In places where hyenas live, they are not rarely exhibited in a bad light in folk folklore. Once upon a time, representatives of the genus hyenas were a very large population and were not only found in Asia and Africa, but also inhabited Europe and North America. Today these animals occupy only a small part of the former habitat.
In the family of hyenas there are four types: striped hyena, spotted hyena, brown hyena and earth wolf. Almost all living species of hyenas are Africans.
Striped hyena lives in the south-west of Asia and in the territories south of the Sahara. She also lives in northeast Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, India and southern Central Asia.
Spotted hyena is found only in Africa, in the territory from the southern outskirts of the Sahara to the Cape of Good Hope. In Abyssinia, a spotted hyena can be seen at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level.
The brown hyena, a close relative of the striped, lives on the west coast of South Africa. They lead a solitary lifestyle and often eat dead fish, shellfish and crabs.
The Earthwolf can be found on the plains of Africa south of Ethiopia – in savannas, shrub thickets and semi-deserts.
