Where does the hyena live in what natural area. Hyenas are interesting facts. Striped hyena lifestyle
The savannah belt is the name given to the vast areas of the African savannas covered with a carpet of grasses. This herbal kingdom stretches across the entire continent - from the south of the Sahara, further Niger, Mali, Sudan, Chad, also Tanzania and Kenya.
Savannahs are comfortable for African animals, one of these interesting views are wild animals hyenas. Hyenas settle in open desert spaces, on the edges of forests near paths and roads. Of the vegetation in the savannah, sometimes there are shrubs and rarely single trees.
The climate here is subequatorial. The year is divided into two seasons - dry and rainy. It looks interesting in pictures from space. From above, you can clearly see the relief of this continent - the territories of deserts and evergreen rainforests occupy the most. And in the center, the savannah is wide spread, full of free wind, grasses and infrequently found lonely trees.
Scientists have established that the African savanna formed about seven million years ago, this is proof that the savanna is a young zonal type. The life of plants and animals of the savannas is directly dependent on the weather of these places.
The nature and lifestyle of the hyena
For many, the hyena causes negative emotions. Such people are sure that the hyena is an evil creature that feeds only on carrion and kills innocent victims. But, the hyena is not meaner and not more insidious than other wild predators.
Previously, the hyena was classified as a canine. But hyenas are closer to cats, or - a suborder of felines. Her lifestyle is similar to that of a dog, maybe earlier, which is why hyenas were considered dogs.
One of the breeds is spotted, this hyena - an animal of Africa. Of their relatives hyenas - striped, brown, earthen wolf, African is the largest. In terms of size, the spotted hyena is in third place in the list of predatory animals in Africa.
African animal world - lions, hyenas is not limited to these formidable predators. The rival of hyenas are hyena dogs. Skirmishes often occur between these two clans - those in whose pack there are more individuals win.
Hyenas are amazing not only in the physiology of the body and way of life. Weird and scary hyena animal sounds scare people even today. These unattractive-looking animals can emit rather peculiar vocal trills, moreover, accompanying various actions.
So, for example, a big and hearty dinner is resounded with sounds resembling evil human laughter. In the old days, people called this laughter demonic, and the hyena itself was called a servant of hell.
It serves as a signal to them that hyenas are nearby, who have a lot of food. Sometimes lions take prey from hyenas, and hyenas eat what they had time to eat. Animals of the savanna - hyenas always more comfortable in non-hot open spaces. They mark their territory with feces or odorous secretions.
Pictured spotted hyena
So that none of the enemies or unfamiliar hyenas dare to invade the marked territory. , who own this place, expose someone from their flock specifically for protection.
hyena animals, periodically, leave from one place to another in order to search for more food. The lifestyle of hyenas, as a rule, is nocturnal, but during the day they rest after long journeys or hunting.
The front legs of this wild hyena predator are longer than the hind legs, so it looks like a rather clumsy creature. But, this is a hardy animal that develops great speed and capable of running long distances. On the paws of spotted hyenas glands are located internal secretion where a specific odor unique to each individual is produced.
Pictured is a striped hyena
Hyenas, in fact, are not disgusting, not insensitive, and not ugly. Eating carrion, and hunting well, the hyena is not only a nurse, but also maintains a balance among.
Hyena food
The main and most commonly used in food are ungulates hunted -, gazelles, bison, and maybe buffaloes. Sometimes, hyena wild animals can even feast on a cub more large animal.
Animal corpses are also included in the hyena's lunch diet, but more nutrients enter the body from the caught prey. Be that as it may, it is not in vain that the hyena is distinguished by cowardice.
Hyenas are also impudent - there are times when one of the owners leaves the animals for a while, the prey they have caught unattended, the hyena will try to steal it.
Such a solitary thief can drive away even a fragile physique compared to a hyena cheetah, but when hyenas gather in a flock, it is almost impossible to cope with them alone.
Hyenas often attack sick and old animals, even lions. These cunning and not very brave predators also feed on small mammals, birds, reptiles, as well as their eggs.
And, of course, the remains of the food of other carnivores. The amazing work of digestion is arranged in such a way that hyena wild animals they can grind and assimilate bones, hooves, and wool.
Reproduction and lifespan
In order to engage in fertilization with the subsequent conception of offspring, females are ready to mate every two weeks during the year. The males are seasonal.
Hyena males must first fight among themselves for a female. And, then, lowering his tail and head, meekly approach her and, if she allows her to do her job. Hyena pregnancy lasts 110 days.
Hyenas are born from one to three puppies. In hyena - mother cubs are born in holes - their own or borrowed from one of the small animals, "converted" to their liking.
Often, from such a hole, a kind of “kind of a house” is obtained, when several hyenas with newborn hyenas live in one hole at once. But hyena babies recognize their mother's voice, never making a mistake. Newborn hyena cubs are more developed than cubs, for example, cats or dogs. Hyena babies are born with open eyes They weigh about two kg.
But the mother hyena, despite the fact that her children are already quite well developed at birth, continues to feed them with milk for about a year and a half. Hyena cubs have no other food, at this age, except for mother's milk. she does not regurgitate her food for them. And, at the same time, every mother feeds only her puppies. Small hyena cubs have brown hair.
Pictured is a hyena cub
As babies grow older, their coat color also changes. When the kids grow up, they will occupy the same status in the pack as their parents - by inheritance. Average duration The life of hyenas is 12 years. But, in general, hyenas are easy to train, and if they consider a person their friend, having got used to him and falling in love, they will always love a friend!
spotted hyena - predatory mammal hyena family. It is the most common member of the Crocuta species. They are also known as the laughing orderlies of the African expanses.
Description of the spotted hyena
These representatives of the fauna are famous bad temper . "In the people" they are considered aggressive, cowardly animals that feed on carrion. Is it deserved A traveler with a lack of experience in Africa faces many dangers. The spotted hyena is one of them. They often attack in packs at night. Therefore, woe to that guest who did not make a fire and did not stock up on firewood for the whole night.
It is interesting! Research shows that social intelligence spotted hyena is at the level of some species of primates. Their mental development is one step higher than other predators, due to the structure of the frontal cortex of the brain.
It is believed that the ancestors of the spotted hyena budded from the true hyena (striped or brown) during the Pliocene era, 5.332 million-1.806 million years ago. Spotted ancestors of hyenas, with a developed social behavior, increasing pressure from rivals forced them to “learn” how to work in a team. They began to take more large territories. This is also due to the fact that migratory animals often became their prey. The evolution of the hyena's behavior was not without the influence of lions - their direct enemies. Practice has shown that it is easier to survive by forming prides - communities. This helped to more effectively hunt and defend their territories. As a result, their numbers have increased.
According to the fossil record, the first species appeared in the Indian Subcontinent. Spotted hyenas have colonized the Middle East. Since then, the habitat of the spotted hyena, like its appearance, has changed a bit.
Appearance
The length of the spotted hyena ranges from 90 - 170 cm, depending on sex, development and age, height - 85-90 cm. The hyena's body is covered with short coarse hair with undercoat. Long hair covers only the neck, giving the impression of a light mane. The body color is pale brown with a darkened muzzle, similar to a mask. The wool of the spotted hyena is covered with dark spots. In some individuals, it has a slightly reddish tint in the back of the head. The body of the hyena has a sloping body with high shoulders and low hips. Their large, rounded body rests on comparatively thin, gray paws, each with four toes. The hind legs are slightly shorter than the front. Large round ears are set high on the head. The shape of the muzzle of the spotted hyena is short and wide with a thick neck, outwardly it looks like a dog.
Sexual dimorphism is pronounced in the appearance and behavior of spotted hyenas. Females are significantly larger than males due to excess testosterone. It is more in females than in males. On average, female spotted hyenas are 10 kg heavier than males and have a more muscular body. They are also much more aggressive.
Separately, it is worth talking about her voice. The spotted hyena is capable of making up to 10-12 different sounds, differentiated as signals for relatives . Laughter, similar to a prolonged howl, is used for communication between individuals. Animals can greet each other using groans and squeals. You can also hear from them "giggles", howls and growls. For example, a low growl with closed mouth symbolizes aggression. A hyena can make such a sound to a flock during the approach of a lion.
The response to the same signals from different individuals can also be different. The inhabitants of the flock react to the cries of males "reluctantly", with a delay, to the sounds made by the female - immediately.
Lifestyle
Spotted hyenas live in large clans, from 10 to 100 individuals. These are mostly females, they form the so-called matriarchy clan headed by an alpha female. They mark their territory and protect it from other hyenas. There is a strict hierarchy within the clan among females who compete with each other for social position. Females dominate males through aggressive displays. Females are divided according to age. Older adults are considered the main ones, they are the first to eat, they produce an order of magnitude more offspring. The rest do not have such privileges, but still are in the hierarchy one step above the males.
Males also have a certain division according to similar characteristics. Dominant males have more access to females, but all as one bow to the "women" of the pack. In connection with such a tough state of affairs, some males often run across to other flocks for breeding.
It is interesting! Spotted hyenas have an elaborate greeting ritual of sniffing and licking each other's genitals. The spotted hyena raises its hind leg for acquaintance so that another individual can sniff it. These highly socialized mammals have the most complex social structure primates.
Different clans can wage wars against each other in the struggle for territory. Rivalry among spotted hyenas is expressed in a tough form. They behave differently with their own children. Cubs are born in a communal lair. Siblings of the same sex will fight for dominance, bite each other and inflict sometimes fatal wounds. The winner will dominate the rest of the offspring until they die. Offspring of the opposite sex do not compete with each other.
How long does a spotted hyena live
AT natural environment habitat, the spotted hyena lives for about 25 years, in captivity it can live up to forty.
Range, habitats
The habitat of the spotted hyena is chosen by the savannas, which are rich in animals included in their favorite diet. They can also be found in semi-deserts, woodlands, dense dry forests, and mountain forests up to 4000m in height. They avoid thick rainforest and deserts. You can meet them in Africa from Cape Good Hope to the Sahara.
Spotted hyena diet
The main food of the spotted hyena is meat.. Previously, it was believed that their diet was only carrion - the remains of animals malnourished by other predators. This is far from true, spotted hyenas are primarily hunters. They get about 90% of their food by hunting. Hyenas go fishing alone or as part of a flock led by a female leader. They most often prey on large herbivores. For example, gazelles, buffaloes, zebras, wild boars, giraffes, rhinos and hippos. They may also feed on small game, livestock and carrion.
It is interesting! Despite well-developed hunting skills, they are not picky eaters. These animals do not disdain even a rotten elephant. Hyenas have become the dominant predator in Africa.
Spotted hyenas hunt mostly at night, but are sometimes active during the day. They travel a lot in search of prey. The spotted hyena can reach speeds of about 65 kilometers per hour, which gives it the ability to keep up with a herd of antelope or other animals and grab its prey. A powerful bite helps a hyena to overcome a large animal. One bite to the neck area allows you to break the victim's large blood vessels. After being caught, other animals in the pack help gut the prey. Males and females may fight for food. As a rule, the female wins the fight.
The powerful jaws of the spotted hyena can even cope with a thick femur large animal. The stomach also digests everything that gets into it from horns to hooves. For this reason, the stools of this animal often have White color. If the prey is too large, the hyena can hide some of it for later.
natural enemies
Spotted hyenas are at enmity with. This is their almost only and constant enemy. Of the total share of deaths of spotted hyenas, 50% die from the fangs of a lion. Often it is about protecting your own borders, sharing food and water. So 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 for territory.
It is interesting! The fight between hyenas and lions is tough. It often happens that hyenas attack defenseless cubs or old individuals, for which they are attacked in return.
In the struggle for food and supremacy, the victory goes to the group of animals whose numbers prevail. Also, spotted hyenas, like any other animal, can be exterminated by humans.
In addition to deserts, Africa has numerous savannahs. It was they who stretched across the entire continent from the south of the Sahara to Kenya itself. An endless sea of grass, also called the savannah belt.
All vegetation in these regions is represented by shrubs and small thickets. The harsh subequatorial climate divides the whole year into 2 seasons - these are dry months of heat, and then long torrential rains.
In such conditions, wildlife is very dependent on the weather, since the conditions here are not the most comfortable.
because of constant winds and a small amount of vegetation, these territories can only be inhabited by those species that are able to adapt well.
One of these representatives are hyenas. They settle in flocks both in open spaces and on the edges of small forests. Quite often, they choose paths and roads as their habitat, where they can profit from something.
Life and habits of hyenas
Many people identify these animals with cunning and evil scavengers who can easily deal with innocent victims.
This is far from the case; such categories cannot be distinguished among animals. Hyenas are predators like any other, only they have a different approach to getting prey.
Previously, they were attributed to the canine family, apparently due to the fact that their habits were largely similar.
However, these animals are more like cats, such as mongooses or wyveres. Hyenas are differentiated into several breeds:
- spotted;
- Brown;
- striped;
- Aardwolf;
The spotted hyena is the largest and ranks 3rd among the most dangerous predators. African continent.
Of course, in such harsh living conditions, skirmishes 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. AT old times for this reason, hyenas were called servants of hell and were considered demonic creatures.
All due to the fact that they can, as it were, imitate evil human laughter. Most often this happens when the whole flock has a hearty dinner or lunch. One can imagine the horror that could come from what he heard - even if a small flock begins to "laugh" ominously.
The most unpleasant neighbors for these animals are larger predators. They can take prey from hyenas and drive them out of good areas. However, spotted felines can themselves profit from other people's "fruits" of hunting, but as a rule, these are just leftovers or carrion.
Like other predators, hyenas mark their territory. They do this with feces and secretions. This is done so that other animals or foreign flocks do not wander into their territory. In addition, one of the representatives of the clan 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. They usually lead night image life, and during the day they just rest and gain strength after night outings.
Despite the clumsy appearance - the front legs of hyenas are noticeably longer than the hind legs, they are able to develop great speed and maintain it at fairly large distances.
This makes them one of the most efficient hunters on the African savannah. Contrary to prevailing stereotypes, it should be noted that they eat carrion only in 20% of cases. They are excellent hunters, besides working together and performing sanitary functions for the areas in which they live.
How do hyenas reproduce?
Female hyenas may mate every couple of weeks. This makes conception more likely. In males, the period of activity is distributed over the seasons.
There is a whole fertilization ritual. First, males fight each other for females, who have a dominant position and highest status in a flock. After one of the males wins, he must get the permission of the female to fertilize her, and only after that he can 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, which they can dig themselves or take away 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 up to 1.5 years.
Each mother exclusively feeds her puppies. With age, the cubs change color, acquiring colors close to their appearance. 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 in captivity.
Photo of a hyena in the wild
area: spotted hyena found in most of the African continent south of the Sahara: in southern and East Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to approximately 17 ° N. sh., displacing in those places where it is often found, the striped hyena. Quite numerous and common in Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti (Tanzania); Masai Mara (Kenya); in Botswana; Kruger ( South Africa); Etosha (Namibia).
Description: The spotted hyena has a dog-like head, its muzzle is powerful and wide. The ears are rounded in contrast to those of the brown hyena, which are pointed. The fur is shorter than other hyena species. The coat becomes thinner with age. The tail is shaggy, and the long coarse hair on the neck and along the back forms a mane.
Hyenas are extremely strong jaws relative to their body size. It is believed that the hyena has the strongest jaws of all mammals - when bitten on the premolars, the pressure reaches 50 kilograms per square centimeter (according to other sources, three tons, which is doubtful).
The back is sloping, the back is noticeably lower than the front, which is why the spotted hyena does not move very gracefully, but is capable of speeds up to 65 km / h.
The limbs are four-fingered, with non-retractable claws; while running and walking, the hyena steps on its toes.
Females have a fat-filled pseudoscrotum, the clitoris is erectile and is the same size and almost the same shape as the male's penis, so the female's genitals look very similar to those of the male, leading to the misconception that hyenas are hermaphrodites. However, males can be distinguished from females by appearance can. Nursing females have one pair of well-visible nipples between the hind limbs, and the female's pseudoscrotum is less lobulated than the male's. The erectile clitoris of females has no neck and its tip is blunt, while the penis of males has a narrow neck and a sharp pointed tip. Sexual dimorphism is also very noticeable in size: the female is much larger than the male.
Color: The coat color of the spotted hyena is subject to variations, it is lighter and darker, usually brownish-yellow with dark (dark brown or black) rounded spots all over the body, except for the head, neck and lower legs. The head is brown, the muzzle is black, on the cheeks and the back of the head with a reddish tint. Tail with brown rings and black tip; the ends of the legs are whitish.
spotted hyena publishes whole line sound signals - at least eleven of them were registered. The most characteristic request is the drawl "whooo-oop", which is a versatile contact signal. This howl of the spotted hyena is very similar to a kind of laughter.
Around the carcasses of dead animals, in fights and when attacking lions, spotted hyenas scream, giggle, laugh, bass and growl. Babies whine for food or milk. Moans and soft squeals are often exchanged between hyenas during the greeting. The desire to establish contact is expressed by a high "o-o-o".
It has been observed that most of the calls made by males are usually ignored by other members of the clan. When a female emits sound signals, her clan members and offspring (her close relatives) react immediately.
A low grunting sound and a very low, closed-mouthed growl indicate aggressive behavior. A high-pitched giggling or cackling laugh is typically emitted by a hyena being chased; they express intense apprehension or excitement.
A deep growl, a loud purr (often with vibration) is a defensive threat made by a hyena under attack or the threat of a bite. A loud low growl serves as a signal by which the hyena warns of the approach of a lion.
The size: The spotted hyena is the largest carrion mammal. In length, her body is 95-166 cm, tail - 26-36 cm, height at the withers - 80 cm.
The weight: From 59 to 82 kg. The average weight of males is approximately 60 kg, females - 70 kg.
Lifespan: In nature, about 20-25 years, in captivity up to 40 years.
Habitat: The spotted hyena inhabits a wide range of natural habitats. The most well-spotted hyena is adapted to life in African savannah, meeting up to an altitude of 4000 m above sea level. Avoids thick rainforest and real wilderness.
Food: The spotted hyena is clearly a carnivore, but is extremely picky in its choice of food. Hyenas are both scavengers and hunters, feeding on corpses, dead animals, or picking up and eating any organic matter. They use every part of the body, including the bones. It is the most effective of the scavengers due to its specific digestive system and active, very acidic gastric juice.
For the well-being of the hyena, the abundance of ungulates is important, the corpses of which form the basis of its nutrition. The spotted hyena uses the carcasses of large vertebrates more efficiently than other carnivores, which waste up to 40% of their prey weight. The hyena is able to absorb nutrients from bone tissue, skins and even faeces of other predators. She is able to satisfy her hunger even with the corpses of dead relatives located on last stage decomposition. Bones, horns, hooves and even teeth are digested completely within 24 hours.
The hyena also pursues young and weak animals and animals with pathological changes. Some of their usual prey includes gazelles, zebras, rhinos, impalas, and other ungulates.
She also takes mice and others small mammals, birds, reptiles, eggs, fruits, vegetables and insects.
Behavior: The spotted hyena is a typical corpse-eater - carrion is its main food. However, often hyenas themselves attack antelopes and other animals. The reputation of the hyena as a cowardly scavenger, living off the remains of the prey of lions and other predators, is firmly rooted, but when studies were carried out, it turned out that spotted hyenas are excellent hunters, in some cases even surpassing lions.
The hyena is active at night, in search of food during the night it can travel up to 70 km. Often found during the day, resting in the shade of trees or lying in shallow water. For reproduction, it uses caves, anteater burrows and other animals.
Highly social view- hyenas live in a matriarchal clan, which is a territorial entity, occupying up to 1,800 km 2. A separate dominance hierarchy exists among males and females, but females dominate all males.
High-ranking females have the first access to food and to resting places located near the entrance to the den. They also raise more young than lower-ranking females.
High-ranking males have priority access to females. Males join new clans during the breeding season, showing constant submissiveness to females.
Neighboring clans fight among themselves to protect their home areas. Territories are patrolled by clan members, and clan sites are demarcated by anal scent gland marks and faecal heaps containing large amounts of white bone sediment.
A walking hyena can run relentlessly at a speed of about 10 km / h for many hours, but if necessary it can gallop at a speed of 40-50 km / h for at least several kilometers. The pinnacle of their short distance running is about 60 km/h.
It was believed that the dominance of females in clans was associated with the protection of cubs from predation by males, however, attacks by males on pups were not observed. In fact, the high aggressiveness and dominance of females is due to high content in the blood of the hormone androgen, which promotes and guarantees food for both lactating females and their offspring. This makes a lot of evolutionary sense because more aggressive females could compete for food and could be more successful in raising young due to their food supply. 
During active hunting, at a speed of about 60 km / h, hyenas overtake prey and gnaw through the main blood vessels. The size of the hunting group depends on the type of prey: usually springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) individual hyenas hunt, wildebeest in groups of up to three individuals, eland (Tragelaphus oryx)- in groups of four.
Thanks to their sensitive sense of smell, they are able to detect carrion from the leeward side at a distance of up to 4.2 km. Live prey is detected by sight and hearing. The sounds made by other predators attract hyenas from a distance of up to 10 km. Usually, lions cannot be pushed back from the carcass if there are at least four individuals in their group or an adult male lion is present at the meal.
The spotted hyena is active at night, and during the day it hides in various shelters: pits, caves, dense thickets of grasses and shrubs. Often her behavior combines caution and even cowardice with audacity and aggressiveness. Hungry hyenas are dangerous even for large animals (including old lions), especially since they have great strength and ferocity, combined with fast running. In some regions of Africa, there are known cases of hyenas entering villages and attacking children, as well as lonely travelers, sleeping or weakened people. Sometimes, under the influence of hunger, the hyena attacks small livestock, and its strength is so significant that it carries away the corpse of a person at a gallop.
Going hunting, hyenas make a variety of sounds that terrify people, like wild laughter turning into a howl.
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In Africa, an inexperienced traveler faces numerous dangers at every turn. This continent is inhabited by various animals, which are better not to meet alone. These are not only lions, crocodiles, leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants, but also hyenas. At night, these flocking predators become more active, and woe to the traveler who did not have time to make a big fire and stock up on firewood for the whole night.
The spotted hyena is the largest representative of carrion mammals. It embodies to the greatest extent all the habits, features and structure characteristic of this species. The body length of the spotted hyena is from 95 to 166 cm, the tail is from 26 to 36 cm, and the height of the withers is about 80 cm.
Although this species is relatively small, it is dangerous for humans, especially in a flock. This is very ferocious predators. Spotted hyenas - the only mammals whose jaws are capable of creating enormous pressure (from 50 to 70 kg per sq. cm). They easily gnaw the bones of a hippopotamus. Spotted hyenas are listed in the Red Book. They live in vivo up to 25 years, in captivity - up to forty.
Spotted Hyena Habitat - Wild Africa
This type of predator can only be found in Africa. The most common habitat for spotted hyenas is the entire area south of the Sahara. This is mainly the south and east of Africa, next to the Ngorongoro Crater, in Kenya, the Serengeti, Botswana and Namibia.
Wild Africa is rich in desert and jungle, but spotted hyenas are not found there. Their favorite places to live are savannahs. These animals are not very friendly with other members of their species, so striped and brown hyenas from the places they inhabited.
What does a spotted hyena look like?
Representatives of this species have a wide black muzzle, resembling a dog, with rounded ears. Spotted hyenas have very powerful jaws, a sloping back, and hind legs shorter than the front ones. Despite the uneven height of the legs, hyenas are able to reach speeds of up to 65 km / h. The limbs of predators are four-fingered, the claws are not retractable. When running, hyenas step on their toes. The coat of animals is short, except for coarse hair on the back and neck, which form a mane.
Color
The spotted hyena has several color options. It can be dark or light. Coat color - yellow-brown with dark or light brown spots on the body. The muzzle is black, on the back of the head it has a reddish tint. Head brown, without spots. Leg limbs with tint gray color. The tail is brown with a black tip.
Voice
The spotted hyena emits up to 11 different lingering howls, more like "laughter", these animals use to communicate with each other. During fights for prey, they "giggle", "laugh", growl and shout. Moans and squeals are used to greet.
Interestingly, the flock rarely or late reacts to the sounds of males, and immediately to the signals given by females. A low growl and grunting sounds (with the mouth closed) express aggression. A high-pitched, cackling-like "laughter" is made when agitated or in danger (such as when a hyena is being chased). Predators use a loud and deep vibrating growl before attacking and defending as a threat. When a lion appears, the hyena signals to its brethren with a loud, low growl.
Hierarchy in flocks
Wild hyenas live in matriarchal clans, in areas up to 1800 square meters. km. In flocks there is a rigid hierarchy. Females dominate the opposite sex. However, there is an additional division between them. Adults are considered in charge. They are the first to start eating, rest at the entrance to the den, grow more offspring. Females with a lower position in the pack do not receive such privileges, but belong to the middle of the hierarchy.
Males occupy the lowest rung. At the same time, they also have a similar division. High-ranking individuals have priority access to females. Nevertheless, all demonstrate a general submissiveness to the other sex. For breeding, males often join new flocks.
Among spotted hyenas, inter-clan wars for habitat constantly occur. The boundaries of the territory are constantly patrolled by these predators and are demarcated by feces, as well as anal secretions of odorous glands. The number of one clan can reach from 10 to 100 individuals.
Sex organs
The spotted hyena has unique genitalia. All females have an organ in the form of a penis. Only an experienced specialist can distinguish the gender of these animals. The female genitalia resemble those of the male. The clitoris is very similar to the penis. Below it is the scrotum. The urogenital canal passes through the clitoris.
Enemies of spotted hyenas
These predators have "eternal" rivals. Lions and hyenas are constantly competing. This struggle takes sometimes cruel forms. Hyenas love to attack small lion cubs and often kill old and sick adults. In response, the lions destroy the hyenas. The war between predators is also for food. Lions and hyenas often chase each other away from their prey. The victory goes to the more numerous "detachment".
What can hyenas eat? wildlife created unique "orderlies". These predators are capable of assimilating everything - skin, bones, hooves, horns, teeth, wool and feces. All this is digested in the stomach during the day. These predators also feed on dead animals that are almost completely decomposed.
However, 50% of the diet of spotted hyenas are the corpses of ungulates (rhinos, zebras, gazelles, antelopes, etc.). Predators often pursue sick and old animals. They also feed on hares, porcupines, gazelles, warthogs and many other animals. For example, a pack of hyenas can even attack such giants as a giraffe, a rhinoceros and a hippopotamus.
Hunting
These predators retain a reputation for being cowardly, but this is far from being the case. According to numerous studies, hyenas are excellent hunters that excel lions in this art. These scavengers are most active at night. In search of food, hyenas travel long distances - up to 70 kilometers in one day. During the day, they hunt less often, preferring to rest in the shade or lie in the water in shallow water.
The hunting of hyenas consists in exhausting the prey with a long run. These predators can run a huge distance. When they overtake prey, they gnaw through the main blood arteries on their paws. Hyenas do not strangle their victims, like many other predators, but begin to tear the still living flesh.
Hunting is different. They go out to a medium-sized gazelle singly, to antelopes - in small groups of 3 to 4 individuals. When hunting, they make different sounds, but more often - “laughter”, turning into a drawn-out howl.
Thanks to the excellent sense of smell, African hyenas able to smell carrion at a distance of more than 4 kilometers. They use sight and hearing to hunt. Despite the eternal war with lions, hyenas will not be able to take their prey if there is an adult healthy male in the enemy camp.
The spotted African predator is an amazing animal. The hyena has a certain cowardice in its habits, which can best be called caution. She is very aggressive and cheeky. If the hyena is hungry, it is able to bite even large animals. In hunting, he tries to use his huge jaw strength, fast running and ferocity. A hungry hyena can also attack people. At the same time, she is so strong that she can carry human body jump with ease and alone.
reproduction
To breed, the spotted hyena uses the burrows of other animals or small caves. Cubs, despite its aggressiveness, she does not eat. Increased viciousness is due to the high content of the hormone androgen. But this quality is given by nature to protect offspring, so that females can protect and feed their cubs, which reach puberty only by 3 years.
Offspring appear before the start of the rainy season. Females bear cubs for approximately 100 days. One litter can contain up to four babies at the same time. They are born already sighted and with good hearing. After 3 months, the babies already weigh over 14 kg.
If the cubs are same-sex, then almost immediately after birth, a struggle to the death begins between them. Spotted hyenas feed their offspring with milk more than a year, but nevertheless, this does not prevent the young from starting to hunt and eat fully from the first months of life.
The benefits of hyenas in nature
These animals occupy one of the main places in maintaining the savannah ecosystem. These are natural "nurses". They kill nearly 12% of the Serengetti each year, allowing herbivores to keep their species' density within reasonable limits. Basically, old or sick animals fall into the teeth of spotted hyenas.