photo by @joelsartore | Although these spotted hyenas aren’t laughing, they sure made me smile when I photographed them at the @sunsetzoomhk in #Kansas. This intelligent species is more closely related to cats, despite their dog-like appearance. Throughout history, hyenas have earned a bad reputation as inherently mean animals, but they are actually just quite smart and resourceful. And because they are not picky eaters (their diet consists of nearly everything on an animal carcass) they're a critical part of the African ecosystems they live in. Please follow me, @joelsartore, to meet more #PhotoArk members. #photooftheday #joelsartore by natgeo

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