
Scientists have reported the sighting of a Spotted hyena in southeastern Egypt, which would be the first time this has happened in 5,000 years. The discovery left them stunned. Ecologist Abdullah Nagy of Egypt’s Al-Azhar University said, “My first reaction was disbelief until I checked the photos and videos of the remains.”
He added “Seeing the evidence, I was completely taken aback. It was beyond anything we had expected to find in Egypt.” Spotted hyenas are one of the most abundant predators in Africa, and are also among the most adaptable carnivores on the continent.
Egypt is by no means the Spotted hyena’s natural habitat. The animal is native to sub-Saharan Africa. Locals caught this individual specimen and, sadly, killed it in Wadi Yahmib, a town 19 miles from the Egypt-Sudan border.
Scientists speculate weather patterns could be the reason why the hyena was in Egypt
The remains of this spotted hyena were discovered 310 miles north of its established range, which is typically located in Sudan. This has led researchers to speculate on whether rare weather phenomena opened a migration corridor that led the animal outside of its area.
Indeed, the Active Red Sea Trough is a location that has low pressure. It extends from the south when eastern winds blow over the mountains, and it causes extreme rainfall and flash flooding.
A spotted #Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) has been found in South Eastern #Egypt: the first recorded instance of the creature in this region for thousands of years. @degruyter_brill https://t.co/jDV5omlf4o pic.twitter.com/aqv9N1B9Hh
— EurekAlert! (@EurekAlert) January 22, 2025
Scientists believe that a once-in-a-decade weather cycle linked to the Active Red Sea Trough has been causing more rain over the border between Egypt and Sudan. This phenomenon has increased plant growth in the area, which would in turn forge a migration corridor where the animal most likely traveled hunting for prey.
Historical analysis of satellite images of the region confirmed that the area has indeed seen the growth of plants over the last five years, which could very much sustain the prey of a hyena.
What remains clear, however, is that the reasons behind the hyena’s journey to Egypt are still a mystery and require further investigation.
Spotted hyenas can travel up to 17 miles a day
Hyenas travel in packs, covering up to 17 miles in a single day. Packs are more often than not following livestock migrations handled by humans. This particular hyena was tracked and terminated after it attacked two goats that locals herded in Elba National Park.
Spotted hyenas grow up in matriarchal clans with some of nature’s most devoted mothers pic.twitter.com/Y5eVziQgxX
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) July 4, 2018
Findings the researchers have made challenge scientific assumptions about the range spotted hyenas can travel, whilst simultaneously showing how weather phenomena can affect and shift animal migrations.