A 2012 study shows that spotted hyenas can solve puzzles. To achieve a goal, they experiment in many ways, which shows their creative thinking. They can assess the number of intruders in their territory and only launch an attack when they have the majority.
Spotted hyenas plan to hunt specific species; they scent-mark before setting out to hunt zebras, which is not the case when hunting other animal species.
They have a heightened sense of smell and unique scent signatures, which allows them to distinguish themselves from other clans. They also exhibit deceptive behaviors that involve sounding alarms while feeding, when no enemies are present. This helps scare off other hyenas to eat in peace.
