Is a hyena a dog? Hyenas are not dogs. The hyena is a dog-like, medium to large carnivore that belongs to the hyena family and has stronger upper and lower jaws and sharper teeth than dogs. Hyenas can easily crush the hard bones of their prey, hence the name “bone crusher”. Hyenas generally operate in groups, hunting medium and large herbivores such as gazelles, zebras, and hornbills, and can even kill a half-ton African wild buffalo. In addition to hunting themselves, they often snatch the prey captured by other carnivores.
