Spotted hyena performs his amusing back scratch maneuver

While enjoying a safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, we came across a single male hyena lying in the middle of the road. He was resting during the late afternoon and looked very relaxed. Suddenly the lone hyena rolls onto his back and surprisingly starts with the most unusual and funny looking back scratch move we have ever seen. With his belly and all four legs up in the air, the hyena maneuvers himself from side to side while scratching his back on the gravel road. The hyena’s movements made for very entertaining viewing, looking like he was performing a very strange looking but amusing dance move. This type of behaviour by any hyena is rarely seen in the wild. We established that this funny performance by the hyena was due to an enormous number of flies that pestered the animal during his late afternoon rest. Rolling onto his back while scratching it in such an odd looking manner was the hyena’s only option to get rid of the flies and the unbearable itch on his back. Even though hyenas are associated with rotten meat and flies, ironically enough it is uncommon to see hyenas scratching themselves, let alone scratching their backs. In the end the hyena enjoyed a good back scratch and at the same time entertained us to an unexpected funny move right in front of us in the middle of the road. Majority of the time hyenas are seen as scary, blood-thirsty predators that eats rotten meat. For this reason it is very hard to imagine that these creatures in actual fact also have the ability to put a smile on your face and make any person laugh. This sighting turned out to be the highlight of the afternoon safari and it left everyone with a totally different perception of one of Africa’s top and most feared carnivores.