The main difference between the spotted hyena and the cave hyena lies in the different length of the bones of the hind and front limbs. In the cave hyena, the humerus and the femur are longer, indicating an adaptation to environments other than those of the spotted hyena. The former was also a heavier and more robust animal: an almost complete specimen, found from the Los Aprendices cave in northern Spain, was estimated to weigh 103 kilograms.
The primary distinction between the spotted hyena and cave hyena is their limb proportions, with the cave hyena having longer bones in its hind and front limbs, indicating an adaptation to different environments. The former was also a heavier and more robust animal: a nearly complete specimen from northern Spain weighed 103 kilograms.