Spotted African predator (5)
I believe the answer is:
hyena
'spotted african predator' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for hyena that I've seen before include "Meat-eater" , "Dog-like animal with laughter-like howl" , "Its howl sounds like laughter" , "Nocturnal animal with hysterical laugh" , "Dog-like scavenger" .)