The complex and interesting life of hyenas. Hyenas - interesting facts Where do hyenas live in Africa

Hyenas live throughout Africa, the Middle East and India. Although hyenas are known as scavengers, their species is one of the most skilled and advanced predators.

Hyenas evolved to their modern form at the end of the Miocene (9±3 million years ago). Their ancestors belonged to the civet family, and the first representatives of the hyena species were similar in appearance to civets, or civets. Already at that stage of development they had strong teeth capable of chewing bone. And today such teeth are distinctive feature one of the now existing species. During the Pleistocene, which began about 2 million years ago, there was an animal known as the cave hyena. It was twice the size of the largest living hyena.

The spotted hyena is the largest and most widespread in Africa. Its habitat is very diverse - deserts, shrubs, forests throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of the extreme south and the Congo River basin. Two other species of hyenas also live in the same territory. The spotted hyena's fur is long and coarse, khaki or light brown in color with irregularly shaped dark spots. The tips of the paws and tail and muzzle are dark brown or even black, and there is a short, stiff mane on the neck and shoulders.

The brown hyena occupies the smallest territory but appears to be able to survive in almost any habitat. It is found in the desert, in areas covered with grass and shrubs, in forests and on the coast of South Africa. Its dark brown fur is much longer and shaggier than that of the spotted hyena. It is especially thick on the shoulders and back. Therefore, the hyena looks larger than it actually is.

The striped hyena, the smallest of the three species, lives further north than its relatives. It prefers open areas in eastern and northern Africa, the Middle East, Arabia, India and the southwest of the former Soviet Union. It rarely settles further than K) km from the water. She has gray or light brown fur, duck-like and shaggy, with transverse dark brown stripes, and on her back there is a coarse mane up to 20 cm long.

All hyenas have shoulders higher than the back of the body, and the spine is not parallel to the ground, but at a significant angle. They have a bouncing, swinging gait because they are pacers. U spotted hyenas The ears are rounded, while those of brown and tabby cats are pointed.

Although hyenas can often be found during the day, they are more active at dusk and during dark time days, and during the day they prefer to rest in or near the den. A hyena makes its home either by expanding the burrows of other animals, or by finding a secluded place among the rocks or in the forest. Hyenas are very attached to their territory, vigilantly guard the space around the den, and also consider a larger hunting area to be theirs. The size of this area can vary significantly, depending on the amount and availability of food. Hyenas mark the boundaries of their territory with secretions from the anal glands and scent glands between the toes, as well as urine and feces. The brown hyena has the most developed anal scent glands. She secretes two types of secretion - white and black paste, which she uses mainly to mark grass.

Spotted hyenas are perhaps the most social of all hyenas. They live in large groups, or clans, which can number up to 80 individuals. Most often, a clan consists of 15 animals. The female hyena is larger than the male and occupies a dominant position, which is not often found among predators.

Here is a short series of images from Peter Hugo (born 1976 and raised in Cape Town, South Africa). He is a South African photographer specializing primarily in portraits, and his work is rooted in the cultural traditions of African communities. Hugo himself calls himself “a photographer-politician with a small P.” One of the most famous works of this photographer is the series “Hyenas and Other People”. For his portrait of a man with a hyena, Hugo won a prize in the Portraits category at the World Press Photo competition in 2005.

Abdullah Muhammad with the Mainasara hyena in Ogere Remo, Nigeria. (Photo by Pieter Hugo)

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara. (Photo by Pieter Hugo)

Mammi Ahmadu and Mallam Mantari Lamal with the hyena Mainasara. (Photo by Pieter Hugo)

Mallam Galadima Ahmadu with Jamis in Abuja, Nigeria. (Photo by Pieter Hugo)

Mallam Mantari Lamal with Mainasara. (Photo by Pieter Hugo)

The greeting ceremony for both sexes and all ages is quite elaborate - each animal raises a hind leg so that the other can smell its genitals. They also maintain contact by screaming and other sounds, of which only a few are heard by the human ear. Hyenas have a loud, distinct voice and can be heard several kilometers away. Sometimes the spotted hyena is called the laughing hyena because of its cry, similar to laughter. Brown hyenas lead a more solitary lifestyle. They live in families of 4-6 individuals and hunt alone. As a sign of greeting, brown hyenas also sniff each other, head and body, while bristling their manes, but they make significantly fewer different sounds.
Nutrition

Until recently, it was believed that all hyenas are scavengers and feed on the remains of carcasses of animals killed by other predators. It turned out, however, that the spotted hyena, thanks to its acute vision, excellent sense of smell, and social image life - one of the most skillful and dangerous predators.

The spotted hyena can hunt alone, but often pursues prey in a pack. Hyenas reach speeds of up to 65 km/h so they can catch up with animals such as zebra and wildebeest. They grab the victim by the legs or sides and hold him in a death grip until he falls. Then the whole flock attacks her and literally tears her into pieces. A hyena can eat 15 kg of meat in one sitting. Most often, they chase antelopes shortly after they have given birth to their cubs, because the babies are easy prey.

The spotted hyena's jaws are one of the most powerful of all predators. With them she can scare away even a lion and a tiger and can easily gnaw the largest bones of a buffalo. Digestive system The hyena is designed in such a way that it is able to digest bones. Their feces white due to the high calcium content from the bones eaten.

The spotted hyena's diet depends on its habitat and time of year. The hyena's menu includes rhinoceros, lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and all types of antelope that live in their habitat, as well as insects, reptiles and some grass. They eat any carrion that comes their way, and sometimes rummage through garbage near human habitations. There are always many contenders for a killed victim, so the animals tear off as large a piece as possible from the corpse and run off to the side with it so that someone does not tear the meat out of their teeth.
They feed on carrion, searching for it using their keen sense of smell. They hunt alone and in pairs. Most often, their prey is small vertebrates, as well as domestic lambs and kids. Their diet also includes insects, eggs, fruits and vegetables. If a hyena finds a large tunga, it can bite off a larger piece and hide it in a secluded place to dine on next time.

Brown hyenas also feed on beached dead fish and corpses of sea animals.

The time hyenas spend hunting and searching for food depends on the availability of food. Brown hyenas spend 10 or more hours a day searching for food.

Hyenas breed at any time of the year, however greatest number babies are born between August and January. Spotted hyenas mate with members of their own clan; among brown hyenas, a male traveler mates with a female living in a group that he meets along the way. The brown hyena's pregnancy lasts 110 days. A litter most often consists of two puppies. The birth takes place in a burrow - a large hole in an open area covered with grass (part of this landscape is visible in the photograph). Several females gather in one burrow and together produce offspring. Unlike almost all predators, dark brown puppies are born with their eyes open. In addition, they already have teeth. If necessary, puppies can run immediately after birth.

All pups remain in the hole under the care of one or two females. They come to the surface of the earth so that their mother can feed them milk, but for safety reasons they do not leave the burrow until they are about 8 months old. At this age, they go hunting or in search of food with their mother. Hyenas never bring prey into a hole, so that predators cannot determine the location of the shelter by the strong smell of carrion. Spots appear at 4 months. At the age of one to one and a half years, the puppies are “weaned”.

Brown and striped hyenas have a shorter gestation period of 90 days. The brown hyena's litter consists of two puppies, and the striped one's litter consists of five. In both species, puppies are born blind and defenseless; their eyes open after two weeks. In family groups of brown hyenas, not only the mother, but any of the females can feed the baby with milk. After the puppies are three months old, all members of the family will carry food to them in the hole.
By the end of the first year, the mother stops feeding the puppies milk, but they remain in the family for several more months.

In the first half of the 20th century. hyenas were considered pests, dangerous to the inhabitants of the reserves, and were destroyed. This species was practically exterminated in the south of South Africa. Thanks to collective hunting and social distribution of food, spotted hyenas have resisted human aggression more successfully than the other two species and have survived in greater numbers.

Brown and striped hyenas in many regions they are on the verge of extinction. Man has practically exterminated them because they cause damage to him household. Another reason for the decrease in the number of the species is the active development of new lands by humans and competition with a more adapted species - spotted hyenas.

This is how Aristotle spoke about this beast: “They were treacherous and cowardly; they greedily tore at the carrion and laughed like demons, and they also knew how to change gender, becoming either female or male for no reason.” Alfred Brehm also did not have kind words for them:

“Few animals have such a fantastic story as hyenas... Do you hear how their voices resemble satanic laughter? So know that the devil really laughs in them. They have already done a lot of evil!”

Elian, the author of the works “Motley Stories” and “On the Nature of Animals,” wrote: “On a full moon, the hyena turns its back to the light, so that its shadow falls on the dogs. Bewitched by the shadow, they become numb, unable to utter a sound; the hyenas carry them away and devour them.”

Pliny was a little “kinder” to them; he considered the hyena a useful animal, in the sense that many medicinal potions could be made from it (Pliny cited a whole page of them).

Even Ernest Hemingway, who knew the habits of various animals well, knew about hyenas only that they were “hermaphrodites that desecrate the dead.”

It’s not surprising that such an unattractive animal was not of much interest to researchers. This is how unflattering information was passed from book to book, turning into facts that no one really checked.

And only in 1984, a center for the study of hyenas was opened at the University of Berkeley (this is in California). Scientists working there learned a lot of interesting things about these unusual animals.

The hyena family includes four species: spotted, brown, striped hyenas and aardwolf. The latter is very different from its relatives: smaller than other hyenas, and feeds mainly on insects, occasionally hunting chicks or small rodents. The aardwolf is very rare and is listed in the International Red Book.

Now hyenas are rightfully considered the orderlies of the African expanses. By eating the carcasses of dead animals, these animals prevent the spread of diseases in savannas and deserts. Many scientists believe that without these creatures, despised for centuries, the savannah could easily turn into a fetid wasteland.

So what is so amazing about these laughing animals? Let's start with the fact that the body of hyenas has truly fantastic resistance to microorganisms. An example is the anthrax epidemic in Luangwa in 1897, when more than four thousand hippos died from the disease. And their corpses, which contributed to the spread of the disease, were eaten by hyenas. And not just without harm to themselves: the laughing orderlies also managed to significantly increase their number by gorging on free grub.

In addition, hyenas have very powerful jaws, capable of chewing bones, horns, and hooves. That is why there are practically no animal skeletons in the African savannas.

The next feature of hyenas is that at first glance, and at the second and third, it is also almost impossible to figure out where he is and where she is. The reason is that where males have a male “aggregate,” females have something strikingly similar to it, which, upon closer examination, turns out to be a hypertrophied clitoris. That's why hyenas for a long time considered hermaphrodites.

The reason for such impressive “feminine virtues” is considered to be testosterone, the level of which in the blood of pregnant females increases tens of times, while in other mammals at this time the amount of its “enemy” – estrogen – increases. Testosterone is responsible for the formation of male traits; scientists also explain the aggressive behavior of females with it. By the way, it is the female who is at the head of the pack. In some animals, the leader can be either a male or a female. Among hyenas, only the lady can be in charge. Representatives of the fair sex among hyenas are generally larger, stronger and more aggressive than males, who lead a very subordinate lifestyle.

But despite all this, hyenas are very caring mothers. Driving the males away from the prey, they are the first to allow the cubs to approach it. By the way, a hyena feeds its babies with milk for about 20 months. However, it must be said that the mother has tender feelings only for her children. When hyenas go hunting, their cubs remain under the supervision of “guards” who will protect them, but will never feed them if something bad happens to their mother...

Hyena babies are also unusual. Let's start with the fact that experts still have not agreed on what to call them: kittens or puppies, since they have not decided which family the hyena is closer to. But no matter what they are called, the cubs are born sighted, with fairly developed teeth and very angry. For them natural selection begins right from the moment of birth. Every kitten (or puppy) wants to be not the first among its brothers and sisters, but the only one. The reason for all this is the same testosterone, which literally goes off scale in these cute-looking babes. After some time, its level drops, and the surviving cubs begin to live more or less amicably.

Hyenas are good runners. While hunting, they can reach a speed of 65 km/h and maintain it for five kilometers. Observing these animals, experts have refuted another myth about the laughing inhabitants of Africa. It is hunting, and not searching for dead animals, that is the main way for hyenas to obtain food. They hunt primarily wildebeest, eating approximately 10% of their number each year, thereby helping to control their numbers.

Savannah orderlies eat carrion during dry periods of the year. Then the herbivores go in search of water and food, leaving behind the corpses of their less hardy relatives. But no matter how the hyenas get the food, once they get to it, the animals eat everything, including bones, horns and hooves; they can even lick the grass clean. In a fit of this gastronomic excitement, hyenas may well bite the paw or face of an inattentive dinner companion without even noticing it.

After eating, the animals indulge in an afternoon rest, lying down in the shade and covering themselves with earth. In general, they love to take different baths - water, mud, and dust. Connected with this passion is one feature that clearly does not make African orderlies attractive in the eyes of humans: hyenas really like to roll around in half-decomposed remains. It is quite understandable that after such a procedure the animal smells, to put it mildly. Moreover, as scientists have found, the more expressive this aroma is, the more respectful they are to its owner. But hyenas remained indifferent to the floral scents on the fur of their fellow tribesmen...

Here they are, laughing orderlies of the African expanses.

sources
http://shkolazhizni.ru/archive/0/n-29371/
http://www.animalsglobe.ru/gieni/
http://superspeak.ru/index.php?showtopic=540

And here’s another reminder of interesting animals: , and here they are. What a handsome guy The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

In addition to deserts, Africa has numerous savannas. It is they who stretch across the entire continent, starting from the south of the Sahara and all the way to Kenya. An endless sea of ​​grass, also called the savannah belt.

All vegetation in these regions is represented by shrubs and small thickets. Hard subequatorial climate divides the whole year into 2 seasons - these are dry months of heat, and then long heavy rains.

In such conditions, wild animals are very dependent on the weather, since the conditions here are not the most comfortable.

Due to constant winds and a small amount of vegetation, these areas can only be inhabited by species that are able to adapt well.

One of these representatives are hyenas. They live in flocks like open spaces, and on the edges of small forests. Quite often, they choose paths and roads as their habitat, where they might be able to profit from something.

Life and habits of hyenas

Many people identify these animals with insidious and evil scavengers who can easily kill innocent victims.

This is far from true; such categories cannot be distinguished among animals. Hyenas are the same predators as any other, they just have a different approach to getting prey.

Previously, they were classified as members of the canine family, apparently due to the fact that their habits were largely similar.

However, these animals are more similar to cats, such as mongooses or civets. Hyenas are differentiated into several breeds:

• Spotted;
• Buraya;
• Striped;
• Aardwolf;

The spotted hyena is the largest and ranks 3rd among the most dangerous predators on the African continent.

Of course, in such harsh living conditions, clashes between species often occur. Conflicts arise in the struggle for food and habitat. The main rivals of hyenas are hyena dogs. Both species live in packs and in battles between them, those who have numerical superiority win.

A distinctive feature of hyenas is their shrill voice, which scares people even today. IN old times for this reason, hyenas were called servants of hell and were considered demonic creatures.

All because they can, as it were, imitate evil human laughter. Most often this happens when the whole flock is having a hearty dinner or lunch. One can imagine the horror that could wash over from what they heard - even if a small flock began to “laugh” ominously.

The most unpleasant neighbors for these animals are more large predators. They can take prey from hyenas and drive them away from good territories. However, spotted cats themselves can profit from the “fruits” of others’ hunts, but as a rule, these are just leftovers or carrion.

Like other predators, hyenas mark their territory. They do this through feces and secretions. This is done to prevent other animals or foreign flocks from wandering into their territory. In addition, one of the clan representatives remains to guard the borders.

It often happens that animals move to other places. This happens in order to find more food and Better conditions. As a rule, they lead night look life, and during the day they simply rest and gain strength after night outings.

Despite their clumsy appearance - the front legs of hyenas are noticeably longer than the hind legs, they are capable of developing higher speed and maintain it over fairly long distances.

This makes them one of the most effective hunters in African savannah. Contrary to prevailing stereotypes, it should be noted that they eat carrion only 20% of the time. They are excellent hunters, and they also work together and perform sanitary functions for the habitats in which they live.

How do hyenas reproduce?

Female hyenas can mate every couple of weeks. This makes conception more likely. In males, the period of activity is distributed across seasons.

There is a whole fertilization ritual. First, males fight with each other for females, who have a dominant position and the highest status in the pack. After one of the males wins, he must obtain permission from the female to impregnate her, and only after that can he get down to business.

The period after conception and before birth is up to 14 weeks. A female can give birth to up to 3 puppies at a time. Mothers give birth in burrows specially equipped for this purpose, which they can dig themselves or take from other animals.

Hyena cubs are much more adapted to life than, for example, dogs or cats. They are born fully sighted and weigh up to a couple of kilograms. However, this does not prevent females from feeding their children with their milk for up to 1.5 years.

Each mother feeds exclusively her puppies. With age, the cubs change color, acquiring colors close to their species. They receive the same status in the pack as their parents.

On average, hyenas live 10-13 years. They are trainable and easy to work with in zoos and captivity.

Photo of a hyena in the wild

For a long time no one could find a kind word for hyenas. They are treacherous and cowardly; They greedily torment carrion, laugh like demons, and also know how to change gender, becoming either females or males.

Ernest Hemingway, who traveled extensively in Africa and was well versed in the habits of animals, knew about hyenas only that they were “hermaphrodites who desecrate the dead.”

From ancient times to the present day, the same stories have been told about hyenas. chilling stories. They were copied from book to book, but no one bothered to check them. For a long time, no one was really interested in hyenas.

It was only in 1984 that a center for studying individuals was opened at the University of Berkeley (California). Nowadays a colony of forty lives here spotted hyenas(Crocuta crocuta) are the most misunderstood animals in the world.

Who eats a lion for dinner?

In fact, spotted hyenas are very different from other predatory animals. For example, only among hyenas are females larger and more massive than males. Their constitution determines the life of the pack: matriarchy reigns here. In this feminist world, there is no point in males bickering; their life partners are much stronger and meaner than them, but they cannot be called insidious.

“Hyenas are the most caring mothers among predators,” notes Professor Stephen Glickman, who initiated the study of hyenas at Berkeley.

Unlike lionesses, hyenas drive males away from their prey, initially allowing only babies to approach it. In addition, these anxious mothers feed their cubs with milk for almost 20 months.

Many myths will be dispelled by impartial observation of hyenas. The Eaters fell? There are just no enterprising hunters who hunt down large prey with the whole flock. They eat carrion only in times of hunger.

Cowardly? Among predators, only hyenas are ready to repel the “king of beasts.” With devilish laughter, they press on the lions if they are going to take away their prey, for example, a defeated zebra, which the pack did not get easily.

Hyenas themselves attack old lions, finishing them off in a matter of minutes. A coward would only dare to attack a hare.

As for their hermaphrodism, this is one of the most common ridiculous myths. Hyenas are bisexual, although determining their gender is actually difficult. This is due to the fact that the genital organs of females are almost no different in appearance from males. Their labia form a sac-like fold, reminiscent of a scrotum; the clitoris is similar in size to the penis; only by studying its structure, one can understand that this is a female organ.

Why are hyenas so unusual? At first, Glickman and his colleagues suggested that the blood of females had a very high level of testosterone, a male sex hormone that helps form muscles and hair in males, and also encourages them to behave aggressively. However, with this hormone, everything was normal in hyenas. But in pregnant females its content suddenly increased.

The reason for the unusual structure of the hyena (the size of females and morpho-sexual similarity with males) turned out to be a hormone called androstenedione, which, under the influence of an enzyme, can be converted into female hormone- estrogen - or testosterone is a male hormone.

As Glickman found out, in pregnant hyenas androstenedione, penetrating the placenta, is converted into testosterone. In all other mammals, including humans, on the contrary, it is estrogen.

A special enzyme stimulates the appearance of estrogen, which is little active in the body of hyenas. Thus, so much testosterone is produced in the placenta that the embryo is formed with pronounced masculine (male) characteristics, regardless of gender.

Bloodthirsty kids

Due to their strange anatomy, childbirth in hyenas is very difficult and often ends in the death of the cubs. At the University of Berkeley, out of every seven cubs, only three survive; the rest die from lack of oxygen. IN wildlife often the mother herself does not survive. Female hyenas most often die because they are attacked by lions during childbirth.

Striped hyena

Two and sometimes more babies are born, weighing up to two kilograms. The babies have a charming appearance: button eyes and black fluffy fur. But it’s hard to imagine more feisty little ones. A few minutes after their birth, tiny hyenas are already rushing at each other, trying to kill their brothers.

“They are the only mammals that are born with sharp canines and incisors,” Glickman notes. “In addition, unlike cats, hyenas are born sighted - and immediately see only enemies around them.”

They bite, twist, gnaw and tear at each other's backs. Their fights are in no way similar to the jostling of kittens trying to be the first to get to their mother's nipples. Hyena cubs want to be not the first, but the only one, and the struggle between them is life and death. About a quarter of the cubs die as soon as they are born.

But their passion for murderous fights gradually wears off. In the first weeks of life, the testosterone content in the blood of young animals steadily decreases. The survivors of these feuds are reconciled with each other. It is curious that throughout their lives, female hyenas behave more aggressively than males. Why did nature turn these spotted beauties into some kind of “super mensch”?

Lawrence Frank proposed a hypothesis. Throughout their history - and it goes back 25 million years - hyenas have learned to eat prey together - as a whole pack. For kids, this kind of carcass sharing is discrimination. While the adults, pushing them aside, tore at the meat, the little hyenas were left with only scraps, mostly gnawed bones.

From such a meager diet they starved and soon died. Nature favored those females who, rushing at other hyenas, cleared a place near the prey for their babies. The more aggressive the hyena behaved, the more likely its offspring were to survive. The cubs of warlike hyenas could feast on meat along with the adults.

The ancient world about hyenas

In ancient times, two types of hyenas were known: striped and spotted, and the first, inhabitant North Africa and Western Asia, was, of course, more familiar to people than the spotted one, living south of the Sahara. However, ancient writers did not distinguish between the types of hyenas. Thus, Aristotle, as well as Arnobius and Cassius Felix, Latin writers, natives of Africa, mention the hyena without touching on its species differences.

Since ancient times, people have been amazed by the dexterity and perseverance with which hyenas tore up graves, so they were feared like evil demons. They were considered werewolves. A hyena seen in a dream meant a witch. In various parts of Africa it was believed that sorcerers turned into hyenas at night. Until recently, the Arabs buried the head of a killed hyena, fearing it.

In Egypt, hyenas were hated and persecuted. This “carrion eater” deeply offended the inhabitants of the Nile Valley, who were accustomed to honoring the bodies of the dead. On Theban frescoes you can see scenes of hunting with dogs for animals that lived in clearing deserts: gazelles, hares, hyenas.

The Talmud described the flow of an evil spirit from a hyena this way: “When a male hyena is seven years old, he takes the form bat; after another seven years it turns into another bat called arpad; after another seven years, nettles sprout; after another seven years, a thorn tree, and finally an evil spirit emerges from it.”

One of the church fathers, Jerome, who lived for a long time in Palestine, writes about it with obvious hostility, recalling how hyenas and jackals scurry in hordes on the ruins of ancient cities, instilling terror in the souls of random travelers.

Since time immemorial, there have been many different legends about hyenas. As already mentioned, they were credited with hermaphrodism and the ability to change their gender. They said with shudder that a hyena, imitating the voice of a person, lures children out and then tears them into pieces. They said that the hyena was killing dogs. The Libyans put barbed collars on their dogs to protect them from hyenas.

In Africa, the hyena can be a common pet like a dog.

Pliny wrote that the hyena looks like a cross between a dog and a wolf and will chew any object with its teeth, and immediately digests the swallowed food in its belly. In addition, Pliny gave an extensive - a whole page! - a list of potions that can be prepared from the skin, liver, brain and other organs of a hyena. Thus, the liver helped with eye diseases. Galen, Caelius, Oribasius, Alexander of Tralles, and Theodore Priscus also wrote about this.

The skin of a hyena has long been attributed magical properties. When going to sow, peasants often wrapped a basket of seeds with a piece of this skin. It was believed that this protected the crops from hail.

“On a full moon, the hyena turns its back to the light, so that its shadow falls on the dogs. Bewitched by the shadow, they become numb, unable to utter a sound; the hyenas carry them away and devour them.”

Aristotle and Pliny noted a particular dislike of hyenas for dogs. Many authors also assured that any person, be it a child, a woman or a man, easily becomes prey for a hyena if it manages to catch him sleeping.

“We must accept that this hyena is paying for its ugliness. Among all predators, she is, without a doubt, the ugliest, most vile phenomenon; add also its spiritual qualities so that the animal becomes more hated. She is more stupid, malicious and rude than her striped relative,” wrote zoologist Alfred Brehm at the end of the 19th century.

UNrecognized and slandered

Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) have an angular head with a blunt muzzle, powerful jaws, a squat body, a sloping back, yellow-brown spotted fur, of course, not the most pleasant appearance. It turns out, however, that they are among the most interesting views mammals and the most successful predators. It is now known that they, which have long enjoyed a bad reputation as carrion eaters, can handle even large, defensively capable game. Hyenas live (which has no analogues among other land predators) in groups in which females predominate.

TOUGH HUNTERS AND CARRING ANIMALS

Spotted hyenas, whose body length reaches 1.3-1.85 m and weight 39-74 kg, come from areas south of the Sahara. They inhabit wet savannas, open areas, semi-dry shrub deserts and mountainous areas up to 3300 m in height. Survival specialists, they feed on everything that their habitat offers: meat, carrion, fruits, berries, tubers, eggs. How often hyenas hunt on their own or prefer carrion depends on external conditions.

Hyenas often hunt in packs, driving their prey into a trap. They do not have a special killing technique: usually several animals grab the victim with their teeth, and it bleeds. Spotted hyenas are runners that can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h. Strong and active hunters at night manage to kill such large prey as the white-bearded antelope.

COMPETITION FOR LIONS

The idea of ​​the lion as a “bold predator” and the hyena as a “cowardly consumer of carrion” is misleading, since often the animal that the lions were unable to eat is killed by the hyenas. In order for the “kings of nature”, standing above hyenas in biological subordination, not to deprive them of food, the latter developed various behavioral methods of adaptation: they learned to divide the corpse of an animal into parts and eat it with breathtaking speed; A single spotted hyena can swallow a Thomson's gazelle calf in less than two minutes. When disturbed, they do not try to drag away the prey, but carry it in their mouths to a safe place so as not to leave traces. Hyenas do not always meekly yield to their rivals. Depending on the number of animals in the group, they can even drive lions away from their prey.

EITHER A MALE OR A FEMALE

Spotted hyenas have a special social organization of life. Their community consists of strong females and weak males. Females are larger and weigh more. Their external genitourinary organs are similar in appearance to the male genitalia. Where the vagina should be is a structure resembling a scrotum. But instead of testicles, it contains adipose tissue.

AGGRESSIVENESS AS AN ADVANTAGE IN THE DIFFICULT MATTER OF SURVIVAL

Spotted hyenas were considered hermaphrodites until the 19th century, but internal structure females and males are normal: some have ovaries, others have testicles. In female striped hyenas, the closest relatives of spotted hyenas, the structure of the genital organs is completely normal, therefore spotted hyenas are considered pseudohermaphrodites. This is apparently the result of a mutation. Special structure female genitalia leads to the fact that more than 50% of first-borns are stillborn. One would assume that natural selection would soon occur. But the mutation is accompanied by one property that obviously compensates for this shortcoming - aggressiveness. Female spotted hyenas are extremely warlike; in the clan they dominate in every way. Both sexes have their own hierarchy, but the lower-ranking female in any case stands above the male.

RELATIVES READY FOR FIGHT

After a 3-4 month pregnancy, the female gives birth to 1-2 cubs with uniform dark brown fur, open eyes and well-developed teeth. Newborn female hyenas behave extremely aggressively: when two females are born, a fight for milk often leads to the killing of their sister (siblicide). When food becomes scarce, hyenas produce more males as males leave the group and females remain in the clan.

Spotted hyenas live in clans of 20 to 80 animals. In order to reduce aggressiveness, they greet each other by licking the excited genitals. For this reason, males courting a female carefully approach her in a pose of humility, crawling on their bellies. In addition, spotted hyenas have a rich repertoire of sounds, consisting of laughter, whimpers, bleats, howls, giggles and howls; thanks to them they get to know each other.

An adult spotted hyena eats on average 3-6 kg of meat per day, but during one single meal it can easily swallow even 15 kg. At the same time, it does not disdain large tubular bones: the structure of the jaw allows it to effectively crush even the bones of a rhinoceros. It is driven by unusually powerful cervical, occipital and jaw muscles. Thanks to the presence of highly concentrated of hydrochloric acid Due to the composition of gastric juice and excellent digestion, the hyena can digest everything. Thus, spotted hyenas absorb food that is inaccessible to other predators.

A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF

Spotted hyena, crocuta (Crocuta crocuta)

• Class mammals.
• Predator squad.
• Hyena family.
• Distribution: savannas and open landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa.
• Body length with head: 130-185 cm.
• Height at withers: 70-90 cm.
• Weight: males - 40-58 kg; females - 39-74 kg.
• Diet: ungulates, small mammals, carrion, fruits, berries, tubers.
• Puberty: from 2-3 years.
• Duration of pregnancy: about 110 days.
• Number of cubs: 2.
• Lifespan: approximately 18 years.

Hyenas, or Hyenas, are a family of predatory mammals of the suborder Felidae. Characteristic features members of the family have a short, thick head with a short, thick or pointed muzzle; Their hind legs are shorter than their front legs, so their back is sloping, from the shoulder area to the sacrum. The limbs are four-fingered, with non-retractable claws; step on toes. The tail is shaggy: long, coarse hair forms a mane on the neck and along the back.

Where does the hyena live?

• Habitat of hyenas depends on the type. For example, aardwolf lives in Eastern, Northeastern and West Africa except Tanzania and Zambia. Predators settle in open sandy plains or in thickets of bushes, where they go out to hunt at dusk.
• Brown hyenas live also in Africa, in the Zambezi along the Indian and Atlantic Ocean, in Tanzania, in Zimbabwe, in Namibia, Somalia, in Botswana. They live in desert or semi-desert places, in savannas, in coastal areas, in forests, going out to hunt at dusk.
• Striped hyenas are found in North Africa, Turkey, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, India, southern Sahara, and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. They go out hunting at night, and during the day they live in burrows, crevices and caves.
• Spotted hyenas live in South and East Africa, in Kenya, Sudan, Namibia, Somalia, Tanzania, Botswana, they settle in savannas at high elevations.

Description

These are large-sized animals: body length varies from 50 cm for a small aardwolf to 1.5 m for a spotted hyena, weight, respectively, from 10 to 80 kg. All hyenas are characterized by a large head with a wide mouth and powerful jaws. Limbs of hyenas different lengths: The hind legs are much shorter than the front ones, which makes the hyena seem to be crouching all the time. Strong paws are armed with blunt claws. The tail is short and shaggy. All hyenas have long, coarse fur, only the spotted hyena has short fur.

Painted different types in different ways: gray spotted hyena with brown spots, light gray striped hyena with a dark muzzle and black transverse stripes on the body, brown hyena and the aardwolf is solid brown. A unique feature of hyenas is that females have pseudo-male genitalia. Externally, animals of different sexes can only be distinguished by size - female hyenas are larger than males. This is where the long-standing belief comes from that hyenas are hermaphrodites. An unpleasant addition is the specific smell, which in these animals is quite strong.

The spotted and brown hyenas and the aardwolf live in Africa, and the striped hyena, in addition to the African continent, is found in Asia Minor, Central and South Asia. All types of hyenas prefer to live in open landscapes - savannas, steppes and semi-deserts. The brown hyena is found mainly on the coasts of the continent.

Types of hyenas

Below is short description varieties of hyenas.

Striped hyena (lat. Hyaena hyaena)

A fairly large animal with a body length of 0.9 to 1.2-1.5 meters and a height at the withers of up to 0.8 m. The length of the tail is about 30 cm. Males are much larger than females, therefore, depending on gender, a hyena weighs from 27 to 54 (sometimes 60) kg. Thanks to a special mane of coarse hair, the length of which sometimes reaches 30 cm, the height of the scapular region becomes more pronounced. The coat, about 7 cm long, is dirty gray or brownish-yellow in color with black or brown stripes running across the body. The characteristic structure of the striped hyena's paws becomes especially noticeable when walking, which is why the animal appears to be dragging its hindquarters. The toes on the front and hind limbs are tightly connected. The striped hyena's head is large, with a slightly elongated muzzle and wide, pointed ears. big size. 34 teeth, which are located in wide jaws, driven by powerful muscles, allow you to tear meat and bones into pieces.

The striped hyena lives in clay deserts or rocky foothills. It goes out in search of prey at night and twilight, and during the day it sits out in crevices, abandoned burrows or caves. Striped hyenas are the only representatives of the family that can live in territories not located on African continent. The habitat of this species includes the countries of North Africa, as well as areas located south of the Sahara. These animals are found in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, India and the countries of the Arabian Peninsula.

Brown hyena (lat. Hyaena brunnea)

This species differs from the striped hyena in its more modest size. The body length of these animals rarely exceeds 1.1 - 1.25 m (according to some sources, the maximum length reaches 1.6 m). The height at the withers is 70–88 cm. The sizes of males and females are practically the same, although the weight of males is slightly larger and can exceed 48 kg, while the body weight of females barely reaches 40 kg. The light mane, up to 30 cm long, hanging from the neck along the entire spine of these hyenas, looks contrasting against the shaggy, monochromatic, brown-brown coat, which is slightly longer than that of their striped relatives. A characteristic feature of this species is the gray coloration of the head and legs, with horizontal whitish stripes clearly visible on the legs.

The neck and shoulders are painted white. The size of the skull of brown hyenas is larger than that of striped hyenas, and the teeth are more durable. Below the base of the tail, these animals have an anal gland that produces black and white secretions. With its help, the animal marks the boundaries of its territory. Brown hyenas live in desert and semi-desert areas, found in savannas and forests, but most of populations are confined to coastal areas. The brown hyena's habitat includes Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique, Tanzania and Somalia, as well as other African countries located south of the current the Zambezi River along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. These animals go out in search of food after dark.

Spotted hyena (lat. Crocuta crocuta)

A wild animal from the genus Crocuta. Spotted hyenas are the most typical representatives the whole family. This is expressed in the characteristic structure of the animal’s body and its habits. The length of the body with a tail can reach 1.6 m (according to some sources 1.85 m), the height at the withers is up to 80 cm. The weight of female hyenas ranges from 44.5 kg to 82 kg, males are much lighter and weigh from 40 kg to 62 kg. The yellowish-gray or sand-colored coat, decorated with rounded spots of dark brown or black color on the sides, back and limbs, is shorter than that of its relatives.

Depending on the habitat, body color can vary from lighter to darker tones. The hair on the head is brown, with a reddish tint on the cheeks and nape. Brown rings are clearly visible on the rather short tail with a dark tip. There may be light-colored “socks” on the front and hind limbs of the mammal. Unlike representatives of other species, spotted hyenas have shorter ears and their tips are rounded. These hyenas have the largest “repertoire” voice communication allowing you to express different emotions. Spotted hyenas live in savannas and on the elevated plateaus of Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana and other countries in Southern or Eastern Africa. Spotted hyenas are most active at night, although they can scour in search of prey during the day. The social organization of clans among spotted hyenas is based on the dominance of females, so even males high rank subordinate to low-ranking females.

Aardwolf (lat. Proteles cristatus)

The smallest species of the hyena family. Unlike spotted and striped hyenas, aardwolves have a more fragile build. The body length of these animals reaches 55-100 cm with a height at the withers of up to 50 cm, and the weight of individuals is 8-14 kg. Like all hyenas, the hind limbs of aardwolves are shorter than the front ones, but the sloping back is not so pronounced. The head of these animals is slightly elongated and resembles a dog’s in appearance. On the coat, which is yellowish-gray or reddish in color, black transverse stripes are clearly visible. The same stripes are visible on the legs of the animal. The long hanging mane, running along the entire ridge, at the moment of danger takes on a vertical position and visually increases the size of this small predator. The jaws of aardwolves are much weaker than those of other species, which is due to the wolf's diet, which feeds on termites and other insects and their larvae, such as carrion beetles. These representatives of hyenas, the only ones in the entire family, have five toes on their forelimbs.

Aardwolves live in most countries of Eastern, Northeastern and Southern Africa, being absent only from the tropical forests of Tanzania and Zambia, which makes the distribution range of this species fragmented. These predators prefer to settle in places where there are open sandy plains and bushes. They go in search of food in the twilight and night hours, and during the day they sit out in abandoned porcupine burrows, although they are capable of digging shelters for themselves.

Pachycrocuta brevirostris

This is an extinct species of hyena. Judging by the fossilized bones found in Eurasia, eastern and southern Africa, these hyenas were real giants. The average weight of the predator was approximately 110 kg, and the size of the animal can be compared with the size of a modern lioness. Perhaps representatives of the species were scavengers, since with such impressive dimensions it is impossible to develop high speed It was not easy for hunting.

Lifestyle

Not all representatives of this family live in packs: the striped hyena and aardwolf prefer solitude. But spotted and brown hyenas form packs of five individuals or more, while a pack of spotted hyenas can sometimes be huge and consist of a hundred individuals. There is a clear hierarchy among these animals - all lower-ranking individuals are completely subordinate to their superiors (the position is determined primarily by the rank of the mother of small hyenas at their birth and it is extremely difficult to change it later). Males always occupy a lower position, and the most experienced female is in charge.

Features of behavior

There is a misconception that this mammal is a dangerous animal. This opinion is based on the fact that they kill innocents and also feed on carrion. In fact, in nature there are much more dangerous creatures, and thanks to human skills to tame and train, even domestic hyenas are found. At the same time, they become your best friend at home. If an animal comes to a meeting and begins to trust a person, then in terms of devotion it is in no way inferior to an ordinary dog.

Nature has endowed the nimble predator with abilities that seem surprising at first glance. For example, they are capable of producing peculiar sounds. With a devilish laugh, the hyena notifies its family about the discovery of a large amount of food. But animals such as lions have learned to recognize these urges. Often lions take food from hyenas. A pack of predators is unable to fight such a serious opponent and retreats. And they have no choice but to eat up the leftovers or look for a new place for lunch.

In addition, nature endowed the ends of the animal’s paws with glands. By the specific smell of the secretion produced, the “hunters” learned to identify individuals of their flock. This allows them to identify and scare away an intruder.

The hyena is not a terrible animal. In fact they do very important role eating carrion - they perform the function of orderlies. At the same time, by hunting other animals, they ensure the equality of the animal world.

Voice

The language of hyenas is very diverse and they communicate with each other using sounds - first of all, this is the world-famous cry, which is the laughter of hyenas, which creates the impression that the animal is laughing extremely unpleasantly. In reality, these sounds are a mixture of howling, screaming, roaring and something like laughter. Thus, these animals control the order of eating: the main female informs the whole world that she has finished eating, and therefore the next individual in the hierarchy can start eating - this helps pugnacious, warlike and dangerous animals maintain established relationships in the pack, and also avoid fights and conflicts.

Such laughter is characteristic only of the spotted hyena, but the brown hyena and striped hyena do not make such a sound at all. They produce growls, screams, grunts and a rough hoarse howl.

Behavior of hyenas in a pack

Matriarchy reigns in a pack of predators; a hierarchy is built according to the following principles:

• The older females are the most important. They are given the greatest privileges: to rest in the coolest place in the hole, to be the first to taste lunch. In turn, they bear and raise the largest number of offspring.
• Females low class. They follow the elders, that is, they start eating in the second place and rest away from the elders.
• Males. They belong to the lowest class.

What do hyenas eat?

Brown and striped hyenas usually hunt solitarily and are primarily scavengers, sometimes feeding on eggs, invertebrates, or small vertebrates. Spotted hyenas often go out in search of prey in small groups and take prey from jackals, cheetahs, and leopards. Often they themselves organize hunts for rodents, birds, turtles, antelopes, young giraffes, zebras and even elephant calves. In addition, these predators are not averse to feasting on domestic animals (for example, sheep). Sometimes spotted hyenas attack buffaloes, and when gathered in a large flock, they are able to kill this large animal. During the hungry season, spotted hyenas can be content with carrion: the corpses of small and large animals, including sea animals, as well as food waste. In addition, the menu of all members of the family, except for aardwolves, includes plant food. Hyenas readily eat nuts and plant seeds, as well as melons - watermelons, melons, and fruits from the pumpkin family.

Unlike other species, the aardwolf never feeds on the corpses of dead animals. Its diet is based on termites, carrion beetles, and insect larvae. When the opportunity arises, it catches small rodents, destroys bird nests and eats not only the eggs, but also the birds themselves.

Hunting

To catch prey, nature has endowed hyenas with short hind legs and long front legs, which allows them to develop enormous speed and cover fairly long distances without stopping.

As a hunter, the animal is much superior in skill to lions. They hunt mainly at night, covering more than seventy kilometers. When hunting, the mammal simply exhausts its prey by running long distances. At the same time, frightening her with a devilish laugh, turning into a howl. When the victim is unable to escape, they bite her legs, thereby completely immobilizing her. They eat their prey alive, and not, like other hunters, pre-suffocate it.

Their hearing, smell and vision are at the highest level. For example, they smell carrion at a distance of more than four kilometers.

Reproduction and offspring

The female spotted hyena can produce offspring at any time of the year; there is no specific time allocated for this. The female's genitals look frankly unconventional. They got this structure due to too high levels of testosterone in the blood. The vulva merges into large folds and looks like the scrotum and testicles. The clitoris is too large and resembles a phallus. The vagina passes through this pseudo-penis. To mate, the female can invert her clitoris so that the male can insert his penis.

The male takes the initiative to mate. By smell, he understands when the female is ready to mate. The male delicately lowers his head in front of his “lady” as a sign of respect and begins decisive actions only after her approval. Often females mate with males who are not members of their clan. It has been observed that hyenas can have sex for pleasure. Also engage in homosexual activity, especially females with other females.

The spotted hyena's gestation period is 4 months.. The young are born in the brood burrow fully developed, with eyes open and teeth fully formed. Babies weigh from 1 to 1.5 kg. They are quite active from the very beginning. Childbirth is an extremely difficult process for the spotted hyena, this is due to the structure of its genitals. Difficult-to-heal tears in the genitals may occur, which significantly delays the recovery process. Often childbirth ends with the death of the mother or baby.

Each female breastfeeds her babies for 6-12 months before weaning (full weaning may take another 2-6 months). Presumably, such long feeding may be possible due to the high content of bone products in the diet. Spotted hyena milk is extremely rich nutrients necessary for the development of children. It contains the highest amount of protein in the world, and in terms of fat content it is second only to polar bear milk. Thanks to such a high fat content, the female can leave the hole to hunt for 5-7 days without worrying about the condition of the babies. Little hyenas are considered adults only in the second year of life.

Natural enemies

Spotted hyenas are at odds with lions. This is almost their only and constant enemy. Of the total deaths of spotted hyenas, 50% die from the fangs of a lion. Often it is a matter of protecting one's own borders, sharing food and water. This is how it happened in nature. Spotted hyenas will kill lions, and lions will kill spotted hyenas. During the dry season, drought or famine, lions and hyenas are always at war with each other over territory.

This is interesting! The fight between hyenas and lions is tough. It often happens that hyenas attack defenseless lion cubs or old individuals, for which they are attacked in return.

In the struggle for food and primacy, victory goes to the group of animals whose numbers predominate. Also, spotted hyenas, like any other animal, can be exterminated by humans.

Population and species status

IN South Africa, Sierra Leone, Round, Nigeria, Mauritania, Mali, Cameroon, Burundi, their numbers are on the verge of extinction. In some countries their population is declining due to hunting and poaching.

Important! Spotted hyenas are listed in the Red Book.

In Botswana, the population of these animals is under state control. Their burrows are far from human settlements; in the region, the spotted hyena acts as game. They are at low risk of extinction in Malawia, Namibia, Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Hyena and jackal - differences

Hyenas, like jackals, are representatives of the order of predatory mammals, but there are quite a few differences between them:

• Hyenas are much larger than jackals: on average, their body length ranges from 0.8 m to 1.6 m, and the weight of adult animals ranges from 14 kg to 80 kg or more. The jackal's body reaches no more than 0.6-0.85 m in length, and the animal weighs only 8 to 10 kg.
• Jackals belong to the canid family (lat. Canidae), while hyenas belong to the hyena family (lat. Hyaenidae). In appearance and lifestyle, jackals occupy a middle place between fox and wolves. The muzzles of these animals are sharper than those of wolves, but not sharp enough compared to foxes. Hyenas, unlike jackals, are more similar in skull structure to cats.
• Unlike the hyena, the jackal's hind and front legs are the same length, so when viewed from the side its back does not appear sloping.
• The gestation period for jackals lasts only 2 months, and for hyenas it takes from 3 to 3.5 months. Female jackals are more fertile; one litter can have from 4 to 7, and sometimes 8 cubs. A hyena litter usually contains no more than 3-4 puppies, although a spotted hyena litter can sometimes have up to 7 newborns.
• Under natural conditions, jackals aged 8-10 years are considered long-livers; in captivity they can live up to 12-14 years, sometimes even up to 16 years. Hyenas live in nature no more than 12-15 years, and in zoos - up to 24 years of age.
• Hyenas very rarely get rabies; jackals are more sensitive to this virus.

• Since ancient times, humans have preserved the hyena's prejudice. People's imagination has always been excited by the sloppy appearance and unpleasant smell emanating from this animal, its eating habits, behavior and, of course, the laughter of a hyena, similar to a human. All this gave rise to myths and various legends about this animal, which were passed down from generation to generation and gradually turned into facts. Only at the end of the 20th century (1984) a center for the study of the hyena family was opened in California at the University of Berkeley. There are still 40 spotted hyenas kept here today.
• The ancient Greeks believed that these animals are hermaphrodites, that is, a female can easily turn into a male and vice versa. Only after studying hyenas did modern scientists find out that among hyenas there are both females and males, but the external genitalia of males and females are very similar in appearance. The clitoris of female spotted hyenas is quite large and reaches a length of 15 cm, and the pouch-like fold formed by the labia resembles a scrotum in appearance. This unusual structure of the external genitalia of females is associated with increased level testosterone (male hormone) in the body of pregnant hyenas. The embryos developing in the womb seem to be “bathing” in this hormone. Subsequently, this also affects the character of the females.
• It is believed that hyenas are very cowardly, but, contrary to this opinion, they are capable of taking prey from a lone lion or lioness. Sometimes old, sick lions themselves can become victims of hyenas.
• Representatives of the hyena family in the folklore of many nations have become the personification of betrayal, deceit, baseness, gluttony and greed. In the legends of the peoples of Africa, these animals are capable of not only laughing like a person, but also imitating his speech, inviting passers-by into the darkness, hypnotizing them with their gaze, and then killing them. Fortunately, there is no scientific evidence of hyena attacks on humans. But if the animal is driven into a trap, it can bite off the hunter's fingers.
• Most often, when in trouble, a hyena does not resist. Pretending to be dead, she waits for the danger to disappear, and then “comes to life.”
• In East Africa there are peoples who revere this animal. The Tavbs believe that hyenas are animals of the Sun that brought the light to the Earth to warm it. The Waniki people consider the hyena their ancestor and mourn its loss more than the loss of a chief.

Previously, people were able to different parts hyenas (skin, liver, brain, other organs) prepare healing potions that supposedly cure various ailments. For example, eye diseases were treated with her liver. The skin had “magical properties”; people believed that with its help they could protect crops in the fields and their homes from hail.

Video

Sources

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyenas https://nashzeleniymir.ru/hyena#giena-i-shakal-otlichiya.