There's more to hyenas than meets the eye!
Hyena are not everyone's favourite mammal, which is sad because we think they're pretty amazing. Perhaps its because they look rather odd. With their front legs longer than their hinds ones, and generally large and chunky looking, they most certainly are not the best looking mammals in the bush. Add to this a menacing "grin" and jaws that deliver one of the biggest bite forces in the animal kingdom and you have an animal that's generally loathed rather than loved.
Hyena are generally portrayed as the "bad guys" of the bush - just think Shenzi in Disney's Lion King! Their bad reputation is completely undeserved and far from being snide, sneaky, double crossing scavengers they are, in fact, clever and successful predators with an amazingly complex and competitive social structure.
The largest and most widespread of Africa's three species that also include the brown and striped hyena, spotted hyena clans are presided over by a matriarch or alpha female which is generally the oldest and most experienced female member of the clan. In this matriarchal society, the females are larger than the males and dominate them completely, so that even the lowest ranked female will be dominant over the highest ranked male!
Unlike other carnivorous mammals, spotted hyena cubs are born with their eyes open and with teeth and will readily attack each other, often killing weaker cubs, especially in same-sexed litters. This behaviour is called neonatal siblicide and kills an estimated 25% of cubs in their first month.
The cubs grow strong quickly, thanks to milk which has enormously high fat and protein content that they will drink for up to 16 months old and the ability to process solid food from three months onwards. The cubs are relentless in their demand for milk and keep their mother very busy.
Of course, the hyena's success is dependent on the ongoing competition with its closest rival - the lion. These age-old enemies' fates are interlinked because they occupy the same ecological niche and are in direct competition with one another, hunting the same prey species. They will also steal each other's kills. In fact, research has shown that lions steal more from hyena than the other way round, dispelling a commonly held belief that hyena are the "thieves" of the African wilderness. In fact, hyenas are more prone to waiting politely for lions to finish their meal before edging in to take what's left than barging in to take the main course!
We have been blessed for a number of years now with a succession of hyena denning on Olifants West Nature Reserve but more recently the hyena have been thin on the ground due to the burgeoning size of our Thakazile lion pride They killed at least two hyena and chased away the others but in the last three months they have begun to return and all of us here at Sausage Tree Safari Camp love them, and love showing them to our guests and listening to them calling as we drift off to sleep at night.
This blog was also originally published by Africa Geographic
Republished 16 April 2024
