Spotted hyaenas are named for the dark spots that cover their coarse and wooly sandy-gray coats that are darkest in young animals and almost absent in old individuals.
The spotted hyaena has a very coarse and wooly coat that is sandy, yellowish, or gray in color.
The species is named for the black or dark brown spots that cover most of the body. These spots are darkest in younger animals and can be almost completely absent in very old animals.
• Image | © Tambako The Jaguar, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY-ND 2.0)
• Sources | (Kingdon, 1977; Law, 2004; Mills & Hes, 1997; Nowak, 1999)
