Striped hyena
| Striped hyena Temporal range:
Middle Pleistocene – Recent | |
|---|---|
_-_cropped.jpg)
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Feliformia |
| Family: | Hyaenidae |
| Subfamily: | Hyaeninae
|
| Genus: | Hyaena Brisson, 1762 |
| Species: | H. hyaena
|
| Binomial name | |
| Hyaena hyaena | |
| |
Striped hyena range
| |
| Synonyms[3] | |
|
List
| |
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a species of
It is the smallest of the bone-cracking hyenas and retains many primitive viverrid-like characteristics lost in larger species,[4] having a smaller and less specialised skull.[5][6] Though primarily a scavenger, large specimens have been known to kill their own prey,[7] and attacks on humans have occurred in rare instances.[8] The striped hyena is a monogamous animal, with both males and females assisting one another in raising their cubs.[9] A nocturnal animal, the striped hyena typically only emerges in complete darkness, and is quick to return to its lair before sunrise.[10] Although it has a habit of feigning death when attacked, it has been known to stand its ground against larger predators in disputes over food.[11]
The striped hyena features prominently in Middle Eastern and Asian folklore. In some areas, its body parts are considered magical, and are used as
Evolution
The species may have evolved from Hyaenictitherium namaquensis of
Description
Build
_Hyaena_hyaena.jpg)
The striped hyena has a fairly massive, but short
.jpg)
The
Fur
The winter coat is unusually long and uniform for an animal its size, with a luxuriant mane of tough, long hairs along the back from the
In winter, the coat is usually of a dirty-brownish grey or dirty grey colour. The hairs of the mane are light grey or white at the base, and black or dark brown at the tips. The muzzle is dark, greyish brown, brownish-grey or black, while the top of the head and cheeks are more lightly coloured. The ears are almost black. A large black spot is present on the front of the neck, and is separated from the chin by a light zone. A dark field ascends from the flanks ascending to the rear of the cheeks. The inner and outer surface of the forelegs are covered with small dark spots and transverse stripes. The flanks have four indistinct dark vertical stripes and rows of diffused spots. The outer surface of the thighs has 3–4 distinct vertical or oblique dark bands which merge into transverse stripes in the lower portion of the legs. The tip of the tail is black with white underfur.[16]
Geographic variation
As of 2005[update],[3] no subspecies are recognised. The striped hyena is nonetheless a geographically varied animal. Hyenas in the Arabian peninsula have an accentuated blackish dorsal mane, with mid-dorsal hairs reaching 20 cm in length. The base colour of Arabian hyenas is grey to whitish grey, with dusky grey muzzles and buff yellow below the eyes. Hyenas in Israel have a dorsal crest which is mixed grey and black in colour, rather than being predominantly black.[20] The largest striped hyenas come from the Middle East, Asia Minor, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent, while those of East Africa and the Arabian peninsula are smaller.[7][28]
Behaviour
Social and territorial behaviours
The striped hyena is a primarily nocturnal animal, which typically only leaves its den at the onset of total darkness, returning before sunrise.
Reproduction and development
The striped hyena is
The
Burrowing behaviours
The striped hyena may dig its own dens, but it also establishes its lairs in caves, rock fissures, erosion channels, and burrows formerly occupied by porcupines, wolves, warthogs, and aardvarks. Hyena dens can be identified by the presence of bones at their entrances. The striped hyena hides in caves, niches, pits, dense thickets, reeds, and plume grass during the day to shelter from predators, heat, or winter cold. The size and elaboration of striped hyena dens varies according to location; dens in the Karakum have entrances 0.67–0.72 m wide and are extended over a distance of 4.15–5 m, with no lateral extensions or special chambers. In contrast, hyena dens in Israel are much more elaborate and large, exceeding 27 m in length.[29][31]
Diet
The striped hyena is primarily a scavenger which feeds mainly on
Relationships with other predators
The striped hyena competes with the grey wolf in the Middle East and central Asia. In the latter area, a great portion of the hyena's diet stems from wolf-killed carcasses. In Israel the striped hyena is dominant over the wolf on a one-to-one basis, though wolves in packs can displace single hyenas from carcasses.[29] Both species have been known to share dens on occasion.[35] On rare occasions, striped hyenas are also known to travel with and live amongst wolf packs, with each doing the other no harm. Both predators may benefit from this unusual alliance, as the hyenas have better senses of smell and greater strength, and the wolves may be better at tracking large prey.[36]
Red foxes may compete with striped hyenas on large carcasses. Red foxes may give way to hyenas on unopened carcasses, as the latter's stronger jaws can easily tear open flesh which is too tough for foxes. Foxes may harass hyenas, using their smaller size and greater speed to avoid the hyena's attacks. Sometimes, foxes seem to deliberately torment hyenas even when there is no food at stake. Some foxes may mistime their attacks, and are killed.[37]
The species frequently scavenges from the kills of
Distribution and habitat
The striped hyena's historical range encompassed
| Country | Population | Status | Threats/Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | Striped hyenas are caught, either for hyena-baiting or for medicinal purposes[42] |
| Algeria | 50–100[41] | Threatened[42]
|
Although protected by décret no. 83-509, striped hyenas are declining in Algeria due to poaching, forest fires and the disturbance of den sites[42] |
| Burkina Faso | 100-1,000[41] | Data deficient[42] | Burkina Faso's striped hyena population is low but stable, with hunting only being permitted outside national parks and in retaliation to livestock losses[42] |
| Cameroon | 100-1,000[41] | Data deficient[42] | Cameroon's striped hyenas are afforded no protection or special attention outside of national parks and reserves[42] |
| Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) | 150–200[41] | Threatened[42] | Declining in all three countries due to hunting for fur and in retaliation to attacks on humans. Other factors include habitat loss, a reduction in large herbivore populations and changes in livestock management[42] |
| Chad | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Egypt | 1,000–2,000[41] | Data deficient[42] | Striped hyenas are offered no protection outside of national parks and reserves, and are hunted and poisoned as pests. There is also a reduced availability of animal carcasses for them to feed on[42] |
| Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea | Unknown[41] | Lower risk in Ethiopia and data deficient in Eritrea, with no records in Djibouti[42] | Ethiopian hyenas are specially protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife Conservation Amendment Regulations (1974), though they may be hunted under special permit for EtBirr 40 (equivalent to US$20) for science, education or zoology[42] |
| India | 1,000–3,000[41] | Data deficient[42] | Although India's hyenas are protected, this is given only within conservation areas, and the population is in decline outside national parks due to poaching, competition with leopards over shelter and diminishing food stocks.[42] |
| Iran | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | Striped hyenas are protected by law[42] |
| Iraq | 100-1,000[41] | Threatened[42] | Iraqi hyena population is decreasing, though wildlife laws regulate their hunting[42] |
| Israel | 100–170[41] | Threatened[42] | Although hyenas have largely recovered from the strychnine poisoning campaigns of 1918–1948, and are protected by law, the current nature reserves housing them may be too small to ensure a viable population. Road accidents are their most serious threat[42] |
| Jordan | Unknown[41] | Threatened[42] | Hyenas are actively hunted, as they are considered threats to human life.[42] |
| Kenya | 1,000–2,000[41] | Lower risk[42] | Striped hyenas are likely to decrease in Kenya because of accelerated habitat destruction and poaching.[42] |
| Kuwait | 0[41] | Probably extinct[42]
|
|
| Lebanon | 4,000-4,500[41] | low risk[42] | The striped hyena is protected by law and culture they thrive in Lebanon's rich biomes risk of extinction is low but recognition is a must |
| Libya | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Mali | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Mauritania | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Morocco | 50–500[41] | Threatened[42] | Though protected by law, the hyena population is in drastic decline, with the remaining individuals now having withdrawn to the southern mountains[42] |
| Nepal | 10–50[41] | Data deficient[42] | Although a small population of hyenas is confirmed, it is not considered a priority for protection by the government outside of national parks and reserves[42] |
| Niger | 100–500[41] | Threatened[42] | Declining due to officially sanctioned hunting and persecution campaigns, as well as habitat loss and overgrazing[42] |
| Nigeria | Unknown[41] | Threatened[42] | |
| Oman | 100-1,000[41] | Threatened[42] | Although not protected, striped hyenas are not officially persecuted, and are considered useful scavengers[42] |
| Pakistan | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | Hyaena hyaena is included in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Appendix III by request of Pakistan[43]
|
| Saudi Arabia | 100-1,000[41] | Threatened[42] | Though not officially persecuted, Arabian hyenas are not offered protection outside of national parks and reserves, and are severely poached[42] |
| Senegal | 50–100[41] | Threatened[42] | |
| Somalia | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Sudan | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Syria | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Tajikistan | Unknown[41] | Threatened[42] | |
| Tanzania | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | Striped hyenas can be hunted, though they are not usually a target species. Roadkills are the most frequently recorded cause of mortality[42] |
| Tunisia | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Turkey | Small isolated populations[44] | Threatened[45][46][47] | |
| Turkmenistan | 100–500[41] | Threatened[42] | Declining from hunting, though listed in the Red Data Book of Turkmenia[42] |
| United Arab Emirates | Unknown[41] | Data defictient [42] | |
| Uzbekistan | 25–100[41] | Threatened[42] | Striped hyena populations have declined over decades from active hunting and habitat loss, though they are listed in the Red Data Book of Uzbekistan and are protected[42] |
| Western Sahara | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] | |
| Yemen | Unknown[41] | Data deficient[42] |
In culture
In folklore, religion, and mythology
Striped hyenas are frequently referenced in Middle Eastern literature and folklore, typically as symbols of treachery and stupidity.[48] In the Near and Middle East, striped hyenas are generally regarded as physical incarnations of jinns.[12] Zakariya al-Qazwini (1204–1283) wrote in Arabic of a tribe of people called "Hyena People". In his book Marvels of Creatures and the Strange Things Existing (عجائب المخلوقات وغرائب الموجودات), he wrote that should one of this tribe be in a group of 1,000 people, a hyena could pick him out and eat him.[48] A Persian medical treatise written in 1376 tells how to cure cannibalistic people known as kaftar who are said to be "half-man, half-hyena".[12] Al-Doumairy in his writings in Hawayan Al-Koubra (1406) wrote that striped hyenas were vampiric creatures that attacked people at night and sucked the blood from their necks. He also wrote that hyenas only attacked brave people. Arab folklore tells of how hyenas can mesmerise victims with their eyes or sometimes with their pheromones.[48] Until the end of the 19th century, the Greeks believed that the bodies of werewolves, if not destroyed, would haunt battlefields as vampiric hyenas which drank the blood of dying soldiers.[49] The image of striped hyenas in Afghanistan, India and Palestine is more varied. Though feared, striped hyenas were also symbolic of love and fertility, leading to numerous varieties of love medicine derived from hyena body parts. Among the Baloch people and in North India, witches or magicians are said to ride striped hyenas at night.[12]
The Arabic word for striped hyenas is alluded in a valley in Israel known as Shaqq al-Diba (meaning "cleft of the hyenas") and Wadi Abu Diba (meaning "valley of the hyenas"). Both places have been interpreted by some scholars as being the Biblical Valley of Zeboim mentioned in 1 Samuel 13:18. The Hebrew word for hyena is tsavoa, which literally means "colored creature" (compare לִצְבֹּעַ litzboa "to color, to paint, to dye"). Though the King James Version of the Bible interprets this word (which appears in the Book of Jeremiah 12:9) as referring to a "speckled bird", Henry Baker Tristram argued that it was most likely a hyena being mentioned.[13]
In Gnosticism, the Archon Astaphaios is depicted with a hyænid face.[50]
Predation on livestock and crops
The striped hyena is sometimes implicated in the killing of livestock, particularly goats, sheep, dogs and poultry. Larger stock is sometimes reportedly taken, though it is possible that these are cases of scavenging mistaken for actual predation. Although most attacks occur at low densities, a substantial number reputedly occur in Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, and possibly Morocco.
In Turkmenistan, striped hyenas kill dogs, while they also kill sheep and other small animals in the Caucasus, and were event reported to have killed horses and donkeys in Iraq during the mid-twentieth century. Sheep, dogs, horses, and goats are also preyed upon in North Africa, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, and India.[51]
Striped hyenas also cause damage on occasion to
Attacks on humans and grave desecration
In ordinary circumstances, striped hyenas are extremely timid around humans, though they may show bold behaviours toward people at night.
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 World War I, 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.[48]
Hunting
Striped hyenas were hunted by Ancient Egyptian peasants for duty and amusement along with other animals that were a threat to crops and livestock.
The fur is coarse and sparse, with the few skins sold by hunters often being marketed as poor quality dog or wolf fur. Hyena skins were however once used in preparing chamois leather. The selling price of hyena pelts in the Soviet Union ranged from 45 kopeks to 1 ruble, 80 kopeks.[57]
Striped hyenas as food
.jpg)
A mural depicted on
Striped hyenas in folk magic
The
Tameability
The striped hyena is easily tamed and can be fully trained, particularly when they are young. Although the Ancient Egyptians did not consider striped hyenas sacred, they did supposedly tame them for use in hunting. When they are raised with a firm hand, they may eventually become affectionate and as amenable as well-trained dogs,[54][60] though they emit a strong odour which no amount of bathing will cover.[61] Although they kill dogs in the wild, striped hyenas raised in captivity can form bonds with them.[26]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ Linnæus, C. (1758). Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I (in Latin) (Tenth ed.). Holmiæ (Stockholm): Laurentius Salvius. p. 40. Archived from the original on 2012-11-08. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
- ^ OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b Kurtén 1968, pp. 66–68
- ^ a b c Rosevear 1974, p. 348
- ^ a b Heptner & Sludskii 1992, p. 16
- ^ a b c Mills & Hofer 1998, p. 22
- ^ a b Heptner & Sludskii 1992, p. 46
- ^ a b c Heptner & Sludskii 1992, pp. 40–42
- ^ a b c Heptner & Sludskii 1992, pp. 36–37
- ^ a b c d Pocock 1941, p. 72
- ^ (PDF) from the original on 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
- ^ ISBN 1-86105-831-4.
- ^ Αριστοτέλης 4th century BCE: Των περί τα ζώα ιστοριών.
- ^ "What is the National Animal of Lebanon?". WorldAtlas. 20 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2020-03-18. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
- ^ a b c Heptner & Sludskii 1992, pp. 11–14
- ^ Wagner, Aaron Parker. Behavioral ecology of the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) Archived 2021-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Diss. Montana State University-Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2006.
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 1992, p. 8
- ^ Pocock 1941, p. 67
- ^ a b Mills & Hofer 1998, p. 21
- ^ Mammals: Striped Hyena Archived 2012-11-30 at the Wayback Machine. San Diego Zoo
- ISBN 978-0-671-42805-1
- ^ Awad, Simon (February 2008). Myths and Facts about Hyenas Archived 2014-03-01 at the Wayback Machine. thisweekinpalestine.com #118
- ^ Pocock 1941, pp. 62–63
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 1992, p. 38
- ^ a b c d e Pocock 1941, p. 73
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 1992, p. 14
- ^ Osborn & Helmy 1980, p. 427
- ^ a b c d Mills & Hofer 1998, pp. 24–25
- ^ Rosevear 1974, p. 350
- ^ a b Heptner & Sludskii 1992, pp. 33–36
- ^ a b c Heptner & Sludskii 1992, pp. 31–33
- ^ a b Rosevear 1974, p. 349
- ^ Heptner & Sludskii 1992, p. 39
- ^ a b Daniel Johnson (1827) Sketches of Indian Field Sports: With Observations on the Animals; Also an Account of Some of the Customs of the Inhabitants; with a Description of the Art of Catching Serpents, as Practised by the Conjoors and Their Method of Curing Themselves when Bitten: with Remarks on Hydrophobia and Rabid Animals p. 45-46, R. Jennings, 1827
- ^ Hogenboom, Melissa (2016-03-26). "Earth – The hyena that made its home in a wolf pack". BBC. Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
- ISBN 0-8160-1886-3
- (PDF) from the original on 2017-08-08. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
- ^ "Balaram Ambaji Wild Life Sanctuary". Forests & Environment Department. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ Mills & Hofer 1998, p. 44
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Mills & Hofer 1998, p. 67
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg Mills & Hofer 1998, pp. 68–71
- ^ "Appendices". CITES. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 21 May 2023. Archived from the original on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Striped hyena in Turkey Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine. Iberianature.com. Retrieved on 2013-03-21.
- ^ Ö. Emre Can, Yıldıray Lise Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) trapped in Hatay, Turkey Archived 2012-04-24 at the Wayback Machine. WWF Turkey
- (PDF) from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2011-09-27.
- ^ Özgün Emre Can (October 2004) Status, Conservation and Management of Large Carnivores in Turkey Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, WWF-Turkey, p. 11.
- ^ .
- ISBN 0-448-23170-0.
- ^ The Apocryphon of John Archived 2013-02-11 at the Wayback Machine. Gnosis.org. Retrieved on 2013-03-21.
- ^ a b Mills & Hofer 1998, pp. 23–24
- ^ Mills & Hofer 1998, p. 25
- ISBN 82-426-1292-7. Archived from the original(PDF) on February 11, 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
- ^ a b c d Osborn & Helmy 1980, p. 431
- ^ a b Kingsley, John Sterling (1884) The Standard Natural History, Vol. V: Mammals, Boston: S. E. Cassino and Co.
- ^ Lydekker, Richard (1907), The game animals of India, Burma, Malaya, and Tibet, p. 354, London, R. Ward, limited
- ^ a b Heptner & Sludskii 1992, p. 45
- ^ Brentjes, B. 1966. "Einige Bemerkungen zur Darstellung der Hyänen, Erdwölfe und Hyänenhunde in den Kulturen des Alten Orients" Archived 2022-07-29 at the Wayback Machine, Zeitschr. Säugetierkunde 31, 308-314.
- ^ Islamists authorise hyena meat in Southern Somalia. SomalialandPress (12 August 2012)
- ^ Rosevear 1974, pp. 351–352
- ^ Smith, A. Mervyn (1904), Sport and adventure in the Indian jungle, p. 292, London : Hurst and Blackett
Bibliography
- Heptner, V. G.; Sludskii, A. A. (1992). Mammals of the Soviet Union: Carnivora (hyaenas and cats), Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution Libraries and National Science Foundation.
- Kurtén, Björn (1968). Pleistocene mammals of Europe. Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
- Mills, G. & Hofer, H. (1998). "Striped hyaena: country accounts" (PDF). Hyaenas: status survey and conservation action plan. Gland: IUCN/SSC Hyena Specialist Group. pp. 68–71. ISBN 2-8317-0442-1.
- Osborn, D.. J.; Helmy, I. (1980). The contemporary land mammals of Egypt (including Sinai). Field Museum of Natural History.
- Pocock, R. I. (1941). The Fauna of British India. Vol. 2 Mammals. London: Taylor and Francis.
- Rosevear, D. R. (1974). The carnivores of West Africa. London: Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). ISBN 0-565-00723-8.
External links
Data related to Hyaena hyaena at Wikispecies
Media related to Hyaena hyaena at Wikimedia Commons- Anderson, Steven C. (2004), Hyaena hyaena entry on Encyclopaedia Iranica
- Rieger, Ingo (1981) Hyaena hyaena, Mammalian Species, No. 150, pp.1–5, 3 figs. American Society of Mammalogists
- Striped Hyena Pictures
