Hyenas belong to the family hyaenidae a small group of canivores that includes four; species the spotted hyena (the one you see on a video) stripes hyena brown hyena and the aardwolf the spotted hyena is the largest best known and most commonly seen on safari In the wild hyenas live ground 15-20 years depending on species and environmental pressures , spotted hyenas live comlex social groups called clans, sometimes with up to 80 members each clan is led by a dominant female making it a matriarch