In some ancient African cultures, the skulking hyena was considered to have special powers. Some of those powers, it was thought, could be attained by consuming a specific part of the hyena's body. The nose, for example, was believed to be a source of wisdom and intelligence. While attributing "special powers" to the animals is probably a bit much for most people today, scientists have found that hyenas do exhibit a range of remarkable behaviors.

Hyenas are intelligent and highly social; the complexity of social interaction within their groups rivals that of primates. They take advantage of the vulture "spotter network" to find meat -- when they see vultures gliding down to earth, hyenas race them to reach the carcass. They display incredible patience when waiting to finish off sick or wounded animals in order to avoid putting themselves at risk.

This caution is all the more pronounced when they scavenge from human settlements and has earned the hyena a reputation as a craven, cowardly animal. This reputation -- one not helped by Disney films -- is ill-deserved. When they are hungry enough, hyenas are capable of running down and killing an adult zebra or wildebeest (a group of hyenas can devour the carcass, bones and all, in 30 minutes). Usually, though, they prefer to bide their time and follow the path of least resistance.