Forget everything you thought you knew about hyenas. The spotted hyena is not a mere scavenger: it hunts most of what it eats, and it does so as a team, with an intelligence that surprises scientists. It lives in clans that can exceed a hundred members, and the females are in charge, larger and stronger than the males. The cubs are born with their eyes open and with teeth, and they inherit their mother’s rank. And that famous laugh? It is not one of joy: it is a message that reveals the age and social standing of whoever makes it. With one of the most powerful bites in the animal kingdom, it crushes and digests even bones. That is why it is the great cleaner of the savanna. A survivor with very bad press… and very undeserved.