Brown hyena

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Brown hyena
Temporal range: Pliocene – Recent
Brown Hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) (6472926331).jpg
At the Gemsbok National Park, South Africa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Hyaenidae
Genus: Parahyaena
Hendey, 1974 [2]
Species:
P. brunnea
Binomial name
Parahyaena brunnea
(Thunberg, 1820)
Brown Hyaena area.png
Geographic range
Synonyms [3]
  • Hyaena brunneaThunberg, 1820
  • Hyaena fusca E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1825
  • Hyaena striataA. Smith, 1826
  • Hyaena villosaA. Smith, 1827
  • Hyaena melampus Pocock, 1934

The brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), also called strandwolf, [4] is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, [5] southern Mozambique and South Africa. [6] It is the only extant species in the genus Parahyaena. It is currently the rarest species of hyena. [7] The largest remaining brown hyena population is located in the southern Kalahari Desert and coastal areas in Southwest Africa. [8] The global population of brown hyena is estimated by IUCN at a number between 4,000 and 10,000 and its conservation status is marked as near threatened in the IUCN Red List. [1]

Contents

Description

A skull at the National Museum of Natural History, National Mall in Washington, D.C. Hyaena brunnea 1zz.jpg
A skull at the National Museum of Natural History, National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Brown hyenas are distinguished from other species by their long shaggy dark brown coat, pointed ears, and short tail. [9] Their legs are striped brown and white, and adults have a distinct cream-colored fur ruff around their necks. [10] Erectile hairs up to 305 mm (12.0 in) in length cover the neck and back and bristles during agonistic behavior. [6] Body length is 144 cm (57 in) on average with a range of 130–160 cm (51–63 in). [11] Shoulder height is 70–80 cm (28–31 in) and the tail is 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) long. [1] Unlike the larger spotted hyena, there are no sizable differences between the sexes, [12] although males may be slightly larger than females. [6] An average adult male weighs 40.2–43.7 kg (89–96 lb), while an average female weighs 37.7–40.2 kg (83–89 lb). [6] Brown hyenas have powerful jaws, and young animals can crack the leg bones of springboks in five minutes, though this ability deteriorates with age and dental wear. [7] The skulls of brown hyenas are larger than those of the closely related striped hyena, and their dentition is more robust, indicating a less generalized dietary adaptation. [13]

Distribution and habitat

The brown hyena inhabits desert areas, semi-desert, and open woodland savannahs in Southern Africa. [14] It can survive close to urban areas by scavenging. The brown hyena is not dependent on the ready availability of water sources for frequent drinking and favors rocky, mountainous areas, as these provide shade. [8] It has home ranges of 233–466 km2 (90–180 sq mi) in size. [15]

Fossil record

Today, the brown hyena only inhabits Southern Africa, but in the past it lived also in the Iberian Peninsula and perhaps in other parts of Europe, [16] indicated by fossils found in the area of Granada from the Upper Pliocene. [17] Early Pleistocene brown hyenas are known to have fed on hominins, though whether this constituted scavenging or active predation is unclear. [18] During the Middle Pleistocene, it inhabited what is now Kenya. [19] Latrines made by brown hyenas have been discovered in South Africa dating back to the Middle Pleistocene. [20] There is the possibility that Parahyaena may be synonymous with the extinct Pachycrocuta , making the brown hyena the only extant member of this genus. [21]

Ecology and behavior

In the Kalahari, 80% of a brown hyena's activity time is spent at night, searching for food in an area on spanning 31.1 km (19.3 mi) on average, with territories of 54.4 km (33.8 mi) having been recorded. [22] They may cache excess food in shrubs or holes and recover it within 24 hours. [6]

Social behavior

Brown hyenas have a social hierarchy comparable to that of wolves, with a mated pair and their offspring. They live in clans composed of extended families of four to six individuals. [9] Clans defend their territory, and all members cooperate in raising cubs. [9] Territories are marked by 'pasting', [23] during which the hyena deposits secretions from its large anal gland, which is located below the base of the tail and produces a black and white paste, on vegetation and boulders. [14] Brown hyenas maintain a stable clan hierarchy through ritualized aggressive displays and mock fights. A brown hyena male can move up in rank by killing a higher ranking male in confrontation, while the alpha female is usually just the oldest female in the clan. [9] Emigration is common in brown hyena clans, particularly among young males, which will join other groups upon reaching adulthood. [6]

Diet

Five cheetahs were feeding on a Springbok kill one morning in th (34407780271).jpg
Brown hyena stealing springbok kill from cheetahs
Brown hyena with food in mouth - DPLA - 2d1ac7c7911d980594bb59f38aacd73b.jpg
Brown hyena with food in mouth. Hyenas are master scavengers and are able to completely digest bone matter. Indigestible items containing keratin such as hooves, horns, and hair are regurgitated in pellets.

Brown hyenas are primarily scavengers the bulk of whose diet consists of carcasses killed by larger predators, but they may supplement their diet with rodents, insects, eggs, fruit and fungi (the desert truffle Kalaharituber pfeilii). [24] As they are poor hunters, live prey makes up only a small proportion of their diet: in the southern Kalahari, species such as springhare, springbok lambs, bat-eared foxes and korhaans constitute only 4.2% of their overall diet, [22] while on the Namib coast, cape fur seal pups compose 2.9% of their food. [25] They have an exceptional sense of smell and can locate carcasses kilometers away. [14] They are aggressive kleptoparasites, frequently appropriating the kills of black-backed jackals, cheetahs and leopards. [26] Single brown hyenas may charge at leopards with their jaws held wide open and can tree adult male leopards; [26] they have been observed treeing leopards even when no kill was in contention. [27] In the Kalahari Desert, they are often the dominant mammalian carnivores present because of this behavior and the relative scarcity of lions, spotted hyenas, and packs of African wild dogs. In areas where their territories overlap, brown hyenas may, on rare occasions, be killed by spotted hyenas and lions. [1] Brown hyena cubs are also susceptible to being killed by wild dogs and jackals. [11]

Reproduction and life cycle

A cub Parahyaena brunnea puppy.jpg
A cub

The brown hyena does not have a mating season. [15] Female brown hyenas are polyestrous and typically produce their first litter when they are two years old. They mate primarily from May to August. Males and females in the same clan usually do not mate with each other, rather females will mate with nomadic males. [14] Clan males display no resistance to this behavior, and will assist the females in raising their cubs. [7] Females give birth in dens, which are hidden in remote sand dunes far from the territories of spotted hyenas and lions. The gestation period is around 3 months. [14] Mothers generally produce one litter every 20 months. Usually, only the dominant female breeds, but if two litters are born in the same clan, the mothers will nurse each other's cubs, though favoring their own. [7] Litters usually consist of 1–5 cubs, which weigh 1 kg (2.2 lb) at birth. [6] Unlike spotted hyenas, [7] brown hyenas are born with their eyes closed, and open them after eight days. Cubs are weaned at 12 months and leave their dens after 18 months. [6] Also unlike spotted hyenas, all adult members of the clan will carry food back to the cubs. [7] They are not fully weaned and do not leave the vicinity of their den until they reach 14 months of age. [6] Brown hyenas reach full size at an age of around 30 months [14] and have a life span of about 12 to 15 years. [15]

Threats and conservation status

The global brown hyena population is estimated to comprise 4,000 to 10,000 individuals. [8] [1] It is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List. [1] The major threat to the brown hyena is human persecution, based on the mistaken belief that it is harmful to livestock. Farmers find brown hyenas scavenging on livestock carcasses and wrongly assume that they have killed their property. [22] Brown hyena body parts are also occasionally used for traditional medicines and rituals. The brown hyena is not in high demand for trophy hunting. [8]

There are several conservation areas that are home to the brown hyena, including the Etosha National Park in Namibia, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. [8] The maintenance of these protected areas aids in the conservation of these animals. Educational campaigns are being utilized to promote awareness about hyenas and dispel prevailing myths, while problem individuals are removed from farmlands and urbanized areas. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyena</span> Family of carnivoran mammal

Hyenas or hyaenas are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae. With just four extant species, it is the fifth-smallest family in the order Carnivora and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lion</span> Large cat native to Africa and India

The lion is a large cat of the genus Panthera, native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the tip of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane. It is a social species, forming groups called prides. A lion's pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on medium-sized and large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator; although some lions scavenge when opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, lions typically do not actively seek out and prey on humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopard</span> Large spotted cat native to Africa and Asia

The leopard is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of 92–183 cm (36–72 in) with a 66–102 cm (26–40 in) long tail and a shoulder height of 60–70 cm (24–28 in). Males typically weigh 30.9–72 kg (68–159 lb), and females 20.5–43 kg (45–95 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheetah</span> Large feline of the genus Acinonyx

The cheetah is a large cat and the fastest land animal. It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots. The head is small and rounded, with a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks. It reaches 67–94 cm (26–37 in) at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m. Adults weigh between 21 and 72 kg. The cheetah is capable of running at 93 to 104 km/h ; it has evolved specialized adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common warthog</span> Wild member of the pig family

The common warthog is a wild member of the pig family (Suidae) found in grassland, savanna, and woodland in sub-Saharan Africa. In the past, it was commonly treated as a subspecies of P. aethiopicus, but today that scientific name is restricted to the desert warthog of northern Kenya, Somalia, and eastern Ethiopia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honey badger</span> Species of mammal

The honey badger, also known as the ratel, is a mammal widely distributed in Africa, Southwest Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Because of its wide range and occurrence in a variety of habitats, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

The glans is a vascular structure located at the tip of the penis in male mammals or a homologous genital structure of the clitoris in female mammals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African buffalo</span> Bovine species

The African buffalo is a large sub-Saharan African bovine. There are five subspecies that are recognized as being valid. Syncerus caffer caffer, the Cape buffalo, is the nominotypical subspecies, and the largest one, found in Southern Africa and East Africa. S. c. nanus is the smallest subspecies, common in forest areas of Central Africa and West Africa, while S. c. brachyceros is in West Africa and S. c. aequinoctialis is in the savannas of East Africa. The adult African buffalo's horns are its characteristic feature: they have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield across the top of the head, referred to as a "boss".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped hyena</span> Species of hyena

The striped hyena is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. It is the only extant species in the genus Hyaena. It is listed by the IUCN as near-threatened, as the global population is estimated to be under 10,000 mature individuals which continues to experience deliberate and incidental persecution along with a decrease in its prey base such that it may come close to meeting a continuing decline of 10% over the next three generations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted hyena</span> Species of hyena

The spotted hyena, also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus Crocuta, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN due to its widespread range and large numbers estimated between 27,000 and 47,000 individuals. The species is, however, experiencing declines outside of protected areas due to habitat loss and poaching. Populations of Crocuta, usually considered a subspecies of Crocuta crocuta, known as cave hyenas, roamed across Eurasia for at least one million years until the end of the Late Pleistocene. The spotted hyena is the largest extant member of the Hyaenidae, and is further physically distinguished from other species by its vaguely bear-like build, rounded ears, less prominent mane, spotted pelt, more dual-purposed dentition, fewer nipples, and pseudo-penis. It is the only placental mammalian species where females have a pseudo-penis and lack an external vaginal opening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape fox</span> Species of carnivore

The Cape fox, also called the asse, cama fox or the silver-backed fox, is a small species of fox, native to southern Africa. It is also called a South African version of a fennec fox due to its similarly big ears. It is the only "true fox" occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, and it retains primitive characteristics of Vulpes because it diverged early in the evolutionary history of the group.

<i>Pachycrocuta</i> Genus of mammals (fossil)

Pachycrocuta is an extinct genus of prehistoric hyenas. The largest and most well-researched species is Pachycrocuta brevirostris, colloquially known as the giant short-faced hyena as it stood about 90–100 cm (35–39 in) at the shoulder and it is estimated to have averaged 110 kg (240 lb) in weight, approaching the size of a lioness, making it the largest known hyena. Pachycrocuta first appeared during the late Miocene. By 800,000 years ago, it became locally extinct in Europe, with it surviving in East Asia until at least 500,000 years ago, and possibly later elsewhere in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant forest hog</span> Species of mammal

The giant forest hog, the only member of its genus (Hylochoerus), is native to wooded habitats in Africa and is one of the largest wild members of the pig family, Suidae, along with a few subspecies of the wild boar. It was first described in 1904. The specific name honours Richard Meinertzhagen, who shot the type specimen in Kenya and had it shipped to the Natural History Museum in England.

A pseudo-penis is any structure found on an animal that, while superficially appearing to be a penis, is derived from a different developmental path.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cave hyena</span> Extinct subspecies of carnivore

The cave hyena, also known as the Ice Age spotted hyena, are paleosubspecies of spotted hyena known from Eurasia, which ranged from the Iberian Peninsula to eastern Siberia. It is one of the best known mammals of the Ice Age and is well represented in many European bone caves. It preyed on large mammals, and was responsible for the accumulation of hundreds of large Pleistocene mammal bones in areas including horizontal caves, sinkholes, mud pits, and muddy areas along rivers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red hartebeest</span> Subspecies of hartebeest

The red hartebeest, also called the Cape hartebeest or Caama, is a subspecies of the hartebeest found in Southern Africa. More than 130,000 individuals live in the wild. The red hartebeest is closely related to the tsessebe and the topi.

In the animal kingdom, a maternity den is a lair where a mother gives birth and nurtures her young when they are in a vulnerable life stage. While dens are typically subterranean, they may also be snow caves or simply beneath rock ledges. Characteristically there is an entrance, and optionally an exit corridor, in addition to a principal chamber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African wild dog</span> Endangered species of canine native to Africa

The African wild dog, also known as the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus Lycaon, which is distinguished from Canis by dentition highly specialised for a hypercarnivorous diet and by a lack of dewclaws.

Infanticide is the killing of a neonate after birth. In zoology, this commonly refers to the killing and in some cases consumption of newborn animals by either a parent or an unrelated adult of the species. In carnivores, it is common for an unrelated male to commit infanticide to make females sexually receptive. Parental infanticide is sometimes a result of extreme stress by human intrusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feeding behavior of spotted hyenas</span>

The spotted hyena is the most carnivorous member of the Hyaenidae. Unlike its brown and striped cousins, the spotted hyena is primarily a predator rather than a scavenger. One of the earliest studies to demonstrate its hunting abilities was done by Hans Kruuk, a Dutch wildlife ecologist who showed through a 7-year study of hyena populations in Ngorongoro and Serengeti National Park during the 1960s that spotted hyenas hunt as much as lions, and with later studies this has been shown to be the average in all areas of Africa. However spotted hyenas remain mislabeled as scavengers, often even by ecologists and wildlife documentary channels.

References

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  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chapter 4: Rich Man's Table from David MacDonald’s The Velvet Claw BBC books, 1992
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  16. ↑ Diedrich, Cajus G. (7 February 2023). "IceAgeSafari in Central Europe along the Rhine Valley migration channel – Mid‐Late Pleistocene spotted, brown, stripped hyena palaeobiogeography and evolution". Acta Zoologica . 105 (1): 81–133. doi:10.1111/azo.12455. ISSN   0001-7272 . Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Arribas, Alfonso; Garrido, Guiomar; Palmqvist, Paul (2003). "Primera cita de Hyaena (Parahyaena) brunnea (Thunberg, 1820) (Mammalia, Carnivora) fuera de África: el registro del yacimiento del Plioceno superior de Fonelas P-1 (Cuenca de Guadix-Baza, Granada, España)" (PDF). Geotemas. 5: 37–39.
  18. ↑ Arriaza, Mari Carmen; Aramendi, Julia; Maté-González, Miguel Ángel; Yravedra, José; Stratford, Dominic (1 December 2021). "The hunted or the scavenged? Australopith accumulation by brown hyenas at Sterkfontein (South Africa)". Quaternary Science Reviews . 273: 107252. doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.107252. ISSN   0277-3791 . Retrieved 10 September 2024– via Elsevier Science Direct.
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