The
brown hyena (
Hyaena brunnea, formerly
Parahyaena brunnea) is a species of
hyena found in
Namibia,
Botswana, western and southern
Zimbabwe, southern
Mozambique and
South Africa. It is currently the rarest species of hyena. The largest remaining brown hyena population is located in the southern
Kalahari Desert and coastal areas in Southwest Africa.