Title The Strand Hyaena
Artist Charles Hamilton Smith (1776–1859)
Date circa 1837
Credit Line: Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Hamilton_Smith_-_The_Strand_Hyaena_-_B1981.25.2268_-_Yale_Center_for_British_Art.jpg

The brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), also called strandwolf, is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. It is currently the rarest species of hyena. Brown hyenas are distinguished from other species by their long shaggy dark brown coat, pointed ears, and short tail. Their legs are striped brown and white, and adults have a distinct cream-colored fur ruff around their necks.

Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Hyaenidae
Genus: Parahyaena
Species: Parahyaena brunnea (Thunberg, 1820)
Synonyms
- Hyaena brunnea Thunberg, 1820
- Hyaena fusca E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1825
- Hyaena striata A. Smith, 1826
- Hyaena villosa A. Smith, 1827
- Hyaena melampus Pocock, 1934