Hyena hunting in Tanzania

Two species of Hyena occur in Tanzania, the more common of the two is the Spotted Hyena (or the Laughing Hyena) and the other the Striped Hyena. Spotted Hyena are found countrywide whilst the Striped Hyena is only found in the more semi-arid northern region extending into the Serengeti. Spotted Hyenas live in clans and will protect their territory from other rival clans. In the Ngorongoro Crater of Northern Tanzania, they are even the apex predators even dominating the Lion prides within the crater. An interesting fact about Spotted Hyena females is that they are the only animals in the world that do not have a typical vaginal opening. Females have pseudo-penis and body-wise are larger than a male making it difficult to differentiate between the sexes. A Striped Hyena is very similar in appearance to a Brown Hyena but without a long shaggy coat. Their colouring is a brownish grey with black stripes that enhances their camouflage in tall grass. As is the case with all Hyenas they run with a loping gait and will travel long distances in search of food. No CITES permits are required to hunt a Hyena. However, these animals may only be hunted with a sixteen-day Tanzanian hunting license.