No, they’re not pulling your leg. Here’s the truth about their laugh
Do hyenas really laugh, or is it just an urban legend?
Forget the cartoon scenes of hyenas cackling hysterically over a carcass: reality is far more complex and fascinating. Hyenas are intelligent, social creatures that use a wide range of vocalizations to communicate with one another. Among them is a call that really does sound like laughter… but what does it actually mean?
We’ll tell you (or maybe not) in our article!
Read also: Discovering Mountain Gorillas in Uganda
Hyenas: an orchestra of sounds on the savannah
In the collective imagination, hyenas don’t exactly have the best reputation: they’re often seen as cowardly, sneaky, and cruel animals. Creatures that feed only on carcasses and are always ready to ambush others when they least expect it. On top of that, they’ve somehow been saddled with every possible bad habit imaginable.
Jokes aside, hyenas have been the subject of countless myths and rumors, but the reality is very different: hyenas are highly intelligent and extremely social animals that have developed a remarkably complex communication system, using many different vocalizations to interact with each other.
Scientists have identified more than 10 different calls, with names like ‘whoop,’ ‘fast whoop,’ and ‘grunt.’ And yes, among them is the famous laugh.
But what exactly does it mean?
We still don’t know for sure.
The most widely accepted theory is that it is an alarm call, a way of warning the clan about an imminent threat, such as a predator or a rival. Perhaps a group of lions is approaching, ready to steal the prey the hyenas have just caught; one member of the clan spots them in time, and that’s when the laughter-like call begins.
Other researchers, however, have suggested that it is a vocalization that can express both positive and negative emotions.
For example, hyenas might laugh after catching a particularly tasty prey animal. Or, on the other hand, they may let out a laughing sound out of frustration after losing a confrontation with a rival.
Some even argue that the laugh is a sign of social bonding, a way of strengthening ties with other members of the clan and reinforcing the social hierarchy.
In short, the mystery of the hyena’s laugh has yet to be fully decoded, and we still don’t know exactly what it is linked to.
Who knows—maybe they’re simply making fun of us.
Where to go if you want hyenas to laugh at you
Even if we still don’t know exactly what a hyena’s laugh means, that doesn’t mean we should miss out on the experience of having one laugh in our direction, right?
If you’d like to experience the thrill of seeing hyenas in the wild, here are the best places to go.
Tanzania
The Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater are two unmissable national parks for wildlife lovers. Here you can watch hyenas in action as they hunt, interact with one another and, with a bit of luck, treat you to their contagious ‘laughs.’
Botswana
The Okavango Delta is a true paradise for nature lovers. Here you may spot spotted hyenas, skilled swimmers and fish hunters. A truly unique experience.
Namibia
Etosha National Park offers the chance to see brown hyenas, a species adapted to arid environments. You can admire them as they roam in search of prey or rest in the shade of acacia trees.
Brown hyenas aren’t exactly famous for their laugh. In fact, the ones we’ve been talking about so far are spotted hyenas, which live in other areas such as Tanzania and Botswana. But surely you can’t ignore them just because they’re a little less cheerful than their cousins?
South Africa
Kruger National Park is one of South Africa’s largest parks and is home to a wide variety of animals, including striped hyenas. They don’t laugh either, but with a little patience you may observe them hunting in groups or caring for their cubs.
Read also: Safari in the Serengeti: a guide to wildlife sightings in Tanzania
In conclusion
Hyenas are not the cartoon caricatures of diabolically laughing scavengers many of us were led to believe in as children, but rather complex, fascinating, and intelligent creatures, with a vocal repertoire that goes far beyond the famous ‘laugh.’
This vocalization, which intrigues and fascinates us so much, may be an alarm signal, an expression of emotion, or a way of reinforcing social bonds within the clan. But we still don’t know for certain. The mystery surrounding this sound is still far from being fully solved, but one thing is clear: the nature of hyenas is far richer and more nuanced than their reputation might suggest.
Visiting them in their natural habitats, such as Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa, offers a unique opportunity to better understand these creatures and to observe them in a context that goes beyond simple urban legends and popular portrayals.
