Hyenas are mostly perceived as scary, ugly looking creatures that are made for nightmares, but this video actually shows how incredibly cute they can be.
The spotted hyena is arguably the most successful large carnivore in Africa.
This formidable creature is both a proficient hunter and scavenger, exhibiting resourcefulness and stamina in its foraging pursuits.
Throughout history and across cultures, the hyena has been condemned as a scary, evil and ugly villain with a demonic laugh.
With such a bad reputation, the hyena is always seen as the bad guys in traditional folklore and even today in movies such as The Lion King.
Once you get to know more about the hyena, you realize that these complex creatures are like none other on earth and that the stereotype reputation is far from the truth.
Not only are hyenas extremely intelligent but they also fulfill the vital ecological function of eliminating sick and old animals from populations while their scavenging behavior keeps the African bush clean from rotten carcasses and the possible spread of disease.
Many people will also claim that the hyena is not a very attractive animal to look at.
While this might be the case, their offspring at a young age is a totally different story.
Hyena cubs are some of the most adorable baby animals in the African bush.
When going on safari, it is always one of the highlights to see cute hyena cubs in their natural environment, if you are lucky enough.
One of the best ways to find hyena cubs is to find a hyena den during the winter months of the year.
The focus of a hyena clan centers on a communal den where all the females keep their young.
During a recent self-drive safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, I did just that.
I decided to go to an old hyena den I got to know about over the past few years.
Hyena dens are usually located in disused termite mounds, large sand structures that are easy to recognize.
On my arrival at the den, I was happy to find the den active with two cubs and one female adult.
Hyena cubs are in general very playful and make for entertaining viewing.
On this occasion things turned out to be the total opposite.
I noticed the two cubs lying against each other while basking in the early morning sun.
They looked very tired and sleepy, struggling to keep their eyes open.
Hyenas are creatures of the night and are mostly active during this time.
It was clear that these two cubs had a long night out.
Both cubs attempted to keep their heads up but it seemed to be a tough task.
It was adorable to watch how the hyena cubs started nodding off while their heads would tilt to the one side as gravity took over.
The hyena cubs would suddenly wake up, only for their eyes to close again and their heads falling over again.
It was really funny to watch actually how tired these cubs were.
Eventually the one cub found itself in a more comfortable position.
The second cub finally fell over, fast asleep, with its head hitting the ground.
The two cubs did not move again for quite some time.
Even though the cubs were not their normal playful self, I was still totally amused by the cute behavior of these two sleepy hyena cubs.
With a smile on my face I decided to leave them to sleep in peace and continued with my safari.