Natural ID: Scientists Reveal Hyenas May be Able to Recognize Each Other's Voices

Everyone knows hyenas for their distinct laughter. But according to scholars, the animals are also able to know which member of their group is laughing by analyzing the sound.

A group of researchers from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln has discovered that spotted hyenas have unique vocal abilities, allowing them to recognize individuals from their group more efficiently.

The paper, which was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal, demonstrated scientists’ findings after recording and analyzing whoops from thirteen hyenas - including their duration and mean and maximum frequency. A computer model was later able to recognize a hyena by its whoop in 54% of tests, leading scholars to note that the animals are likely to be able to identify their fellow clan members, especially if the clan is not too big.

Equally, the research suggested that the animals are smart enough to recognize other clans, since the sound of their whoops is slightly different - i.e., they are "a strong candidate species for a group signature".

"Hyenas clearly have the cognitive capacity to recognize and remember clan-mates as individuals; perhaps the development of a group signature is more costly than the memory required to recognize 125 + voices", the study revealed.

As such, it seems that the spotted scavengers have a moderately developed "language" just like whales - which, according to some studies, also have specific dialects for each clan.