Why read The Spotted Hyena?

Book cover of The Spotted Hyena: A Study of Predation and Social Behavior

Book description

In this seminal study, Hans Kruuk redefines the image of the spotted hyena, not as a common scavenger, but as a complex matriarchal predator with links to human evolution. The Spotted Hyena is the first study to capture the true behavior and ecology of these formidable predators, who instinctively adapt…

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Tanzania

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Spotted Hyena as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Keith Somerville

Author

I read this book after working in Malawi and carrying out my first safaris in Kenya and Zimbabwe. I saw hyenas and found them fascinating despite the generally held view that they were despicable parasites and vermin.

Kruuk’s book opened my eyes to their success as hunters, not mere scavengers, to their complex, matriarchal social systems, and to the role, when not hunting, as what one could call the sanitary engineers of the eco-systems in which they live. It influenced me to research them and eventually write a book on human attitudes toward hyenas.

From Keith's list on human-wildlife conflict and sustainable conservation.