Nothing but slobbery, mangy, stupid poachers

Ix-nay on the upid-stay...The wonderful thing about Lion King is that it features so many African animal characters that I can quote. Accordingly, today's fact is about hyenas. Hyenas are members of the family Hyaenidae that is actually part of the suborder feliformia, meaning that they are part of the same suborder that includes cats, mongooses and civets. If, like me, you think that hyenas look more like canines than felines, you are not crazy! Hyenas are only phylogenetically close to felines, meaning that they are closely related on the evolutionary scale. On the behavioral and morphological level, they are more similar to canines in several aspects. This is due largely to convergent evolution, which means that the same or similar biological traits were acquired in unrelated lineages. These traits arising via convergent evolution are called analogous structures. Analogous structures often arise of organisms occupy similar ecological niches. In the case of hyenas and canines, both are non-arboreal and cursorial hunters that catch their prey with their teeth rather than with their claws. They both eat their food quickly and have calloused feet with large, blunt and non-retractable nails that are adapted for running and making sharp turns. On the other hand, their grooming, scent marking, defecating habits, mating and parental behavior are more consistent with the behavior of other feliforms.

The family Hyaenidae consists of four species, including the Striped Hyena, the Brown Hyena, the Spotted Hyena, and the Aardwolf. In general terms, hyenas are cunning, resourceful, bear-like animals with long forelimbs, high shoulders and short hind legs, and a very sturdy, thick build. The striped hyena is one of the smaller members of the Hyaenidae family. It is native to North and East Africa, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Middle and Central Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent. Adult weight ranges from 50-120 pounds, with the average weight being about 77 pounds. It is primarily a scavenger, although the larger specimens have been known to make their own kills. It is a monogamous animal, meaning that both males and females assist in raising cubs. Striped hyenas typically live in groups of 1-2 animals, and are not very territorial. It a completely nocturnal, with very strong eyesight but weak senses of smell and hearing. Its skull is smaller and less massive than the other members of the Hyaenidae family, but still has very strong jaw muscles giving enough bite-force to splinter a camel's thigh bone. Primarily a scavenger, the striped hyena can eat meat, cartilage, ligaments, bone, and bone marrow. The gray wolf actually is a competitor with the striped hyena in Israel and central Asia. Unfortunately, striped hyenas are typically referenced as symbols of treachery and stupidity in Middle Eastern literature and folklore. Despite this reputation, the striped hyena is easily tamed and can be fully trained, capable of becoming as affectionate as well-trained dogs.

Striped Hyena

The brown hyena is the rarest hyena, living only in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. They range in weight from 80 to 160 pounds, although the average weight range is 80-100  pounds. The jaws of the brown hyena are incredibly strong: within five minutes of birth, a young brown hyena can crack the leg bones of springboks. They have a social hierarchy like wolves, with an alpha male and female. They live in clans that consist of one adult of each gender and associated young. Males and females help to raise the young, and will carry food back to the cubs. Like the striped hyena, the brown hyenas are scavengers. They are aggressive scavengers, however, and have been known to take the kills of jackals, cheetahs and even leopards.

Brown Hyena

Young Brown Hyena

 The aardwolf is a small, insectivorous member of the Hyaenidae family. Its name means "earth wolf" in Afrikaans. Unlike the other species of hyena, the aardwolf does not hunt large prey. Rather, it preys on insects, eating mainly termites. It can eat more than 200,000 of these creepy crawlies in one night, using its long and sticky tongue to collect them. It has an unrivaled ability to digest the terpene excretions from the soldier termites it feeds upon. When they do feed, they take care not to destroy the mound or the colony, so that the termites can rebuild and provide a continuous supply of food. It lives in the scrublands of eastern and southern Africa, hiding in a burrow during the day and coming out at night to hunt for food. It weighs only between 20-30 pounds and stands only about 20 inches at the shoulder. It is a shy and nocturnal animal, and is primarily solitary while foraging for food. When not foraging, they live in monogamous pairs with their young.

Aardwolf pup

Aardwolf

The spotted hyena, also known as the laughing hyena or the tiger wolf, is a species of hyena native to Sub-Saharan Africa. It is common in Kruger National Park, so hopefully there is a good chance that I'll get to see one in the wild! The spotted hyena is the largest member of the family Hyaenidae, with a more bear-like build and less prominent mane than its relatives. The average weight of the spotted hyena tends to be around 150 pounds, although heavier weights of up to 190 pounds have been recorded. Their fur color varies greatly and even changes with age. Their spots can be reddish, deep brown, or blackish and may vary is size. A set of five pale bands replace the spots on the back and sides of the neck. What really sets them apart from their hyena relatives is the fact that the female spotted hyena lacks an external vaginal opening and has a pseudo-penis instead.

To quote my brother, how did evolution come up with that? I don't know. Maybe I'll find out here in a little bit. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that females dominate males, with even the lowest ranking females being dominant over the highest ranking males. Spotted hyenas live in nepotistic clans of up to 80 animals, where the offspring of dominant females automatically outrank adult females subordinate to their mother. The spotted hyena society is more complex than those of other carnivorous mammals, being more similar to cercopithecine (old world) primates in respect to group size, structure, competition and cooperation. Like old world primates, dominance ranks in hyena societies are not correlated with size or aggression, but with ally networks. The spotted hyena actually acquire rank through coalitions, and it is conscious that some clan-mates may be more reliable than others. When it comes to relationships, females are promiscuous. As you could probably imagine, the mating process is complicated because the female's reproductive tract is entered and exited through her pseudo-penis rather than through her vagina, which is blocked by a false scrotum and testes. I'm not making this up, I swear. Another unique trait of the spotted hyena is the fact that the cubs are born with their eyes open and their teeth in place, and will attack each other shortly after birth.

Spotted hyenas are most carnivorous members of the Hyaenidae, and are both scavengers and hunters. They can splinter, eat and even completely digest the largest of ungulate bones. They most often prey upon wildebeest, followed by zebra and Thompson's gazelle.

Studies strongly suggest convergent evolution in spotted hyena and primate intelligence. Spotted hyenas have outperformed chimpanzees on cooperative problem-solving tests. In one test, captive pairs of spotted hyenas were challenged to tug two ropes in unison to earn a food reward, successfully cooperating and learning the maneuvers without prior training. Experienced hyenas then helped inexperienced clan-mates to solve the problem. The chimps and other primates required extensive training and had a hard time cooperating. Maybe the hyenas are more than just slobbery, mangy, stupid poachers...

The spotted hyena's vocalizations are the famous maniacal laugh sounds.

Spotted Hyena Cubs 

Spotted Hyena

CHEETAH TIME!!!
Spotted hyenas have been known to chase off cheetahs from their kills. In this video, you get to see an unusually large coalition of four male cheetahs hunting an Eland. Also, you get to see how powerful hyenas are, and how fragile the cheetahs are.