cave hyena

Hyena \Hy*e"na\, n.; pl. {Hyenas}. [L. hyaena, Gr. ?, orig., a
   sow, but usually, a Libyan wild beast, prob., the hyena, fr.
   ? hog: cf. F. hy[`e]ne. See {Sow} female hog.] (Zool.)
   Any carnivorous mammal of the family {Hy[ae]nid[ae]}, doglike
   nocturnal mammals of Africa and southern Asia, of which three
   living species are known. They are large and strong, but
   cowardly. They feed chiefly on carrion, and are nocturnal in
   their habits. [Written also {hy[ae]na}.]

   Syn: hyaena.
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   Note: The striped hyena ({Hy[ae]na striata}) inhabits
         Southern Asia and a large part of Africa. The brown
         hyena ({Hy[ae]na brunnea}), and the spotted hyena
         ({Crocuta maculata}), are found in Southern Africa. The
         extinct cave hyena ({Hy[ae]na spel[ae]a}) inhabited
         England and France.
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   {Cave hyena}. See under {Cave}.

   {Hyena dog} (Zool.), a South African canine animal ({Lycaon
      venaticus}), which hunts in packs, chiefly at night. It is
      smaller than the common wolf, with very large, erect ears,
      and a bushy tail. Its color is reddish or yellowish brown,
      blotched with black and white. Called also {hunting dog}.
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Cave \Cave\ (k[=a]v), n. [F. cave, L. cavus hollow, whence cavea
   cavity. Cf. {Cage}.]
   1. A hollow place in the earth, either natural or artificial;
      a subterraneous cavity; a cavern; a den.
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   2. Any hollow place, or part; a cavity. [Obs.] "The cave of
      the ear." --Bacon.
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   3. (Eng. Politics) A coalition or group of seceders from a
      political party, as from the Liberal party in England in
      1866. See {Adullam}, {Cave of}, in the Dictionary of Noted
      Names in Fiction.
      [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   {Cave bear} (Zool.), a very large fossil bear ({Ursus
      spel[ae]us}) similar to the grizzly bear, but large;
      common in European caves.

   {Cave dweller}, a savage of prehistoric times whose dwelling
      place was a cave. --Tylor.

   {Cave hyena} (Zool.), a fossil hyena found abundanty in
      British caves, now usually regarded as a large variety of
      the living African spotted hyena.

   {Cave lion} (Zool.), a fossil lion found in the caves of
      Europe, believed to be a large variety of the African
      lion.

   {Bone cave}. See under {Bone}.
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