The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is the largest and most social, forming complex clans across sub-Saharan Africa. The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) ranges from North Africa through the Middle East ...

Scavengers often get a bad rap — hyena giggles are nefarious, crows gather in “murders” and the naked necks of vultures speak for themselves. But the bodies of the dead don’t just disappear.