Wild tells you, “but in their own very unique way. For starters, unlike with the lions, the most important member of any hyena clan is a female. In fact, even the lowest‑ranking female is more important in the clan than the highest‑ranking male. And where you are born in the hierarchy of the clan is pretty much where you’ll stay — unless you’re a male. All males leave their clans when they reach two to three and a half years old to join a new clan. But these are the biggest family groups, ranging from as few as three adult members to over a hundred adult members. It’s getting late, and we have a long drive back to the resort, so we should probably head back.”
You go back to your seat, this time making sure to put your seatbelt on to avoid any more unwelcome bumps in the road, and quickly fall asleep before Professor Wild has time to start the truck back up.
Fun Facts
Spotted hyenas can crush bones with one of the strongest bites of any mammal, allowing them to eat almost every part of their prey.
A hyena’s “laugh” isn’t actually laughter — it’s a way to communicate excitement, stress, or social status to other hyenas.
Even though they look dog‑like, spotted hyenas are more closely related to cats than to dogs.