Hyenas live primarily in Africa and parts of Asia, inhabiting a wide range of habitats depending on the species:
- Spotted hyenas are found throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, extending eastwards through Arabia to India. They inhabit diverse environments such as savannas, grasslands, woodlands, forest edges, semi-deserts, and mountainous forests up to 4,000 meters in altitude. They are absent from extreme deserts, tropical rainforests, and alpine mountain tops. Their populations are concentrated in protected areas in countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa
- Striped hyenas have a broader range that includes North and East Africa, Central Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. They prefer open savannas, grasslands, and scrub woodlands in arid to semi-arid environments. Their distribution is patchy, with isolated populations in West Africa, the Sahara, parts of the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Central Asia
- Hyenas generally live in dry grasslands with few trees, often sheltering in caves, empty underground tunnels, or burrows. They are mostly nocturnal and can live alone or in groups, with spotted hyenas forming large clans of up to 80 individuals
In summary, hyenas occupy a variety of habitats across Africa and parts of Asia, from savannas and grasslands to semi-deserts and mountainous forests, with each species adapted to specific ecological niches within this range