VV (13) - Stand Wolf

[David Morris]

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/3163/hien.htm

hyena

{hy-ee'-nuh}

Hyenas are carnivorous mammals that are among nature's great scavengers. 
They belong to the family Hyaenidae, order Carnivora. The animals popularly 
called hyenas constitute two genera and three species. The spotted, or 
laughing, hyena, Crocuta crocuta, is about 183 cm (6 ft) long, including its 
30-cm (12-in) tail, and weighs up to 82 kg (180 lb). Its coarse, woolly coat 
is grayish yellow with round dark spots, and it lives in Africa south of the 
Sahara. Its well-known calls include the evening howl for food and the eerie 
"laugh" during the mating season or when the animal is otherwise excited. 
Probably no other living mammal has such powerful jaws in relation to its 
size. This hyena is strong enough to carry the body of a gnu.

The striped hyena, Hyaena hyaena, and the brown hyena, H. brunnea, are 
91-122 cm (3-4 ft) long and weigh up to 54 kg (120 lb). The striped hyena 
has vertical dark stripes on a grayish yellow coat. It lives in northern and 
eastern Africa, India, and southwest Asia. The brown hyena has a grayish 
head and gray lower legs with brown stripes. It lives in southern Africa and 
is protected by law. Both species have large ears.

It was once thought that carrion was the principal food of hyenas, but they 
are skillful at hunting and killing prey. Recent studies in Tanzania have 
shown that hyenas largely kill their own food, up to 93 percent of their 
diet in the Ngorongoro Crater. They can crush and consume the largest bones 
of such animals as cattle and buffalo. Traditionally, warring African tribes 
left their dead for the hyenas to eat.

Hyenas shelter in holes in the ground or among rocks and in dense 
vegetation. One to six young are born in a litter.

Hyenas may look like dogs, but most classifications consider them more 
closely related to cats, and place them along with the cat family, Felidae, 
and the civet and mongoose family, Viverridae, in one superfamily, Feloidea. 
Some new classifications, however, consider dogs and cats more closely 
related to each other than to other carnivores and consequently place them 
together in the same superfamily, Cynofeloidea, with the hyenas and civets 
and mongooses making up a new superfamily, Herpestoidea. Despite the 
differences in classification, there is little doubt that hyenas evolved 
from civetlike (viverrid) ancestors.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/crocuta/c._crocuta$narrative.html

Hyenas hunt alone or in packs led by a leader, and kill by disembowelling 
their prey all at once. Tend to hunt wildebeest, gazelles, zebra, rhino 
calves and a large number of different species of ungulates. Hunting takes 
place primarily at night, but is not uncommonly seen during daylight. Hyenas 
eat carcasses, killed or scavenged, and utilize every bone or scrap of the 
remains. Their teeth are especially large and heavy and serve as 
bone-crushers. Hyenas are also characterized by their massive jaws. Leaving 
a kill, they often carry a large chunk of meat or bone away with them, 
eating it quietly some distance off. Sometimes store food (carcasses) 
underwater to prevent other carnivores from stealing what is left. Iif a 
male and a female are contesting for a piece of bone or meat, the female is 
usually victorious. One hyena can eat at least 14.5 kg per meal. Hyenas can 
spot and will usually pursue extremely young, weak, diseased, injured, or 
dead prey. (Kruuk, 1972; Biknevicius, 1992)





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