The female striped hyena's genitalia are transiently masculinized, although it lacks the enlarged clitoris and false scrotal sack noted in the female genitalia of the spotted hyena. The tail is short and the terminal hairs do not descend below the achilles tendon. Like all hyenas, the striped hyena has bulky pads on its paws, as well as blunt but powerful claws. The eyes are small, while the sharply pointed ears are very large, broad and set high on the head. The neck is thick, long and largely immobile, while the head is heavy and massive with a shortened facial region. The legs are relatively thin and weak, with the forelegs being bent at the carpal region. The hind legs are significantly shorter than the forelimbs, thus causing the back to slope downwards. The striped hyena has a fairly massive, but short torso set on long legs. Description Build Dentition, as illustrated in Knight's Sketches in Natural History. The European form was similar in appearance to modern populations, but was larger, being comparable in size to the brown hyena. It also occurred in Montmaurin, Hollabrunn in Austria, the Furninha Cave in Portugal, and the Genista Caves in Gibraltar. The striped hyena occurred for some time in Europe during the Pleistocene, having been particularly widespread in France and Germany. As fossil striped hyenas are absent from the Mediterranean region, it is likely that the species is a relatively late invader to Eurasia, having likely spread outside Africa only after the extirpation of spotted hyenas from Asia at the end of the last glacial period. Striped hyena fossils are common in Africa, with records going back as far as the Middle Pleistocene and even to the Villafranchian. The species may have evolved from Hyaenictitherium namaquensis of Pliocene Africa. The striped hyena is the national animal of Lebanon. Ancient Greeks knew it as γλάνος (glános) and ύαινα (húaina) and were familiar with it from the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, where it is referred to as tzebua or zevoa, though it is absent in some Bible translations into English. In some areas, its body parts are considered magical, and are used as charms or talismans. The striped hyena features prominently in Middle Eastern and Asian folklore. Although it has a habit of feigning death when attacked, it has been known to stand its ground against larger predators in disputes over food. A nocturnal animal, the striped hyena typically only emerges in complete darkness, and is quick to return to its lair before sunrise. The striped hyena is a monogamous animal, with both males and females assisting one another in raising their cubs.

Though primarily a scavenger, large specimens have been known to kill their own prey, and attacks on humans have occurred in rare instances.

It is the smallest of the bone-cracking hyenas and retains many primitive viverrid-like characteristics lost in larger species, having a smaller and less specialised skull. It is listed by the IUCN as near-threatened, as the global population is estimated to be under 10,000 mature individuals which continues to experience deliberate and incidental persecution along with a decrease in its prey base such that it may come close to meeting a continuing decline of 10% over the next three generations.

It is the only extant species in the genus Hyaena. The striped hyena ( Hyaena hyaena) is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Hyaena hyaenomelas (Bruce In Desmarest, 1820).

Are hyenas scavengers