Brown Hyena

Brown Hyena

Brown hyaena, Strandwolf

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Hyaena brunnea
Population size
5,000-8,000
Life Span
12-13 years
Top speed
50
31
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
38-44
83.6-96.8
kglbs
kg lbs 
Height
70-80
27.6-31.5
cminch
cm inch 
Length
130-160
51.2-63
cminch
cm inch 

The Brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) is a species of hyena found in Africa. It is currently the rarest species of hyena. The largest remaining Brown hyena population is located in the southern Kalahari Desert and coastal areas in Southwest Africa.

No

Nocturnal

Ca

Carnivore

Sc

Scavenger

Te

Terrestrial

Cu

Cursorial

Al

Altricial

Zo

Zoochory

No

Nomadic

Te

Territorial

Vi

Viviparous

Pr

Predator

Po

Polygyny

Po

Polyandry

Po

Polygynandry

So

Social

Do

Dominance hierarchy

No

Not a migrant

B

starts with

Appearance

Brown hyenas are distinguished from other species by their long shaggy dark brown coat, pointed ears, and short tail. Their legs are striped brown and white, and adults have a distinct cream-colored fur ruff around their necks. 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. 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. There are no sizable differences between the sexes, although males may be slightly larger than females.

Video

Distribution

Geography

The Brown hyena lives in the southern regions of Africa, namely, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, southern and western Zimbabwe, and southern Mozambique. The southern part of the Kalahari Desert and the coastal areas of southwest Africa are the location of the largest population in existence today. These animals inhabit semi-desert and desert areas, open woodland savanna, and open scrub. They can survive near urban areas but need some sort of cover where they can rest during the day, like bush cover and rocky areas.

Brown Hyena habitat map

Climate zones

Brown Hyena habitat map
Brown Hyena
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Habits and Lifestyle

Brown hyenas are nocturnal, and during the day adults will sleep under cover of bushes, trees, or rocks to avoid being overheated. Adults hunt on their own, following trails they used previously and have scent-marked. This species lives either nomadically or within a clan. About one-third of males are nomads, having left their birth clan, and are searching for a new clan to join in the role of alpha male. The females are sometimes nomadic, but only when there are no cubs to look after. Clans number 5 to 15 individuals which are related to each other, but alpha males usually come from another clan. These animals defecate in latrine sites throughout their territory, mostly near their den and other important locations such as killing sites and territorial boundaries. Such sites are mostly used for communication between members of a clan, along with scent markings.

Group name
Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Brown hyenas are generalist (carnivores), and, being scavengers, are highly opportunistic feeders. They mainly eat carrion but also catch live animals such as small mammals, birds, fish, and insects. They will also eat fruit, vegetables, and eggs.

Mating Habits

REPRODUCTION SEASON
May-August
PREGNANCY DURATION
90 days
BABY CARRYING
1-4 cubs
INDEPENDENT AGE
15 months
FEMALE NAME
female
MALE NAME
male
BABY NAME
cub

Brown hyenas usually demonstrate one of two complex systems of mating. One is a polygynous, clan-based system, which occurs only when the alpha male is a non-relative from another clan and mates with all females in the clan. The other system involves the clan females primarily mating with one or several nomadic males that come into the clan’s territory, being a polyandrous or polygynandrous (promiscuous) system, with females sometimes mating with up to four different males. They typically mate from May to August, during the dry season in Africa, but timing may also be due to the spontaneous arrival of any nomadic male. Breeding is usually every 12 to 41 months. Gestation lasts about 90 days, with 1-4 cubs born in the natal den. When they are 3 months old, they start to eat solid food and are moved by their mother to the communal den, where they are fed either by their mother or another lactating female. At 15 months old the cubs are weaned. They reach reproductive maturity between the age of 2 and 3. Males usually leave the den but females remain with the clan.

Population

Population threats

The Brown hyena is often killed due to misconceptions, myths, and an unjustified bad reputation. There is a continuing false belief that these animals threaten domestic livestock, resulting in commercial farmers throughout its range killing harmless individuals. Brown hyenas, in fact, rarely kill livestock, and when they do, such killings are probably the work of a particular individual. Besides such persecution, this species is occasionally used in traditional rituals and medicine. Due to the amount of poisoning, hunting, and trapping, the overall range of brown hyenas is possibly declining, and in the southern part of its range, it is now rare, and possibly even extinct.

Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total Brown hyena population size is 5,000 to 8,000 individuals. This includes populations of 2,799 and 5,271 in Botswana; 566-2,440 animals in Namibia and 1,007 (31-2,316) animals in South Africa. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT), but its numbers today remain stable.

Ecological niche

As a scavenger, the Brown hyena has an important role in removing the remains of dead animals from its habitat, as these serve as breeding grounds for many diseases and parasites if left to decay. These animals help regulate black-backed jackal and South African fur seal populations through predation. They also change the predation frequencies of leopards and cheetahs by stalking them while they are hunting and then driving them away from their kills. They also disperse seeds from tsama melons, gemsbok melons, and hookeri melons at defecation sites.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • Brown hyenas are solitary scavengers and travel distances as far as 35 kilometers every night, hunting for food.
  • With an excellent sense of smell, these animals can find carcasses several kilometers away.
  • The laugh of a hyena is not for fun. According to scientists, the tone and pitch of an individual’s laugh can indicate their social status and age.
  • Hyenas are cleverer than chimpanzees. A Duke University study showed that a pair of hyenas were better at problem-solving and social cooperation than chimpanzees. Remarkable too, was that during the study, these hyenas were silent while working on all the problems, using non-verbal signals alone for communication.
  • Hyenas have a very powerful digestive system and can eat a wide variety of animals and vegetation, easily digesting skin, teeth, and bones. Some campers say that they have even eaten aluminum pots and pans.
  • A hyena can survive for several days without water.

References

1. Brown Hyena Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_hyena
2. Brown Hyena on The IUCN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/10276/0

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