Spotted hyena  (Crocuta crocuta)

One of the most misunderstood animals; spotted hyenas have a reputation as being sly and cowardly, but are in fact fascinating and intelligent with a remarkable social system (2). In appearance they are dog-like, with high shoulders and powerful forequarters sloping down to their hindquarters (2). Female spotted hyenas can be up to 14 percent heavier than males (3). Their coarse, short hair is sandy, ginger, dull grey or brown, and they get their name from the dark spots on their back, flanks, rump and legs, which fade with age (2) (3). A short mane ends just behind the shoulders, and the short, brown tail has a black, bushy tip (3). The spotted hyena is the second largest carnivore in Africa after the lion (3), and possesses incredibly strong jaws and teeth, enabling them to crush heavy bones to obtain the nutritious marrow within (2).

Occurs throughout sub-Saharan Africa, except for the Congo rainforests and in the far south (2). Their distribution is now patchy in many areas (4).

The spotted hyena inhabits savannas, grasslands, woodlands and montane forest, up to altitudes of 4,000 meters (2) (4).

The spotted hyena is well-known for being a scavenger, but it is also an adept hunter, capable of bringing down a wildebeest (3). Spotted hyenas live in clans and frequently hunt in groups, as cooperation can improve their hunting success. However, this often depends on prey availability; in the Ngorongoro Crate, large groups are required to kill a zebra, whilst in the southern Kalahari, gemsbok calves are the primary prey, for which a single hyena will suffice (2). Even when moving alone, spotted hyenas keep in touch with other members of their clan with whoops, yells and a manic cackle, which gave rise to their name ‘laughing hyena' (2). Spotted hyenas eat with incredible speed, consuming everything except horns; a group of hyenas was observed demolishing an adult zebra in just 15 minutes (4).

Each hyena clan occupies a territory and defends it against neighbouring clans. Female spotted hyenas, which are more aggressive than males (5), are the dominant sex. The clan is structured by a strict hierarchy where the highest ranking male is subordinate to the lowest ranking female (2) (4). The alpha female is the best fed in the clan (3). When around two and a half years of age, males leave the clan they were born in and work their way into a new clan, whereas females usually remain with the same clan for life (2) (4).

Mature females usually give birth to one or two cubs a year, after a gestation period of 110 days (6). Males play no parental role to the cubs (3), which are born in dens with a set of teeth and their eyes already open. Within minutes of birth they can engage in aggressive interactions, which quickly lead to the establishment of a dominance hierarchy, with the dominant cub getting to control access to the mother's milk (2). Sometimes this aggression can lead to the death of the weaker cub (4) (7). The cubs are fed meat at nine months, leave the den at 9 to 12 months, but are not weaned until they are 12 to 16 months (8).

Whilst most populations in protected areas in southern Africa appear to be stable, those in eastern and western Africa, including those within protected areas, are thought to be declining. Persecution appears to be the main reason for these declines. The spotted hyena is shot, poisoned, trapped and snared, even in protected areas. This frequently occurs in farming areas after actual or assumed hyena killing of livestock, or as a preventative measure to protect their livestock. A decline in habitat quality poses an additional threat to hyena populations outside of protected areas (4).

The decline of spotted hyena populations outside of conservation areas makes this species increasingly dependent on the continued existence and enforcement of protected areas, therefore the IUCN Red List classified the spotted hyena as Lower Risk/conservation dependent (1). The loss of protected areas would result in the spotted hyena rapidly becoming threatened with extinction. In 1998 the World Conservation Union (IUCN) published a Hyaena Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan (4). This comprehensive plan outlines a number of measures necessary for the conservation of the spotted hyena, including campaigns to improve livestock protection rather than the persecution of predators, and efforts to improve public perception of hyenas and promote them as tourist attractions (4). In addition to the maintenance of protected areas, such actions should hopefully ensure a more positive future, and reputation, for the spotted hyena.

For further information on the spotted hyena and its conservation see:

• Hyaenidae Specialist Group:
  http://www.hyaenidae.org/
• Spotted Hyena Research:
  http://www.geocities.com/hyaenaresearch/

Authenticated (10/09/07) by Dr K.E. Holekamp, Michigan State University.
http://www.hyaenidae.org/