Hyenas

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hyena \Hy*e"na\, n.; pl. {Hyenas}. [L. hyaena, Gr. ?, orig., a
     sow, but usually, a Libyan wild beast, prob., the hyena, fr.
     ? hog: cf. F. hy[`e]ne. See {Sow} female hog.] (Zool.)
     Any carnivorous mammal of the family {Hy[ae]nid[ae]}, doglike
     nocturnal mammals of Africa and southern Asia, of which three
     living species are known. They are large and strong, but


     cowardly. They feed chiefly on carrion, and are nocturnal in
     their habits. [Written also {hy[ae]na}.]
  
     Syn: hyaena.
          [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The striped hyena ({Hy[ae]na striata}) inhabits
           Southern Asia and a large part of Africa. The brown
           hyena ({Hy[ae]na brunnea}), and the spotted hyena
           ({Crocuta maculata}), are found in Southern Africa. The
           extinct cave hyena ({Hy[ae]na spel[ae]a}) inhabited
           England and France.
           [1913 Webster]
  
     {Cave hyena}. See under {Cave}.
  
     {Hyena dog} (Zool.), a South African canine animal ({Lycaon
        venaticus}), which hunts in packs, chiefly at night. It is
        smaller than the common wolf, with very large, erect ears,
        and a bushy tail. Its color is reddish or yellowish brown,
        blotched with black and white. Called also {hunting dog}.
        [1913 Webster]