Hyenas are quiet, stealthy travelers, often moving unnoticed through the brush. They rarely use their loudest call, instead making successive rapid, short whinnies or cackles when excited. The striped hyena is not aggressive and avoids contact with wild predators, but does preys on livestock and raids farms for easier meals. Striped hyenas live in small groups led by the dominant female and are typically nocturnal, staying in caves or burrows during the day. Patrolling their territory nightly is easy with their sharp vision, acute hearing and keen sense of smell.

As carnivorous scavengers, hyenas take down large prey and also make use of other predators' leftovers. Their diet varies with the season, and they rely on their large heads, strong jaws and large teeth to eat and crush their prey, even the bones and teeth, letting nothing go to waste.

Hyenas can live 10 to 12 years in the wild and double that in captivity, with some living up to 25 years. Although not much is known about their solitary and secluded family life, the pups are born when food is plentiful, usually two to four at a time. The gestation period is about three months long, and the female will birth and nurse the pups in her den. Staying with mom for two years, they will learn proper hunting and gathering techniques; once mature, they find their own territory.

Hyenas have the reputation of being dangerous. They are also perceived as being magical creatures with medicinal powers and are therefore hunted, causing their population to dwindle.

They live in diverse areas, including northeast Africa, the Middle East and Asia.