Tag: spotted hyena

Open Air Baths

I was intrigued to learn that vultures bathe after a disgusting meal of guts and carcass. They’ll fly or hop over to the nearest water source and rinse off.

We need a bath. Vultures, Tarangire National Park Tanzania

In Tanzania in January this year, we witnessed a surprisingly large range of critters taking water baths or mud baths. Sometimes it was to cool off; on occasion it was to add a layer of mud as sun screen or protection from biting insects.

Here are some bathing beauties for your enjoyment from our recent Tanzania trip and a few lovelies from previous trips to Namibia and South Afria.

We spotted hyenas (not known for their delicate sensibilities) taking both water baths and mud baths.

Spotted hyena. Serengeti National Park
Hyenas also like to dig a hole to lay around in. Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

And we surprised an eagle. This one caught me off guard, a lovely moment.

An eagle caught bathing! Arusha National Park, Tanzania
This good looking fellow had bathed in a mudhole. Warthog with companions. Namibia

Some creatures hang out in the water together.

Coming in for a landing. Caprivi Strip, Namibia

A young lion on the edge of a water hole.

Tanzania 2026

You never know what dangers might be lurking just on the surface.

Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

Elephants love mud and throw it around with glee. Uwe photographed a family in Tarangire National Park at their ablutions.

Tanzania 2026

We even saw a pair of ostriches taking turns in a mud hole!

before. Tarangire National Park

after. Tarangire National Park

Finally, there is the hippo, who cannot swim. They hang out in the water to protect their skins from sunburn and leave the water only to forage for food.

South Africa

NOTES: © 2026 Jadi Campbell. All photos © 2026 Uwe Hartmann. To see Uwe’s photos and more pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link to see my books: Amazon.com.

Meet The Ugly 5. #1 Spotted Hyena

Rosalind: I will laugh like a hyen, and that when thou art inclined to sleep.” As You Like It, IV. i. 147-9. – William Shakespeare

The goal of everyone who goes on safari is to spot The Big 5: lion, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros,  and Cape buffalo. It took us 3 tries to see them all, but in January this year we finally did it!

Less famous (or looked-for) are The Ugly 5. Uwe and I have spotted every single one over time. And yes, they are UGLY. It is my great pleasure to introduce you to them, one at a time….

First up is the spotted hyena. They like grasslands and open terrain. From our tent in the Serengeti, in the middle of the night I heard them laughing hysterically. The spotted hyena is chatty!

Tanzania 2026
a mud bath. Because he’s not filthy enough yet
following the Great Migration and hoping something gets killed soon

yup. ugly

Unlike most hyenas, the spotted hyena is a social animal and hunts in packs, probably because they follow migrating animals.

they hang out in packs

When they do their own hunting, spotted hyenas kill with their teeth and not their claws. They take care of other animals’ leftovers with those sharp teeth (and lack of compunction about eating something that’s clearly been dead for ages). As Wikipedia describes them, “Spotted hyenas evolved sharp carnassials behind their crushing premolars, therefore they did not need to wait for their prey to die, and thus became pack hunters as well as scavengers.” [1]

Along with bats, the spotted hyena is one of the very few creatures that can survive a rabies infection. Their diet of rotting meat gives them powerful concentrations of antibodies in their saliva.

Our safari guide told us that lions only eat meat. The hyenas then move in. They’re able to completely digest the organic matter found in bones, and their skulls and teeth are specialized to crack large bones and cut through animal hides.

Along with the hyenas come the carrion birds – two more of the Ugly Five. You’ll meet them soon.

NOTES: [1] wiki/Hyena; The Hyena Family © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.

I am a Best American Essays-nominated writer. My books are Broken In: A Novel in Stories, Tsunami Cowboys, Grounded, The Trail Back Out, and The Taste of Your Name. Recent awards include Finalist for the 2025 Compass Press Book Award for The Taste of Your Name and Finalist for Greece’s Eyelands 11th International Short Story Contest.

Follow this link for Amazon.com.

follow Jadi Campbell

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