Hyena

The hyena was excluded from Noah's ark in Sir Walter Raleigh's History of the World (1614) in the belief that it was a cross between a cat and a dog.

Hyena Spotted Hunter Pixibay

The oldest Alaskan human remains coincide with roughly the same time cave hyenas became extinct, leading certain paleontologists to infer that hyena predation was what prevented humans crossing the Bering strait earlier.

During a two-week long lion-hyena war over disputed territory in Ethiopia during 1999, lions killed 35 hyenas and hyenas managed to kill six lions. The lions eventually took over the territory.

Hyenas are not related to dogs, but are instead part of a suborder including large cat predators like lions, cheetahs, and leopards.

Contrary to popular belief, hyenas kill 95 percent of their food—the same amount as cheetahs, leopards and lions.

A 2009 Duke University study showed that hyenas outperformed primates in cooperative problem solving tests with some subjects teaching inexperienced partners how to perform some tricks.

Disney was sued by a biologist for defaming the character of hyenas in The Lion King.

The hyena's famous 'laugh' can be heard up to 2.8 miles away.

The pitch and tone of a hyena’s laugh can give an indication of its age and social status, scientists claim.