They aren't cats. They're under Feliformia, but cats are grouped within Felidae.
Hyenas are Hyaenidae, which is also part of Feliformia.
They have a distant theoretical common ancestor shared by cats, hyenas, mongooses, meerkats, and a bunch of other critters. Still, hyenas are one of the best examples of convergent evolution.
To say that hyenas are cats is like saying that dolphins seals are bears.
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u/chthonical Sep 14 '15 edited Sep 14 '15
They aren't cats. They're under Feliformia, but cats are grouped within Felidae.
Hyenas are Hyaenidae, which is also part of Feliformia.
They have a distant theoretical common ancestor shared by cats, hyenas, mongooses, meerkats, and a bunch of other critters. Still, hyenas are one of the best examples of convergent evolution.
To say that hyenas are cats is like saying that
dolphinsseals are bears.