#0260 · 🦊 mammals
Spotted Hyena
🇳🇱 Gevlekte Hyena ·Crocuta crocuta
8 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © copper · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © pgkaestner · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © Liaka ac · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. © Darren Obbard · CC BY 4.0
- 5. © Simon Bradfield · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. © Diogo Luiz · CC BY 4.0
- 7. © maritzasouthafrica · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. © copper · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta ), also known as the laughing hyena , is a species of hyena, currently classed as the sole member of the genus Crocuta , native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN on account of its widespread range and large numbers estimated between 27,000 and 47,000 individuals. The species is, however, experiencing declines outside of protected areas due to habitat loss and poaching. The species may have...
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
- 11,766 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777 (249 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Spotted Hyena
- Nederlands
- Gevlekte Hyena
- scientific name
- Crocuta crocuta
- class
- Mammalia
- order
- Carnivora
- family
- Hyaenidae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 0
- sightings worldwide
- 11,766
- GBIF records in NL
- 4
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1777 by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
relatives· Hyaenidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 41886, Wikidata Q178089, GBIF 5218781, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.