The spotted Hyneas, or crocuta crocuta, found through sub-saharan africa, is, contrary to the popular belief, one of the natures firecest predators. Some early tribes mistook the hyneas distinctive call, which some have equated to hysterical human laughter, for the cries of the lost souls, while many others associated the animal with the lords of the underworld. In modern movies, the hyena has most often been caricatured as a buffoon like creature or a villain, preying on the weak. These beliefs have led to the common fallacy that the hyena is primarily a scavenger. The reality however is that hyenas are predators first and scavengers only through need.
Hyena physiology may look comical but it is designed for pure power. It has been postulated that the jaws of a fully grown hyena are potentially capable of exerting a bite force of 1000 pound, which would give it one of the most powerful grips in the animal world. The hyenas heart is equally powerful, enabling an adult to run at a steady rate of six miles per hour, with burst of upto thirty miles per hour. In the wild, hyneas tend to hunt in packs led by a matriarch and have been known to bring down animals as large as cape buffalo. It seems that, in the case of the hyena, appearences can be certainly deceiving.
Question (just one):
Q The passage suggests that
a. the hyena is a more devastating predator than is the cape buffalo
b. Only villainous animals acts as scavengers
c. hyneas are able to live in a variety of enviornments
d. it is never wise to make assumptions about a wild animal
e. early tribal beliefs regarding hyneas were negative
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