ANIMALS’ ADVOCATE. SPOTTED HYENA
Animal's Advocate. Spotted hyena
Animation studios and some religious figures turned these incredibly intelligent and valuable animals into antiheroes. Mostly because of their appearance. Admittedly, hyenas do not possess feline grace and beauty. And yet, in their case the saying gets it just about right: “clothes” do not make the man.
Today I will play hyena’s advocate and try to defend the irresponsibly stigmatised animal. I think I have such a right, at least with spotted hyenas, as I have gathered enough evidence observing them for hours while working in Masai Mara National Park, Kenya.
Like most animals living in large groups, hyenas have a strict inner hierarchical structure and developed organisation. These species also have intelligence and can be easily trained. Hyenas are characterised by loyalty, and, being carrion-eaters, take care of savannah’s ecosystem. Wouldn’t you agree that these are already enough reasons to change your attitude towards the animal?
And now let me help you get to know them better…
First of all, hyena families are matriarchal which is quite common in the wild: both insects, like bees or ants, and the largest land mammals – elephants — live in female dominated societies. The older female usually has absolute power in such groups and the spotted hyena is no exception. In lion prides, hyenas’ main competitors in savannah, the male leader just pretends to control others. Hyena families are totally different — a matriarch not only dominates other members, it also makes all the key decisions for the life of a clan. An alpha female picks the target for hunting and coordinates the attack. It controls the meal queue, keeps order and punishes those who violate it.
A very developed and diverse language of communication helps hyenas maintain such a stable social system. Hyenas interact both by sounds which can be unpleasant to human ear and resemble a mixture of howling, roaring and laughing, and by smells. The smell of hyena is very sharp and unique to each individual. The smell changes during the reproductive cycle and serves as an important regulator of intra-clan relations. Dominant female’s smell causes humility not only in males, but also in lower-ranking females.
Today I will play hyena’s advocate and try to defend the irresponsibly stigmatised animal. I think I have such a right, at least with spotted hyenas, as I have gathered enough evidence observing them for hours while working in Masai Mara National Park, Kenya.
Like most animals living in large groups, hyenas have a strict inner hierarchical structure and developed organisation. These species also have intelligence and can be easily trained. Hyenas are characterised by loyalty, and, being carrion-eaters, take care of savannah’s ecosystem. Wouldn’t you agree that these are already enough reasons to change your attitude towards the animal?
And now let me help you get to know them better…
First of all, hyena families are matriarchal which is quite common in the wild: both insects, like bees or ants, and the largest land mammals – elephants — live in female dominated societies. The older female usually has absolute power in such groups and the spotted hyena is no exception. In lion prides, hyenas’ main competitors in savannah, the male leader just pretends to control others. Hyena families are totally different — a matriarch not only dominates other members, it also makes all the key decisions for the life of a clan. An alpha female picks the target for hunting and coordinates the attack. It controls the meal queue, keeps order and punishes those who violate it.
A very developed and diverse language of communication helps hyenas maintain such a stable social system. Hyenas interact both by sounds which can be unpleasant to human ear and resemble a mixture of howling, roaring and laughing, and by smells. The smell of hyena is very sharp and unique to each individual. The smell changes during the reproductive cycle and serves as an important regulator of intra-clan relations. Dominant female’s smell causes humility not only in males, but also in lower-ranking females.
A war for the place of the highest ranking female regularly breaks out in a clan. Daughters of the head of the family are most likely to fight for the "throne". The struggle for power begins in their childhood and young females often engage in deadly battles.
Males in hyena clans have such a low status they are outranked even by the cubs. If there are a lot of males in the pack, they are occasionally expelled. The decision to ostracise is, of course, made by the dominant female. Although the attitude towards males is generally harsh, female hyenas might show leniency towards their fathers.
The way males show the alpha female their humility and complete submission is quite surprising — they approach the head of the family and begin to show it their genitalia while the matriarch growls and grins. My first guess was that this is how a male flirts and offers to mate but, as i found out later, this is an ambiguous way to show respect to the queen. We shall admire the courage of the male, as shaking its manhood in front of the strongest jaws in savannah is no joke!
Speaking of external features, female hyenas are not only larger and stronger than males, they also have their own pseudo-penis. Interestingly, in the first scientific descriptions of the hyena, it was noted that this animal is prone to homosexual contacts. And such information about hyenas can still be found. This is not really the case. The truth is hyena’s clitoris can enlarge up to 15 cm, making a female easy to be mistaken for a male. That is what misled the first naturalists who studied hyenas.
What those first naturalists noted right though, was what a loyal of a creature the hyena is — a quality valued by humans but rare in nature. Researchers found that hyenas never abandon their wounded relatives and take care of them by bring them food and protecting them from other predators. The first domestication experiments on baby hyenas immediately proved that they make both loyal and affectionate friends.
Speaking of intelligence and learning abilities, it is important to note hyenas’ ability to pass on knowledge within the pack. Scientists conducted an experiment that proved the existence of such a skill:
A piece of meat was placed in a cage with a lid. In the beginning, only one hyena was let to the cage. Unsuccessfully it tried to gnaw through and tear the cage for a long time. Then the hyena was shown how to open the lid. After that, the animal managed to get the meat by opening the lid. Next, a second hyena was brought to this cage. Just like its predecessor it unsuccessfully tried to chew through the cage until the first hyena, that already knew how to solve the problem, was returned to the scene. It immediately opened the lid and took out the meat, showing how it was done to the second hyena, which later was able to repeat the trick. The scientists repeated the process with the third hyena — and once again the animal learnt how to get a snack by following the other hyenas’ example. This clearly proves the ability of hyenas to transfer knowledge to each other. Lions, by the way, did not pass a similar test…
In conclusion, I would like to debunk a few more myths about hyenas. Firstly, hyenas are not scavengers — more than 80% of their diet is prey, not carrion. Sure, they can feed on whatever gets in their way, but, in their defence, even lions do not shrink from carrion in hungry times. Secondly, hyenas do not steal prey from other weaker predators very often. In fact, hyenas themselves often lose their lunch to lions. But i have to say that life in the wild is generally quite cruel. So if you were a hyena, a lion, a leopard or any other predator, you would jump at the slightest opportunity to grab a bite of meat, whether it's someone else's dinner or a wounded antelope.
All my observations, as well as the knowledge I gained from biologists, gave me an opportunity to understand that the spotted hyena is certainly one of the most — if not the most — amazing family animals in savannah. While lions and elephants are universally loved just for their appearance, the less lucky hyena has to earn human affections. In order to understand and love hyenas one has to observe and study them. Alas, only a few have such an opportunity. That is why I decided to devote a part of my life to these amazing creatures.
I really hope those who learn the truth about hyenas through my articles can change their attitude towards them…
Males in hyena clans have such a low status they are outranked even by the cubs. If there are a lot of males in the pack, they are occasionally expelled. The decision to ostracise is, of course, made by the dominant female. Although the attitude towards males is generally harsh, female hyenas might show leniency towards their fathers.
The way males show the alpha female their humility and complete submission is quite surprising — they approach the head of the family and begin to show it their genitalia while the matriarch growls and grins. My first guess was that this is how a male flirts and offers to mate but, as i found out later, this is an ambiguous way to show respect to the queen. We shall admire the courage of the male, as shaking its manhood in front of the strongest jaws in savannah is no joke!
Speaking of external features, female hyenas are not only larger and stronger than males, they also have their own pseudo-penis. Interestingly, in the first scientific descriptions of the hyena, it was noted that this animal is prone to homosexual contacts. And such information about hyenas can still be found. This is not really the case. The truth is hyena’s clitoris can enlarge up to 15 cm, making a female easy to be mistaken for a male. That is what misled the first naturalists who studied hyenas.
What those first naturalists noted right though, was what a loyal of a creature the hyena is — a quality valued by humans but rare in nature. Researchers found that hyenas never abandon their wounded relatives and take care of them by bring them food and protecting them from other predators. The first domestication experiments on baby hyenas immediately proved that they make both loyal and affectionate friends.
Speaking of intelligence and learning abilities, it is important to note hyenas’ ability to pass on knowledge within the pack. Scientists conducted an experiment that proved the existence of such a skill:
A piece of meat was placed in a cage with a lid. In the beginning, only one hyena was let to the cage. Unsuccessfully it tried to gnaw through and tear the cage for a long time. Then the hyena was shown how to open the lid. After that, the animal managed to get the meat by opening the lid. Next, a second hyena was brought to this cage. Just like its predecessor it unsuccessfully tried to chew through the cage until the first hyena, that already knew how to solve the problem, was returned to the scene. It immediately opened the lid and took out the meat, showing how it was done to the second hyena, which later was able to repeat the trick. The scientists repeated the process with the third hyena — and once again the animal learnt how to get a snack by following the other hyenas’ example. This clearly proves the ability of hyenas to transfer knowledge to each other. Lions, by the way, did not pass a similar test…
In conclusion, I would like to debunk a few more myths about hyenas. Firstly, hyenas are not scavengers — more than 80% of their diet is prey, not carrion. Sure, they can feed on whatever gets in their way, but, in their defence, even lions do not shrink from carrion in hungry times. Secondly, hyenas do not steal prey from other weaker predators very often. In fact, hyenas themselves often lose their lunch to lions. But i have to say that life in the wild is generally quite cruel. So if you were a hyena, a lion, a leopard or any other predator, you would jump at the slightest opportunity to grab a bite of meat, whether it's someone else's dinner or a wounded antelope.
All my observations, as well as the knowledge I gained from biologists, gave me an opportunity to understand that the spotted hyena is certainly one of the most — if not the most — amazing family animals in savannah. While lions and elephants are universally loved just for their appearance, the less lucky hyena has to earn human affections. In order to understand and love hyenas one has to observe and study them. Alas, only a few have such an opportunity. That is why I decided to devote a part of my life to these amazing creatures.
I really hope those who learn the truth about hyenas through my articles can change their attitude towards them…