Scientists were shocked to find the species in the country (illustrative) (Image: Getty)
Scientists in have been left shocked after finding a species that hadn’t been seen in the country for 5,000 years.
The creature, a spotted hyena, was found in southeastern , prompting amazement from researchers.
Ecologist Adbullah Nagy of ‘s Al-Azhar University said: “My first reaction was disbelief until I checked the photos and videos of the remains.
“Seeing the evidence, I was completely taken aback. It was beyond anything we had expected to find in .”
Spotted hyenas are native to Sub-Saharan , and able to find food in scarce conditions.
:
Image of a spotted hyena in Botswana, Southern Africa (Image: Getty)
According to , they’re “famed scavengers and often dine on the leftovers of other predators”, but are also “skilled hunters” able to take down antelope or wildebeests, as well as killing and eating insects, birds, and snakes.
The animal that was spotted “killed two goats belonging to local people in Wadi Yahmib over a two-day period, within Elba Protected Area”, according to a new published in the journal Mammalia.
It was then tracked by local people, located, chased, and killed in the winter of 2024. Photos showed the carcass of the hyena, which was found around 19 miles from the country’s border with Sudan.
Spotted hyenas are known to be skilled pack hunters, and are found in a variety of habitats across sub-Saharan , as per .
They’re also able to cover long distances, as much as 27km (16.7miles) a day, and often follow human-managed livestock migrations and scavenging.
But for millennia, there haven’t been reported citings in Egypt, and scientists believe the predator’s appearance may be explained by changes in climate opening up new migration routes.
[REPORT]
The team have suggested that the Active Red Sea Trough, a natural weather cycle, may have brought increased rainfall and plant growth in the region, making it easier for hyenas to travel into the area, while improving conditions for prey animals.
Mr Nagy said: “The fact that the corridor area has become less environmentally harsh, offering easier passage along ‘the highway,’ may explain how the hyena reached this far north.”
However, he added that “the motivation for its extensive journey into Egypt is still a mystery that demands further research”.
The study’s authors concluded that the remarkable discovery challenges previously held assumptions about the range of the spotted hyena and how regional climate changes can affect wildlife movements.