No one could ever accuse the spotted hyena of being beautiful. With their front legs longer than their hind ones and large, menacing heads with jaws that can crush bone they are most certainly not the pin-up poster boys of the African bush! 

However, don't let looks deceive you, because although this much maligned animal is a member of the so-called "ugly five" it's also one of the most intelligent and underrated hunters out there.

There are three species of hyena in Africa - the striped, brown and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Of these, the spotted hyena is the most widespread and the largest. It also has the worst repuation! Reviled as scavengers and as being crafty, sneaky and snide thanks to the likes of Disney's Lion King, they're actually very interesting and can be rather cute, especially when they're young. 

Indeed, far from being the "bad guys" and stealing lion kills, researchers have found that lions actually steal more from hyenas, meaning the popular belief that hyenas are the theives of the African bush is completely unfounded. 

There's a lot of misunderstanding where hyenas are concerned. The truth is that they are clever, cunning and hugely successful as predators in their own right, with an amazingly complex and highly competitive social structure that revolves around a "queen" - a dominant matriarch or alpha female which is generally the oldest and most experienced female member of the clan. 

When it comes to spotted hyenas, the females are larger than the males and dominate them completely, so that even the lowest ranked female will be dominant over the highest ranked male. You'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between male and female hyenas based on their genitalia because the females possess what's known as a "pseudo penis" or penile-clitoris. Indeed, female hyenas have as much testosterone as males, making them exceptionally aggressive. 

This aggression comes to the fore during feeding. Whether bringing down their own prey or stealing prey from other predators like lion, leopard and cheetah, hyenas eat as a group so competition for the tastiest morsels runs high. High ranking females are the first to eat, along with their young, with lower ranking females and their offspring eating next, finally followed by adult males. 

They are born aggressive. Spotted hyena cubs emerge from the womb almost black in colour with their eyes open and with teeth and will readily attack each other, often killing weaker cubs, especially in same-sexed litters. This is called neonatal siblicide and kills an estimated 25% of cubs in their first month. 

Thanks to milk which has enormously high fat and protein content, the cubs grow quickly and will drink milk for up to 16 months, eating solid food from the age of three months.

The success of hyenas in a region or given territory is dependent on the ongoing competition with its closest rival - the lion. These time-worn enemies have interwoven fates because they occupy the same ecological niche and are in direct competition with one another, hunting the same prey species. So in areas where you have a high density of successful lions, you may find fewer hyena as a result. 

So next time you see hyena out on a game drive here at Baobab Ridge, you'll be able to look at it with new-found respect and understanding!