Animal Fact Sheet
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Striped Hyena
Hyaena hyaena
What does it look
like?
Striped hyenas have broad heads with large eyes, thick set muzzles,
and large, pointed ears. Powerful jaws and strong cheek teeth indicate
their primarily carnivorous diet.
The 3 species of larger hyena—striped,
brown and spotted—all possess well-developed forequarters,
sloping back line, anal pouch and dorsal mane. Hind legs are shorter
and heavier than their forelegs. The smallest hyena is the aardwolf,
an insectivore.
- Male and female hyenas look alike
- Males are slightly larger in the striped and brown species
- Females are larger in the spotted species
- The striped hyena's coat color varies from gray to light brown
with vertical black stripes along the length of the body and dark,
striped legs
- Along their backs are darker, erectile crests
- Coat hair is long, and develops a woolly undercoat in colder
climates
- Their heads and bodies reach 3 to 4 feet in length; tails are
about 12.5 inches; and they weigh from 55 to 121 pounds
- Striped hyenas may have longevity of up to 24 years in captivity
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| Where
in the world?
Striped hyenas inhabit savanna, thorn bush, and stony desert regions
throughout northern and eastern Africa, Arabia, Asia Minor and India.
Their range is within 6 miles of water.
What are some behaviors?
Often described as solitary, hyenas in fact have complex social
systems. Brown and striped hyenas do not produce loud whooping calls
like the spotted species, but all have elaborate greeting rituals.
Long-range communication is through scent markings deposited on
grasses from their anal pouches.
Almost completely nocturnal, hyenas generally
forage alone or in pairs, moving noiselessly. Although they may
occasionally share large carcasses, group members rarely eat together,
avoiding direct competition for food.
Brown and striped hyenas spend more time searching
for widely scattered food, and are better able to exploit harsh
environments than the spotted species. But they are less equipped
to deal with larger prey. Where their ranges overlap with the spotted
hyena, brown and striped species' populations are lower, due to
competition for food.
What about offspring?
Breeding occurs at any time of the year. Both brown and striped
species produce 2 to 4 blind, helpless cubs after a gestation period
of 90-92 days. Cubs have similar coloration as adults.
Female striped hyenas have six teats, brown hyena
have four. Adults and sub-adults carry food back to the dens for
the infants, and brown hyenas are known to nurse unrelated infants.
However, spotted hyena do not carry food back to dens, nursing young
outside their dens.
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What does it eat?
Master scavengers, hyenas are able to consume and digest parts of
prey that would remain untouched by other animals. They completely
digest organic matter such as bones, while indigestible items such
as hooves, horns, ligaments and hair are regurgitated in pellets.
It is thought brown and striped hyenas are mainly
scavengers rather that hunters, and a significant portion of their
diet consists of insects, small mammals, birds eggs, even fruit
and vegetables which are important sources of water.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
No, but striped hyena are now rare due to hunting and habitat destruction.
Populations in North Africa and Arabia are in danger of extinction.
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