Tooth and claw: Spotted hyena
Discovery
BBC
4.3 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 21 February 2022
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Cursed as a worthless scavenger and cast as villainous cowardly sidekicks in Disney’s The Lion King, the spotted hyena is one of the world’s most misunderstood of all predators. It may scavenge at night on a giant rubbish tip on the outskirts of Mekelle in Ethiopia, but it earns it’s top predator status when it takes down its prey in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve. Adam Hart and guests polish up the spotted hyena’s tarnished reputation.
Professor Kay Holekamp, a behavioural ecologist at Michigan State University, and Chinmay Sonawane, a biologist at Stanford University in California
Picture: Spotted Hyena puppies and adult male with each other in Masat Mara, Credit: Manoj Shah/Getty Images Producer: Beth Eastwood Presenter: Professor Adam Hart
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to tell you why I love podcasting. |
| 0:04.4 | I'm Sasha Johansson, I'm an Assistant Commissioner for the BBC and I work on making podcasts. |
| 0:11.1 | My real passion is discovering unbelievable unheard stories and working with the biggest |
| 0:16.9 | stars who can really bring those stories to life. |
| 0:20.0 | I love the whole process of making podcasts from the spark of an idea to hearing the final |
| 0:25.9 | edit. |
| 0:26.9 | There's nothing like it. |
| 0:27.9 | What makes BBC podcast special is that we're working for you, so whatever we commission |
| 0:32.6 | has to reflect the things that you care about and love, wherever you are in the UK. |
| 0:37.0 | So if you like this BBC podcast, there's so much more to discover. |
| 0:40.6 | Have a listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:46.0 | This is Discovery from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:48.5 | I'm Adam Hart and I'm back with Tooth and Claw, the series where I explore our complex |
| 0:53.7 | and challenging relationships with Earth's greatest predators, through the people who |
| 0:58.1 | have spent their lives studying, protecting, and at times narrowly escaping them. |
| 1:04.0 | And if you missed the first series, you can download the podcast for free, wherever you |
| 1:07.7 | get your podcasts. |
| 1:11.7 | Now you probably know today's predator by name, but it's very likely that your view of |
| 1:16.3 | it is all kinds of wrong. |
| 1:18.8 | This animal is one of the most misunderstood of all predators, where the curse does |
| 1:23.2 | or worthless scavenger, or cast as a villainous, cowardly sidekick in Disney's The Lion King. |
| 1:28.9 | Yes, today it is the turn of the spotted hyena, and I'm hoping that the two scientists |
... |
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