Do hyenas really laugh?

There is a species of hyena, who are called laughing hyenas. But actually hyenas don't laugh. When this creature is on the prowl or becomes excited, it makes a howling and chuckling noise that sounds like a laugh.

The sound that hyenas make sounds very similar to human laughing.

Listen here:
http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/ballc/animals/hyena.html

when hyenas are being attacked they make a giggling sound i think this is where term "laughing hyenas" comes from

There is very little entertainment available where spotted hyenas hang out, on the plains of Malawi and Mozambique. Hyenas are easily amused and they have a good chuckle as they eat you.

Only to bad jokes.

next time you see an hyena, ask it "Why did the chicken cross the road?" then you will know the truth about laughing hyenas.

No, it's actually smoker's cough.

1) They have a vocalization that sounds like human laughter.
However, it does not seem to have the same emotional ingredients (such as contempt, hatred, ridicule, sarcasm, love, amusement etc).


2) "Spotted hyenas are very vocal animals, and produce a number of different calls. Generally, high pitched calls signify fear or submission, while low pitched calls accompany a high tendency to attack.

The loud "whoop" is a characteristic sound of the African night and is audible for over 5 km (3 miles) or more. It is a rallying cry, which varies in speed and pitch according to the urgency of the situation. Spotted hyenas also whoop to show off as individuals, the rate and style being an indicator of social status. Because of this, spotted hyenas whoop singly rather than in chorus as wolf packs do to display their collective strength. Although males tend to whoop more than females of similar rank, dominant females will engage in the longest bouts of whooping. Giggles and grunt-laughter tend to be emitted in situations of great excitement, and perhaps indicate a conflicting tendency to flee or stay. The giggles, yells and grunts which accompany mass feeding tend to be directed at competing individuals at a carcass, and have the secondary, disadvantageous effect of attracting lions and other spotted hyenas. The pitch of the laugh indicates the hyena's age, while variations in the frequency of notes used when hyenas make noises convey information about the animal's social rank. Soft grunts are made by females calling their cubs. When attacked, spotted hyenas will emit loud growls and whimpers."

"Studies strongly suggest convergent evolution in spotted hyena and primate intelligence."
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_Hyena#Vocalisations


3) "Laughter in animals other than humans describes animal behavior which resembles human laughter.
According to Dr. Brian Carroll, self awareness is conscious concommitant of the physiological processes involving laughter or smiling reflex (response) and its grades, degrees or spectrum varies according to phylogenetic development, with no clear cut demarcation. The emotional ingredients (such as contempt, hatred, ridicule, sarcasm, love, amusement etc) are variable and involve different neurophysiological and physiological processes."

"1 Non-human primates
2 Rats
3 Dogs"
Source and further information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laughter_in_animals