For the first time in 5,000 years, a spotted hyena has been discovered in Egypt.

Spotted hyenas are the most common social predators in Africa, typically found only south of the Sahara, between 17° north and 28° south latitude. They can cover up to 27 kilometers a day while following migrating livestock. Hyenas are highly adaptable to various conditions, which results in a broad range of habitats. However, they prefer savannas with patches of trees, and it has been a long time—about five thousand years—since these animals ventured so far north into the desert.

Researchers from Al-Azhar University (Egypt), Indiana University (USA), and the Swiss Ornithological Institute have documented the presence of spotted hyenas in Egypt for the first time in thousands of years. Unfortunately, this discovery was made posthumously, as the animal was killed by local herders after it attacked their goats. The researchers were only able to view its photographs and videos.

“My initial reaction was disbelief until I saw the photos and videos of the remains. I was shocked: we never expected to see a spotted hyena in Egypt,” said lead author Abdullah Nagi from Al-Azhar University.

The incident occurred in February 2024, approximately 500 kilometers north of the spotted hyena's usual range—nearby Sudan. Local residents tracked and killed the animal after losing two goats. The hyena's body was found five kilometers from a small settlement consisting of just a few families, notably located on a sandy plain and rocky hills.

Researchers suggested that the new migration corridor for Crocuta crocuta may be a consequence of the phenomenon known as “Red Sea Activity” (a periodic weather event that causes unusually heavy rainfall and even flooding in Middle Eastern countries), which could have led to increased precipitation and plant growth in Africa's desert regions.

To test this hypothesis, scientists used the so-called normalized difference vegetation index as an indicator of precipitation levels and animal habitation in the area. Data were obtained from satellite images taken between 1984 and 2022.

It turned out that over the past 10 years, precipitation in these regions has indeed been higher than in the previous two decades. This suggests that southern Egypt has become less harsh for the survival of spotted hyenas. The researchers' work is published in the journal Mammalia.