There are many myths about hyenas, and movies like the "Lion King" have given them the reputation of snarling scavengers. In reality hyenas live in complex social groups where females are dominant to males. They are ferocious hunters capable of running over 55 km/hr.
AAAS member Kay Holekamp is a professor at Michigan State University in the Program in Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, & Behavior. Holekamp and her team have traveled to Africa several times to study hyenas and other social mammals. Here, using photographs taken by Holekamp and her staff, she shares photos from their hyena field studies in Africa.
You can learn more about Holekamp's work at her lab's website.