Hyenas depicted in human art through the ages

Cave painting from southern France (Chauvet-pont-d’arc) 35,000 years ago

Drawings from 12th Century Latin bestiaries portraying hyenas scavenging

human corpses

The hyena: The hyena should not be eaten because it is dirty and has two natures, male and female. Both sexual organs are clearly shown. It dwells in the tombs of the dead and devours human bodies. Its spine is rigid and it must move its whole

body in order to turn. (From the collection at the University of

Aberdeen)

Histoire Naturelle - Le

Lion et L'Hyaene

Antonio Baratti

- 18th Century

Natural history plate from Robert

Merry's Museum (1841)

Hyena gargoyle

Hyenas depicted by Disney artists in The Lion King

Although Whoopie Goldberg gave us a wonderful hyena voice,the hyenas were made out to be villains in this film. Even some of their names are insulting. For example, “Shenzi” means “slovenly” in Swahili.

Mask from burkina faso made by This very old mask was used to provide for the fertility, health and prosperity of its owner and community. It dances to drive evil forces away, and participates in funerals and initiations ceremonies.

William R. Corliss (comp.), Biological Anomalies: Mammals I, Glen Arm, MD:

Sourcebook Project, 1995, p. 17.

Aardwolf mimics stripedHyena (bottom)