Are Hyenas more closely related to cats than dogs?
I have heard several times (including in an episode of the Batman kids show) that hyenas are not a type of dog like wolves and foxes are, but are actually more closely related to cats. This seems like a myth. Is it true?
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Christine Drea has answered Near Certain
An expert from Duke University in Zoology, Ecology
Hyenas are members of their own family (Hyenidae), of which there are only four living species (spotted hyenas, brown hyenas, striped hyenas, and aardwolves). They indeed group with the 'cat branch' (Feloidea) of the order Carnivora, not with the 'dog branch' (Canoidea). So the closest living relatives of hyenas include cats, mongooses, Malagasy mongooses, viverrids (e.g. civets, genets, the binturong...), and the African palm civet.
Answered about 7 years ago
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