The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a unique carnivore and opportunistic scavenger, identifiable by its distinctive vertical stripes and large dorsal mane. Though relatively unstudied compared to its spotted relative, the striped hyena maintains an expansive, yet highly discontinuous, geographical distribution across two continents.
Broad Geographical Distribution
The striped hyena possesses one of the widest distributions of any carnivore, stretching across North and East Africa, the Middle East, and South-Central Asia. In Africa, its historical range extends from Morocco in the northwest, across the Sahel zone, and south into East Africa, reaching as far as Tanzania. Countries within this territory include Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
Moving eastward, the distribution covers the entire Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, including Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey. The range continues across the Caucasus mountains and Central Asia, reaching the Indian subcontinent, encompassing Iran, Pakistan, and India. This immense territory confirms the hyena’s adaptability, but its presence is highly localized and patchy.
Preferred Ecosystems and Terrain
The striped hyena is adapted to survive primarily in arid and semi-arid environments across its range. It frequently inhabits open habitats, including scrubland, open woodlands, and dry savanna with light thorn bushes. This species prefers rugged, rocky terrain, often denning in natural caves, ravines, and crevices within hillsides.
While they can survive with limited water, they must avoid the driest extremes, such as true deserts like the central Sahara. The hyena generally avoids dense forests, favoring areas where visibility and access to carrion are easier. In mountainous regions, they have been recorded at high elevations, reaching up to 3,300 meters in parts of Pakistan. In Africa, the striped hyena is often relegated to these secondary habitats, as the larger spotted hyena tends to dominate and outcompete it in open savanna areas.
Fragmented Populations and Conservation Status
Despite its wide distribution, the global population of the striped hyena is relatively small, estimated to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the species as Near Threatened. This designation reflects the species’ low population density and its ongoing decline across much of its historical range.
Human activities are the primary driver of population fragmentation, particularly in West Africa and parts of the Middle East. Expanding agriculture, infrastructure development, and urbanization lead directly to habitat loss and degradation. This fragmentation isolates populations, restricting gene flow and making them vulnerable to localized threats.
The hyena is also subject to retaliatory persecution, often killed or poisoned due to perceived threats to livestock. Their nocturnal and solitary nature makes accurate population studies difficult, complicating conservation efforts. In high-density human areas, the hyena’s reliance on predictable resources, such as refuse near settlements, increases its exposure to these conflicts.