Telling them apart
Brown Hyena vs Spotted Hyena
These two are in the same family, so the differences are in the detail.
Brown Hyena
Parahyaena brunnea
Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
Vitals
Brown Hyena
Spotted Hyena
Mass
42.3 to 60.2 kg
63 to 63.4 kg
Height
70 to 80 cm
70 to 92 cm
Lifespan
up to 31.9 yrs
up to 41.1 yrs
In the field
Brown Hyena
Spotted Hyena
Active
Night (nocturnal)
Night (nocturnal)
Status
Near threatened
Least concern
Recorded in
Namibia
Namibia
Their recorded ranges do not overlap in the atlas, so a sighting is very unlikely to be ambiguous in the field.