Hyena on a Roman mosaic. Object dated to the 2nd century CE; discovered in Tunisia.
According to the ancient Romans, hyenas were amazing animals. Pliny the Elder states in his “Natural History” that the hyena has two sexes: one year it is male, the next it is female; thus, no second individual is needed for fertilization. What’s more, the hyena can imitate the human voice and use it to lure prey.
