Even for mammals, water holds a special kind of allure. It can be a great place to play games, as well as cool off on a hot day. For this clan of hyenas, it served both purposes.
Rodney Nombekana, a safari guide in the Kruger National Park, caught this hyena day out on camera as they enjoyed their carefree day in the water, and he sent it in to Latest Sightings.
Some members of the clan were definitely in a playful mood, but others were clearly just trying to relax in the shallows and enjoy the cool water, making them appear like any ordinary family on a pool day.
Time To Dunk
The very first hyena which Rodney caught on camera was an adventurous one, and it made the decision to go all in early on. While one of its clanmates watched on, this first hyena plunged its entire head and body beneath the water.
Hyenas will hunt, catch and eat fish when they can, but this didn’t appear to be a body of water large enough to support aquatic life. If there were any fish below the surface, they could rest easy knowing that they weren’t on the menu this time.
Although this hyena was plunging its head beneath the surface, this bore no resemblance to a hunt, and was more likely just a very satisfying way for this hyena to cool itself off during a warm day.
Splash Splash Splash
While the one hyena was busy dunking its head in the water, another was looking at amazement at its paws as it splashed them about. This second hyena was acting as though it had never even seen water before.
It was completely in a world of its own as it splashed, maybe enjoying the pattern of ripples that spread out from it, or the sensation of the water on its fur.
This definitely would not have been the first time this hyena had had a swim, so its unclear what exactly had captured its attention so much on this occasion, but either way it was clearly having a good time.
Water Sports
There has to be a loser in every game, however, and some kind of game had broken out between a group of hyenas which seemed like they were busy splashing and antagonizing one of their friends.
Maybe this unlucky hyena was often the butt of the joke, or maybe it was all in good fun, but it was being forced to twist around to try and fend off playful nips and splashes from its fellows.
The games continued, as several of the other hyenas took playful bites at each other, or splashed at each other as they enjoyed swimming around in the water.
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Everybody Loves A Pool Day
While hyenas have a bit of a negative reputation as scavengers and thieves, this was a wholesome day out for them, playing in the water. It looked like a large clan was present, and they were just relaxing.
Everyone loves spending time in the pool on a hot day, and these hyenas were cooling off and playing games, making sure to enjoy themselves regardless of the weather.
