Evolution has left us with many species of animals that similarly walk the earth. Some do not get the appreciation they deserve. Let’s shine a little light on the Coyote and the Hyena.
The difference between a Coyote and a Hyena is that a Coyote is a mammal species while the Hyena has its own family, the Hyenadae. A coyote is a canine from North America, a hyena is a feliform from Africa. Both species are carnivores.
A coyote looks more like a brownish-yellow wolf, only skinnier.
A Hyena can be like a hybrid between a dog and a big cat. More closely to the feline family than to its canine counterpart, they represent a unique family called Hyenadae.
There is a difference of 110lbs of weight between them. A coyote weighs approximately 44lbs, while a hyena weighs 154lbs.
The most known species of Hyena, the spotted Hyena, has black spots all over its body, and they are bulkier than coyotes. Their mouth is rounder and broader than the narrow wolf-like mouth that the Coyote has.
The Coyote is the smaller animal compared to its relatives, the wolves. Unlike the wolf, the Coyote tends to roam alone, rarely runs or attacks in packs.
Hyenas have only four existing species: Spotted Hyena, Brown Hyena, Aardwolf, and Striped Hyena.
The Hyena is one of the smallest in its class, Mammalia, but even so, the Hyenas are still a unique and vital component in the ecosystem of Africa. They have a short torso but are still massively built like a wolf.
Are The Coyote And The Hyena From The Same Family?
No. They are not. Coyotes are a species of canine: Canis Latrans, a howler dog. The Coyote is a predator that has long been referred to as the American Jackal.
The Coyote has nineteen subspecies; they are primarily carnivores that hunt for deer, rabbits, hares, and fish. They rarely hunt as a pack, and you could mostly find them in solitude or as individuals in miniature packs.
Hyenas, on the other hand, are feliforms, which means: cat-like carnivores. Dog-like Hyenas became almost extinct seven million years ago after climate change.
While Spotted Hyenas are feliform, their behavior is very similar to canids. They attack in packs and wear down their prey. They will only attack alone if they know they can take their victim down.
Wait, Millions Of Years? Have Hyenas Been Alive That Long?
Yes. Hyenas first originated 22 million years ago. The ancestral Hyenas appeared in the Miocene in what could be known as Eurasia, a geographical place where Europe and Asia converged. They were very similar to the African Civet and, in many ways, they still are.
The first Hyenas prospered and allowed more prominent descendants to come along: the lightly built dog-like Hyenas and the bigger bone-crushing ones. As we mentioned before, the dog-like Hyenas are almost extinct, and the only known species is the Aardwolf.
The behavior of the Spotted Hyena is best known nowadays. They hunt in packs and make noises that sound like laughter. Nonetheless, the other species are very different.
The Aardwolf is insectivorous; they only eat insects. Striped and Brown Hyenas will feign death when attacked, while Spotted Hyenas will defend their ground.
Mixing these behaviors has led us to believe that Hyenas and Spotted Hyenas are cowards by nature. On the other hand, Spotted Hyenas are known to drive off predators from their prey so they can feed in peace.
Hyenas are experienced scavengers and primarily nocturnal animals. The Spotted Hyena has survived diseases, climate change, and the intrusion of higher predators for millions of years.
What About Coyotes? How Long Have They Been Alive?
A priest wrote the earliest record in Illinois in 1750. The priest describes that a “wolf” encountered was smaller and less daring than the European wolf.
In the 1800s, there were mentions of howling wolves at night. People think nowadays that this meant to be Coyotes in hiding. By the first decade of the 1800s, traders saw the species in America numerous times.
Meriwether Lewis, an American explorer, describes the Coyote as a “small wolf or burrowing dog of the prairie.”
By this time, people didn’t know for sure if they saw different species. The wolf ancestors date back over sixty million years, so it was safe to assume that this was another wolf.
Coyotes are a species from North America, and fossil records show that their ancestor first appeared 6 million years ago in the southwestern United States of America and Mexico.
Coyotes are a relatively new species of canine. Hyenas are considerably much older, but the Wolf is undoubtedly older than both.
Who Would Win In A Fight? A Coyote Or A Hyena?
Spotted Hyenas will defend their ground no matter what. They can adapt and are very opportunistic. They attack in packs, but, like the Striped Hyena, they won’t choose to fight alone unless they can overcome their rival.
Coyotes tend to attack in a brief form pack when facing a more significant threat, and they also have incredible sight. They tend to attack from the front and aim to hurt the face and the throat as soon as they can.
With that said, Coyotes may attack a Hyena in packs. A Spotted Hyena will stay and fight and probably kill one of the Coyotes, while a Striped or Brown Hyena will feign and look for a chance to escape.
Hyenas have one of the strongest bites by a land animal. The family of the modern Hyena is called bone-crushers. One bite could destroy bones and limbs with terrible ease.
In one-on-one conflict, and considering each animal’s strength, a Spotted Hyena will probably win in a fight against a Coyote.
Hyenas and Coyotes do not occupy the same continent so a fight between them would be unlikely. Yet, in 2019, an Instagram account called “Wildography and Safaris” posted an image of a Hyena carrying a dead jackal with its fangs. We sure do know who won that fight.
Myth And Popular References
Unlike wolves and foxes, Coyotes and Hyena do not have many stories, myths, or lore created around them. The Coyote is an essential character in Native American folklore. They are mainly described as a trickster that could morph between a human and a Coyote.
Coyotes were well respected as a symbol of might in the cosmology of North and Central America, but their reputation has decreased with time. Coyotes are now considered cowards and untrustworthy animals, unlike wolves and foxes that have kept their “public image” in culture considerably honorable and positive.
The most famous representation is probably Wile E. Coyote from Looney Tunes. The cartoon character, created by Chuck Jones in 1949, doubles down on the cowardly and trickster side of the Coyote while also making it very dumb.
He is considered a trickster. After all, he tries to capture his prey by using technological equipment and also happens to be dumb because he keeps using the same equipment that consistently backfires on him.
Wile E. Coyote is still one of the most famous American cartoon characters ever.
Hyenas have a darker association with mythology. They are viewed as disturbing and scary, and, as a consequence, people should despise them.
They are often thought to influence people’s spirits, being gravediggers and even stealing kids from their families.
Many believed, for a long time, that hyenas could be used for witchcraft. People hunted them for body parts in search of magical medicine or divine strength.
You can find a depiction of the Spotted Hyena in a gray color in the animated movie “The Lion King” from 1994 but, it is safe to say that they look more like themselves in the 2019 version of the same film.
Actors interpreting the voices of the Hyenas often use laughter and high pitch notes.
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Can I Have A Pet Coyote Or Hyena?
Well, it took almost 30,000 years to domesticate dogs. It has been 10,000 years since our attempt to domesticate cats. With Coyotes and Hyenas, we would be starting from zero, so right now, it’s not possible to have either animal as a pet.
Maybe if we start now, we could have pet Hyenas and Coyotes in a couple of thousand years, but that sounds too complicated and a bit time-consuming, wouldn’t you agree?
Conclusion
Coyotes and Hyenas are very different. They are both predators, but they hunt and look very different from each other. A Spotted Hyena, the most common, is more prominent and bulkier than a Coyote. And while you could describe a Coyote as a smaller, thinner wolf, it is still challenging to categorize the characteristics of a Hyena to just one species.
The Hyenas look very dog-like, but the closest comparison is to the Civets. What they share in common is their negative reputation in popular and modern culture as conniving and cowardly creatures.
In the end, what is your favorite animal? The Coyote or the Hyena? The fearless smart one or the uncanny and opportunistic one? One thing is for sure, the Coyote and the Hyena deserve more love than they are getting. They are incredible and fascinating creatures from the vast animal kingdom in our world.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.