Striped Hyena Totally Explained

Everything about The Striped Hyena totally explained

The Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae. It lives in Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan and western India. It is extinct in Europe, but can occasionally be spotted in Anatolia, Turkey. Striped Hyenas are largely scavengers, but will also eat small animals, fruit and insects. Larger subspecies are known to hunt animals as large as wild boar. They are nomadic, moving from water hole to water hole, but never straying more than 6 miles from one. Striped hyenas hunt in solitude but do congregate in small family groups. Like many other animals of hot climates, their ears radiate heat.
The striped hyena is generally considered solitary, but has some social organization. It forages individually and is rarely seen in groups. It does, however, associate in small family groups at the den. The striped hyena live in the tropical savanna, grasslands, Semi-desert, scrub forest, and woodland.

Physiology

Physical description

The striped hyena is the second largest hyena species.

Reproduction

Litter sizes in the wild vary from 1-4 throughout the year with an average 3. In captivity, average litter size is 1-5. intensive digging behaviour by the female precedes parturition and is often followed by a day of postnatal oestrus three weeks later. The cubs are born blind with closed ear canals. Fur colour at this stage ranges from white to grey with clear black stripes. The cubs open their eyes after 7-8 days, while the teeth will erupt after 3 weeks. Solid food is ingested after a month. Weaning ages vary from eight weeks to 12 months. Both the male and female partake in feeding the cubs. The age of sexual maturity has been reported to be inconsistent. In Tashkent zoo, a female was four years old when she gave birth to her first litter, while 15 month old wild individuals in Israel were reported to bare three large embryos.

Subspecies

5 subspecies, differentiated by pelage and morphometric differences have been identified.

Hyaena hyaena syriaca; Middle East
Hyaena hyaena sultana; Arabian Peninsula
Hyaena hyaena dubbah; Northeast Africa
Hyaena hyaena barbara (de Blainville, 1844); Northwest Africa
Hyaena hyaena hyaena (Linnaeus, 1758); India

Habitat

From Morocco and Senegal to Tanzania, across Asia Minor, the Arabian Peninsula, all the way to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and even into Eastern India as well as southern India. Striped hyenas inhabit open country, as well as the forests of India and the seashore, scavenging on animals which wash up from the ocean. The hyenas are mainly active at night, resting by day under protruding rocks.

Relationship with humans

Cultural perspectives

Striped hyenas are frequently referenced in Middle Eastern literature and folklore, typically as symbols of treachery and stupidity. Though attacks on live humans are rare, striped hyenas will scavenge on human corpses. In Turkey, stones are placed on graves to stop hyenas digging the bodies out. In WWI, the Turks imposed conscription (safar barlek) on mount Lebanon. People escaping from the conscription fled north, where many died and were subsequently eaten by hyenas.

Conservation Status

The striped hyena is listed as "near threatened". Although it seems to be rather compatible with human populations, the large predators whose kills it relies on for scavenging are not. It is often hunted or poisoned throughout its range, and although it has a fairly large population, it's scattered over a wide area and often isolated from other populations.

Further Information

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