Spotted Brown Hyena
heavily built forequarters stand higher than the rump. The hyena
has a large head with large rounded ears and black muzzle. Its body
colour is normally fawn yellow to grey fawn with dark brown spots. They
have a short erect mane which runs along the neck and shoulders.
General
Life expectancy of the spotted hyena is up to 40 years.
Hyenas can travel up to 40 kms in a night and 70 kms over two nights.
The jaws and stomach of the spotted hyaena are so strong that it can
devour the whole carcass of a medium sized antelope — bones, hoofs,
horns and hide
The myth that spotted hyenas are hermaphrodites came about as a result
of the females external genitalia - she has an erectile clitoris which
is as large as the male's
penis and a false scrotum filled with fat.
Behaviour
creatures of open woodland, savannah or semi desert.
They find carcasses by scent, by listening for the noises of other
predators and also by watching vultures.
Hyenas are excellent hunters - achieving a 75% kill rate from their
own kills.
Active mainly at dusk and night, they sleep in burrows or tall grass
and enjoy mutual licking and grooming.
Hyenas also have a wide repertoire of vocal sounds. From a cubs whine
when begging for food, to high pitched yells when bitten to giggles
when chased from a kill.
 Breeding
can produce from 1 - 4 cubs although the usual reproduction is 2 cubs
born after a gestation period of 110 days. Cubs will inherit their mothers
rank within the clan.
Feeding
predominantly carrion, they hunt old, sick and young herbivores. They
also eat grass and other vegetable matter and will empty refuse bins at
rest camps. They scavenge and will chase other predators from their kill.
Defense
territories are defended against other "clans" and are marked
with anal gland secretions, urine as well as their distinctive bright
white droppings
Hyena Clans
The spotted hyena family is a matriarchal society with the undisputed
leader being the heaviest female. The single dominant male will defer
to the ruling matriarch.
The centre of clan activity is the den, where the cubs are raised and
individuals meet.
The den is usually situated on high ground in the central part of the
territory.
Its above-ground entrances are connected to a series of underground
tunnels.
Clans can range up to 80 animals and clans are territorial. Areas are
marked by anal gland pasting, also by depositing smelly secretions from
glands in their feet.
They also mark territory by defecating in middens.
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