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The societies of spotted hyenas are most similar to the societies of which species?
That's correct! Spotted hyenas, like baboons and many other old-world primates, live in large complex social groups made up of many breeding adults of both sexes and their offspring. These societies are characterized by a dominance hierarchy organized into matrilines of related females, where newly born females "inherit" the dominance rank directly below their mothers and above their older sisters.
Surprisingly, despite being a large carnivore, spotted hyenas live in societies that look much more like those of primates than those of other carnivores. Like baboons, spotted hyenas live in large complex social groups made up of many breeding adults of both sexes and their offspring. These societies are characterized by a dominance hierarchy organized into matrilines of related females, where newly born females "inherit" the dominance rank directly below their mothers and above their older sisters.