Uncommon Wildlife Art Subjects: Hyena

This second post in my uncommon wildlife art subjects series is about the hyena. The hyena, the homeliest of "dogs" with its laughing bark, awkward gait, and reputation for scavenging is not, in fact, a member of the dog family. It is in its own family, Hyaenidae, which is oddly more closely related to the mongoose and meerkat than the dog. While not the most attractive member of the animal world it is, nevertheless, a fascinating one.

First of all, despite their reputation for being slobbering, filthy scavangers, some species of hyena are actually very efficient hunters. They are also highly intelligent, equal in intelligence to some ape species.

Another particularly unusual and interesting fact about the hyena is the presense of a psuedo-penis on the female hyenas. Read more about this and other interesting facts on Wikipedia.

So maybe you'll think about these animals in a new way as you enjoy some hyena paintings by some wonderful wildlife artists.


Here Comes Trouble
Subject: Spotted Hyena
Joni Johnson-Godsy


Hyena Cub
Angela Drysdale



Lazy Hyena
Nico Bulder