 The European cave hyena was much larger than its modern African cousin, having been estimated to weigh 102 kg (225 lb).In Late Pleistocene specimens from Europe, the cave hyena's metacarpals and metatarsals are shorter and thicker, while the humerus and femur are longer, thus indicating adaptations to a different habitat from that of the modern spotted hyena.As with the African subspecies, female cave hyenas were larger than their male counterparts.