Hyenas, Description, Distribution, Types of Hyena, Habitat, Diet, Behaviors, Reproduction, Threats, Lifespan, and Hyena and Human Interaction

 Hyenas

The hyena is a type of mammal that belongs to the hyena family. It is defined as any of three types of coarse, fur-covered carnivores that are found in Asia and Africa and are distinguished by their habit of collecting waste, and the hyena is distinguished by having long hands and a strong neck. It has a shoulder to tear the prey and carry it, and it is distinguished by its piercing eyes, strong hearing, and a sense of smell that allows it to locate meat; thus, it is considered an accomplished hunter, and all types of hyenas are more or less active at night.

Description

Each of the four hyena species is built slightly differently than the others. All living hyenas share characteristics and a skeletal structure. They have a short torso and low hindquarters, resulting in a hunched back. They have long forelegs and thick necks, and their backs slope noticeably downward from their heads to their tails. The majority of species are tan or brown, with dark stripes or spots.

Distribution

Hyenas of various species can be found throughout Africa and the Middle East. Aardwolves can be found in Southern, East, and Northeast Africa. Except in rainforest areas, spotted hyenas can be found from Sub-Saharan Africa to northern South Africa. Brown hyenas can only be found in southern Africa. Northern Africa and parts of the Middle East are home to striped hyenas.

Types of Hyena 

The habitat of the hyena depends on its type, as there are several types, including spotted hyenas, which are the largest species among other species, brown hyenas, which are the second largest, striped hyenas, and earth wolves, which are the smallest among other species, and the habitats of these species are as follows:

Spotted Hyena

The spotted hyena is most people's mental image of a hyena. Hyenas survive by stealing prey that has been killed by lions and other predators. This is a behavior that spotted hyenas engage in. They are the quintessential opportunists who will not turn down easy meat. Several studies, however, have confirmed that spotted hyenas in the Serengeti and elsewhere obtain the majority of their calories by hunting large prey. A small hyena pack is capable of pursuing and killing gazelles, wildebeests, and even larger prey such as zebras. Their jaws have the ability to crush bones, and their stomachs can digest those bones.

Brown Hyenas

The range of the brown hyena overlaps that of the spotted hyena in southern Africa. Few people will ever see one, whether on safari or in a nature show. Even in areas where it is common, the brown hyena has a low population density. It is almost entirely nocturnal and forages alone. 

Brown hyenas are slightly smaller and hairier than spotted hyenas. These hyenas roam desert areas, frequently traveling long distances in search of carcasses to scavenge. Despite its more innocent appearance, it will chase other cat species away from kills (such as cheetahs and servals). Spotted hyenas, on the other hand, will chase away brown hyenas.

Striped hyenas

These hyenas are the most common among the species, and they live in the north and northeast of Africa, as well as the Middle East and Asia, stretching all the way to northern Siberia.

Aardwolf:

There are two distinct groups of this type, one in southern Zambia, Angola, and Mozambique, as well as northern Uganda and Somalia, and the other in central Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt.

Habitat

Different hyena species prefer slightly different habitats. Aardwolves can only be found in dry, open bushland and plains where termites are abundant. Spotted hyenas can be found in mountains, forests, savannas, and even semi-deserts. Brown hyenas are found in deserts, semi-deserts, and savannas and will scavenge in cities. Finally, striped hyenas can be found in mountainous areas and scrub woodlands.

Diet

The hyena is a carnivorous predator. As a result, it hunts and consumes meat and is distinguished by its search for waste. That is, it consumes meat from previously deceased animals. Because hyenas live next to lions, they sometimes eat the food that the lions leave behind, and the hyena has a strong jaw, which allows it to kill animals for food. It also eats zebras and antelopes, as well as birds, fish, snakes, foxes, eggs, insects, porcupines, lizards, and jackals. It eats insects and only termites; this species can consume up to 30,000 white ants per day.

Behaviors

Hyenas are related to both dogs and cats, though they are more closely related to dogs. In addition to the behaviors that this animal exhibits in its attempts to obtain food and kill prey, it is also distinguished by a variety of behaviors and living characteristics, and the following are examples of some of these behaviors in various species:

Social:

Hyenas are highly social animals that live in tribes with up to 80 hyenas in each.

Control:

Female spotted hyenas are larger, more violent, and dominant in the tribes; where all females achieve a higher status than males in the tribes, female brown and striped hyenas and earth wolves are subject to male dominance in the tribes.

Marriage:

Males and females of hyenas mate after several days of wooing each other, and the female hyena gives birth to a number of young hyenas ranging from two to four young after a gestation period of three months, the young are known as cubs.

Food:

The striped hyenas are searching for debris with zeal, but they do not venture more than 9.6 kilometers from the water hole.

Activity:

The earth wolf is a nocturnal animal that sleeps during the day, but when winter arrives, its habits change and it begins to chase during the day and sleep at night to conserve energy.

Taking care of the children

Female hyenas share care of the tribe's young, and other tribe members may also bring food to the cubs' den, where the cubs' eyes remain closed for a period ranging from 5 days to 9 days from birth, and the cubs are preparing to leave the den after two weeks despite their reliance on milk. The mother is for the first six months and care is for one year, and these cubs are able to leave the mother at the age of two years, and hyenas have a lifespan ranging from ten to twenty-one years.

The sound

The sound of spotted hyenas' laughter can reveal their age and condition.

Reproduction

Females seek an isolated den away from the rest of the pack when giving birth. The gestation period varies by species. When the cubs reach the appropriate age, they will be relocated to a communal den with cubs from multiple mothers in the pack. There, they will establish a dominance hierarchy amongst themselves, with the most dominant cubs eating the most and having the best chance of survival.

Cubs will nurse for one to two years before they are fully weaned. Female cubs will remain in the pack until they reach sexual maturity, which occurs around the age of three.

Hyena and Human Interaction

Hyenas rarely attack humans, and the majority of attacks occur at night on the sick or young. Many of these animals are wary of humans and avoid confrontation. Unfortunately, many species are reviled by indigenous peoples and farmers alike. When feeding on carcasses, hyenas can be falsely accused of killing livestock, especially when scavenging. Farmers and townspeople retaliate by killing each other.

Domestication

No hyena species has ever been domesticated.

Do Hyenas Make Good Pets?

Hyenas are dangerous predators that live in the wild. Most places make it illegal to keep them as pets, and they can be dangerous.