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Hyena
The hyena is Africa's most common large carnivore. One of the characteristic predators of the African savannah the Spotted Hyena was long thought to be solely a scavenger, but it is now known that it is one of the most successful hunters. Its sloping features and ungainly walk, together with its eerie call have earned the Spotted Hyena a bad reputation. Long thought to be of the dog family the Hyena is now thought to have more cat-like features. The Spotted Hyena is well known for its macabre chuckle or "laugh", which is an indispensable sound of the African bush at night. The large head, sloping back and a keen sense of smell is unique to this species. In ancient Egypt hyenas were domesticated, fattened and eaten, and in turn humans have on occasion become food for hyenas. Reputed to be cowardly and timid, the hyena can be bold and dangerous, attacking animals and humans.
Physical Characteristics
Habitat
Although they often move around on their own, Spotted Hyenas lives in family groups (clans) of between 2 and up to 12 or more in some areas. Every pack has a dominant female as leader and they are territorial. They scent mark and will defend their territories against other clans.
Spotted hyenas are organized into territorial clans of related individuals that defend their home ranges against intruding clans. The center of clan activity is the den, where the cubs are raised and individuals meet. The den is usually situated on high ground in the central part of the territory. Its above-ground entrances are connected to a series of underground tunnels.
Hyenas mark and patrol their territories by depositing a strong-smelling substance produced by the anal glands on stalks of grass along the boundaries. "Latrines," places where members of a clan deposit their droppings, also mark territories. The high mineral content of the bones hyenas consumes make their droppings a highly visible, chalky white.
Hyenas are social animals that communicate with one other through specific calls, postures and signals. They quickly make their various intentions known to other members of the clan, or to outsiders.
When a hyena's tail is carried straight, for example, it signals attack. When it is held up and forward over the back, the hyena is extremely excited. In contrast, it hangs down when the hyena is standing or walking leisurely. If frightened, the hyena tucks its tail between the legs and flat against the belly and usually skulks away.
Diet
The spotted hyena is a skillful hunter but also a scavenger. Truly an opportunistic feeder, it selects the easiest and most attractive food it may ignore fresh carrion and bones if there is, for example, an abundance of vulnerable wildebeest calves. It consumes animals of various types and sizes (including domestic stock and even other hyenas), carrion, bones, vegetable matter and other animals' droppings. The powerful jaws and digestive tract of the hyena allow it to process and obtain nutrients from skin and bones. The only parts of prey not fully digested are hair, horns and hooves; these are regurgitated in the form of pellets. As hyenas hunt mostly at night and devour all parts, little evidence remains of their actual meals. Although they eat a lot of dry bones, they need little water. Spotted Hyenas are opportunistic animals. They are scavengers but also regular and successful hunters and their diet may vary from insects to large animals like Zebra, Blue Wildebeest and even young Giraffe. Whether they will mainly scavenge on carcasses and other carrion or rather hunt regularly, depends on the presence of other large predators like lions and thus the regular availability of carrion / carcasses. If there are many lions around they might scavenge more regularly on carcasses of animals that lions have caught, but in the absence of lions they might hunt much more on their own.
Depending on their numbers at a kill they will attempt, more than often, successfully to drive Lions away from their kills. In areas populated by humans, they will raid and scavenge in rubbish bins and rubbish dumps or pits near human dwellings and camps.
Caring for the young Hyenas
Hyenas usually bear litters of two to four cubs, which, unlike the other two species, are born with their eyes open. Cubs begin to eat meat from kills near the den at about 5 months, but they are suckled for as long as 12 to 18 months, an unusually long time for carnivores. This is probably a necessity, as most kills are made far from the den, and hyenas, unlike jackals and hunting dogs, do not bring back food and regurgitate it for their young. At about 1 year, cubs begin to follow their mothers on their hunting and scavenging forays. Until then, they are left behind at the den with a babysitting adult.
Predators
Lions (who will attack them at every opportunity), hunting dogs and strange hyenas are among the species that prey on hyenas. Spotted Hyenas are becoming scarcer in South Africa and are rarely found outside Game Reserves and National Parks.
Did you know?
Sources:
http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_spotted_hyaena.html
http://mentalfloss.com/article/63455/12-wild-facts-about-hyenas
http://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/enghyena.html?zenden=2&subsoort_id=1&bestemming_id=1
http://www.wildlifesouthafrica.com/blog/mammals-of-south-africa/hyena-spotted-hyena
The hyena is Africa's most common large carnivore. One of the characteristic predators of the African savannah the Spotted Hyena was long thought to be solely a scavenger, but it is now known that it is one of the most successful hunters. Its sloping features and ungainly walk, together with its eerie call have earned the Spotted Hyena a bad reputation. Long thought to be of the dog family the Hyena is now thought to have more cat-like features. The Spotted Hyena is well known for its macabre chuckle or "laugh", which is an indispensable sound of the African bush at night. The large head, sloping back and a keen sense of smell is unique to this species. In ancient Egypt hyenas were domesticated, fattened and eaten, and in turn humans have on occasion become food for hyenas. Reputed to be cowardly and timid, the hyena can be bold and dangerous, attacking animals and humans.
Physical Characteristics
- Of the three species of hyena in Africa, only the spotted hyena and the shy and much rarer, striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are found in East Africa.
- The smaller, and even shyer brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea) occurs only in southern Africa.
- Different from most other animals, female spotted hyenas are dominant over the males and outweigh them by about 3 pounds.
- It is difficult to distinguish male and female hyenas by observation in the field.
Habitat
- Spotted hyenas are found in grasslands, woodlands, savannas, sub deserts, forest edges and mountains.
- They are found in a variety of habitat, from semi desert areas to open and bushveld savannah or open plains to dense bush woodland, rocky areas, hills and mountains, as long as there is enough food and carrion (in the form of animals or carcasses from kills by lions) in the area.
- Hyenas or Spotted Hyenas are mainly found in the Northern, Northeastern Eastern and Northwestern regions of South Africa.
- They are seldom found outside of protected areas and can be seen in Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, some Kwa Zulu Natal Parks and in a few other parks and reserves, as well as in protected areas like Private Game reserves.
Although they often move around on their own, Spotted Hyenas lives in family groups (clans) of between 2 and up to 12 or more in some areas. Every pack has a dominant female as leader and they are territorial. They scent mark and will defend their territories against other clans.
Spotted hyenas are organized into territorial clans of related individuals that defend their home ranges against intruding clans. The center of clan activity is the den, where the cubs are raised and individuals meet. The den is usually situated on high ground in the central part of the territory. Its above-ground entrances are connected to a series of underground tunnels.
Hyenas mark and patrol their territories by depositing a strong-smelling substance produced by the anal glands on stalks of grass along the boundaries. "Latrines," places where members of a clan deposit their droppings, also mark territories. The high mineral content of the bones hyenas consumes make their droppings a highly visible, chalky white.
Hyenas are social animals that communicate with one other through specific calls, postures and signals. They quickly make their various intentions known to other members of the clan, or to outsiders.
When a hyena's tail is carried straight, for example, it signals attack. When it is held up and forward over the back, the hyena is extremely excited. In contrast, it hangs down when the hyena is standing or walking leisurely. If frightened, the hyena tucks its tail between the legs and flat against the belly and usually skulks away.
Diet
The spotted hyena is a skillful hunter but also a scavenger. Truly an opportunistic feeder, it selects the easiest and most attractive food it may ignore fresh carrion and bones if there is, for example, an abundance of vulnerable wildebeest calves. It consumes animals of various types and sizes (including domestic stock and even other hyenas), carrion, bones, vegetable matter and other animals' droppings. The powerful jaws and digestive tract of the hyena allow it to process and obtain nutrients from skin and bones. The only parts of prey not fully digested are hair, horns and hooves; these are regurgitated in the form of pellets. As hyenas hunt mostly at night and devour all parts, little evidence remains of their actual meals. Although they eat a lot of dry bones, they need little water. Spotted Hyenas are opportunistic animals. They are scavengers but also regular and successful hunters and their diet may vary from insects to large animals like Zebra, Blue Wildebeest and even young Giraffe. Whether they will mainly scavenge on carcasses and other carrion or rather hunt regularly, depends on the presence of other large predators like lions and thus the regular availability of carrion / carcasses. If there are many lions around they might scavenge more regularly on carcasses of animals that lions have caught, but in the absence of lions they might hunt much more on their own.
Depending on their numbers at a kill they will attempt, more than often, successfully to drive Lions away from their kills. In areas populated by humans, they will raid and scavenge in rubbish bins and rubbish dumps or pits near human dwellings and camps.
Caring for the young Hyenas
Hyenas usually bear litters of two to four cubs, which, unlike the other two species, are born with their eyes open. Cubs begin to eat meat from kills near the den at about 5 months, but they are suckled for as long as 12 to 18 months, an unusually long time for carnivores. This is probably a necessity, as most kills are made far from the den, and hyenas, unlike jackals and hunting dogs, do not bring back food and regurgitate it for their young. At about 1 year, cubs begin to follow their mothers on their hunting and scavenging forays. Until then, they are left behind at the den with a babysitting adult.
Predators
Lions (who will attack them at every opportunity), hunting dogs and strange hyenas are among the species that prey on hyenas. Spotted Hyenas are becoming scarcer in South Africa and are rarely found outside Game Reserves and National Parks.
Did you know?
- Hyenas make a variety of vocalizations, including wailing calls, howling screams and the well-known "laughter" used to alert other clan members up to three miles away of a food source.
- Hyenas eat a great variety of animal products, vegetation and, according to campers, even aluminum pots and pans.
- Spotted Hyenas have an acute sense of smell, sound and sight and often congregate in large numbers at carcasses of animals killed by lions. Depending on their number, they will on many occasions drive away predators like Lion, Leopard, African Wild Dog and Cheetah from their freshly killed prey and then take over the carcass.
- Hyenas are mainly nocturnal and they are most often seen at dusk and dawn.
- They are also often seen on cool overcast days. Spotted Hyenas are scavengers as well as hunters and will hunt antelope in packs, chasing the antelope to exhaustion and then killing it. Although they are sometimes seen during daytime when they feed on carcasses of animals killed recently by lions, they mainly rest up in burrows either dug by other animals or dens dug by themselves. They also rest up in tall grass, underneath bushes, rainwater culverts and storm drains (Kruger National Park) or in caves.
- They often hide their food in water like in dams and shallow pools for short periods of time.
- In the Kruger National Park and other areas where they occur, their whooping calls, screeching giggles and laughter, is of the most interesting (some people may say eerie or frightening) calls of any animal at night in the African bush.
- Some indigenous people in Southern Africa are superstitious and still believe in witchcraft. They consider Spotted Hyenas as companions of witches and sorcerers that are part of the underworld and view them with awe.
- Contrary to popular believe, Spotted Hyenas are not cowards at all. If the opportunity arises they will attack and at times even kill lions.
- When out camping or sleeping in the open in areas where Spotted Hyenas occur, it is wise for humans to take extra care, as many people are attacked and seriously injured or killed by Spotted Hyenas foraging in and around camps.
- Hyenas are cunning and intelligent animals and are known to watch vultures’ movements to locate carcasses.
- Spotted Hyenas have the strongest jaws of all predators and can crack the bones of carcasses easily. They have been observed cracking thighbones of Buffalos.
- The size of an animal's frontal cortex is believed to be connected to its social intelligence, and hyenas have a frontal cortex on par with primates. A study done by Duke University showed that a captive pair of hyenas performed better at problem-solving and social cooperation than chimpanzees. Even more amazing is that during the study, the hyenas solved all the problems in silence, using only non-verbal signals for communication.
- Hyenas and lions often fight over the same territories and hunt the same prey. This leads to fierce competition between the two animals. They steal each other’s food and kill off the young of their enemies.
Sources:
http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_spotted_hyaena.html
http://mentalfloss.com/article/63455/12-wild-facts-about-hyenas
http://www.outtoafrica.nl/animals/enghyena.html?zenden=2&subsoort_id=1&bestemming_id=1
http://www.wildlifesouthafrica.com/blog/mammals-of-south-africa/hyena-spotted-hyena
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