Spotted Hyena

Found across sub-Saharan savannas, open woodlands, and semi-arid plains, these highly social carnivores live in female-dominated clans and are equally effective hunters and scavengers, often covering vast distances along established pathways at night. Listen for the iconic whooping call — a long, rising hoot used to rally clan members — as well as cackles and giggles near kills or during social disputes; at dawn, scan open areas near den sites, waterholes, and the edges of large herbivore herds where activity lingers into the early morning. The dry season offers the best sightings, when prey concentrations are predictable and reduced vegetation opens sightlines, particularly in the hour before sunrise when returning foragers are most visible against the lightening horizon.