Entry 3: Hyenas

A wild spotted hyena

Hyenas are one of my favorite animals! They are native to the African savannas. There are three species: spotted, striped, and brown. The spotted hyena is the most common. They have a reputation of being cowardly; that is not true. They do whatever it takes to survive even if it means fighting lions for food. Hyenas live together in groups of 30 to 40 members ruled by a matriarch. They do most of their hunting at night and can see in the dark. Hyenas are carnivores; they mostly consume the remains of deceased animals. While this may not sound appetizing, it makes them a vital part of their ecosystem! Hyenas have powerful jaws and teeth that allows them to eat bones. They are famous for the "laughing" sound they use to communicate.

Here is one more fact about hyenas: Although they look similar to dogs, they are more closely related to cats.

Vocabulary
reputation (noun): common belief about someone or something
cowardly (adjective): does not have courage
matriarch (noun): woman who is the head of a family
carnivores (noun, plural): an animal that eats only meat
consume (verb, present tense): to eat
deceased (adjective): dead
appetizing (adjective): to taste good
vital (adjective): important
powerful (adjective): very strong
communicate (verb, present tense): to speak
similar (adjective): same

Vocabulary Exercise
1. Squares and rectangles are __________ shapes.
2. Lions only eat meat, making them __________.
3. The big eater _______
4. He did not leave his house on Halloween because he was a ________.
5. A graveyard is a resting place for the __________.
6. The Thanksgiving dinner my grandmother cooked was so ___________.
7. If you want to pass your test, it is _________ that you study!
8. If you have a good __________, people will be kind to you.
9. Hyenas, elephants, and killer whales, are three animals who live in packs led by a __________.
10. The Mets are a _______ baseball team this season.
11. By using a telephone, you can _________ with those who are far away.

Grammar Point & Activity
The semicolon (;) can be used to join two clauses that share closely related ideas. Find all sentences that use the semicolon in the above passage. Then, write two sentences about your favorite animal that use semicolons.