AnimalsSavanna
Hyena Fun facts for kids
Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena; family Hyaenidae also includes Hyaena hyaena, Parahyaena brunnea, Proteles cristatus)
The hyena lives on grassy plains in Africa and eats meat, even the bones.
- Where it lives
- on grassy plains in Africa
- What it eats
- meat, even the bones
- How big it is
- as big as a large dog
Fun facts about the hyena
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
A hyena's famous giggle isn't a happy laugh, it usually giggles when it feels nervous or bossed around.
Hyenas can even eat bones, so their poo often turns chalky white!
In a hyena family, the girls are bigger than the boys, and the boss is always a girl.
Hyenas are so clever that two of them can pull ropes together to solve a puzzle, as well as chimpanzees.
The aardwolf, a little hyena cousin, can lick up 250,000 termites in one night with its sticky tongue.
In one city in Ethiopia, people feed wild hyenas by hand every evening, and the hyenas wander the streets at night.
A hyena's whoop can be heard far away, so its family can find each other in the dark.
Hyenas look like dogs, but they are actually closer cousins of cats and mongooses.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I live on the grassy plains of Africa, and I do most of my hunting at night.
I look a bit like a dog, but my closer cousins are cats and mongooses.
I can even eat bones, so my poo often turns chalky white.
In my big family, the girls are bigger than the boys, and the boss is always a girl.
Lions are my enemies, and when I feel nervous, I make a sound just like a giggly laugh.
Sammy might be thinking of a hyena.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the hyena in the Savanna adventure.
Play the SavannaComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
