252 AFRICAN GAME ANIMALS 



organs in the two genera comprising the family. The 

 hyenas, to the casual observer, appear to be fairly close 

 relatives of the dog family, and few people suspect the really 

 close relationship they bear to the cat family. The struc- 

 ture of the skull and the arrangement of the teeth are 

 strikingly feline, the feet alone being distinctly canine. 

 Some fossil genera have been discovered which tend to 

 link the hyenas with the Viverrida, of which the well- 

 known mongoose is a representative, but the evidence is 

 yet far from satisfactory in this regard. Two strikingly 

 different groups or genera comprise the family: the striped 

 hyena, genus Hycena; and the spotted hyena, genus 

 Crocuta. BycBua^ from which the family name has been 

 derived, is the least specialized of the two. It is character- 

 ized externally by the long dorsal mane of hair extending 

 from the nape to the tip of the tail, the large pointed ears, 

 dark vertical stripes or bands across the body and legs, 

 and black throat. The sexual organs are normal in struc- 

 ture, but the skull shows decided dental differences. The 

 upper molar is well developed and fits into a long heel on 

 the last lower tooth or carnassial. The skull is somewhat 

 smaller, narrower, longer-snouted, and the body size less 

 than in the spotted hyena, or Crocuta. The latter differs 

 by its shorter hair growth, absence of a well-developed dorsal 

 mane, by short ears and the spotted type of coloration. The 

 female sexual organs are quite peculiar in structure and 

 closely resemble those of the male in external appearance. 

 The dentition is more reduced, the upper molar being mi- 

 nute, as in the cats, and the lower carnassial has only a rudi- 

 mentary heel. The skull is broad, with very broad mesop- 

 terygoid fossa, and the body size is considerably greater. 



