#striped hyaena

[blogforfauna]

Hyaena hyaena

Each of the four hyena species is in their own genus. This means that spotted hyenas, striped hyenas, brown hyenas, and aardwolves are not closely related and split from a common ancestor a super long time ago.

Striped and spotted hyenas split roughly 10 million years ago, which is around the same time that foxes split from wolves. So comparing a striped hyena to a spotted hyena is like comparing a red fox to a grey wolf-- both are in the same family, but they look and behave very differently because they diverged so long ago.

Striped and spotted hyena distributions overlap in East Africa, but the distribution of the striped hyena extends much further north, even into Central Asia. Striped hyenas in Asia are generally much larger than those in Africa, weighing from 50-90 pounds (22.7-40.8 kg).

Unlike spotted hyenas that frequently hunt live prey like wildebeest and antelope, striped hyenas depend almost entirely on scavenging. This means they eat plants, garbage, and especially carrion, but they avoid live prey.

Most hyenas have front legs that are longer and much stronger than their hind legs, and their necks are also very long and strong. The reason for this probably lies behind their scavenging behavior— with much stronger, taller legs and necks, hyenas can carry larger pieces of carrion more easily without it dragging through dirt or mud.

Although groups of up to 7 have been recorded, striped hyenas generally live alone or in pairs. This is very different from spotted hyenas, who live in clans that sometimes have over 100 individuals. Also unlike spotted hyenas, male striped hyenas actually help take care of their children.

Striped hyenas mark their territories by producing strong-smelling, mushy stuff called "hyena butter" in their anal glands and smearing it on rocks, stumps, and other landmarks around their territory. You probably didn't want to know that, but now it's too late! Similar to a skunk, striped hyenas spray when they are attacked, as well as raising the mane-like hair on their neck and backs to appear much larger.

I rate striped hyenas 13/10. These things are something ELSE

Photo credits:

(1) Rushikesh Deshmukh (2) Joel Sartore (3) Karim Kara (4) Africa Freak (5) Will Burrard-Lucas

[lazer-t]

Striped Hyena

This illustration will be September's ko-fi Sticker Club design!

[inbarfink]

[i-love-hyenas]

Nirmal Dulal, 2011

[birdblues]

Striped Hyena

[ghostly-hyaena]

Hyena time!

[jemichiart]

I love the stripes and the manes of these hyenas. Personally I think they are very beautiful.

If you agree, you can find this guy on all kinds of prints and products on: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/161573477

[podartists]

Two Hyenas by Samuel Howitt | Yale Center for British Art | rawpixel

[vuelode-irbis]

Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) for tuesday

These are really fun aaaa

yeen

ID: a digital drawing of a striped hyena walking towards the right, you can see its whole body and it is looking back at the viewer.

[lazer-t]

September Sticker Club design: Striped Hyena

Join before October 1st to get this design!

By joining my sticker club for $15 a month, each month you will receive:

x1 Standard Vinyl Sticker (7.5 x 6cm)

x1 Large Vinyl Sticker (13 x 10.5cm) (Sticker Club Exclusive)

x1 Standard Vinyl Glow in the Dark Sticker (7.5 x 6cm) (Sticker Club Exclusive)

x1 Large Vinyl Glow in the Dark Sticker (13 x 10.5cm) (Sticker Club Exclusive)

x1 Mini Print (18 x 14cm) printed on coloured card + signed on the back

x1 Single-use Code for 10% off your next BigCartel store order

A hand-written thank you note from me

x1 Random mystery sticker from my store!

The design of the stickers and print will be a different animal each month!

More info below the cut:

Comes with standard untracked shipping included.

You can join and quit my Sticker Club membership whenever you like. If you are a continuous subscriber, your rewards for each subsequent month will be dispatched 1-3 days after your billing date (approximately the same date as the one you joined each month).

I also have a 1$+ tier available on my ko-fi with no specific rewards, for anyone who would like to support me otherwise.

If you would prefer just the standard sticker without the subscription, it can be bought individually through my store here.

Large and glow-in-the dark stickers of this design remain exclusive to the Sticker Club and will be unavailable after September 30th.

October 2024's design will be revealed later this month.

[thecreatureawaits]

Creature Awaits #185

Each week I plan to feature an amazing creature, admiring God's fantastic artistry.  Hopefully it’ll brighten someone’s day to see something new and interesting if they haven’t seen it before. : )

For this December, we're featuring animals from the Middle East. Who knows, maybe the Christ Child saw some of these! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays whatever you believe! - 💕

(Beautiful captures by the extremely skilled photographer, Ucumari (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))

The Striped Hyena

A.K.A: Tzebua (Hebrew), γλάνος (Greek)

Scientific Name: Hyaena hyaena

Region: Northwestern Africa eastward through India

Size: About 24"-31" (~60cm–80cm) tall and 33"-51" (~85cm-130cm) long, not including the tail

Interesting Notes: References to the striped hyena are found in folklore and mythology throughout the Middle East - usually describing them as ghastly vampiric beasts.  Arabian tales mention how the hyena's gaze can place a person into a trance.  Greek legends warn that if a werewolf body is not completely destroyed, it'll return as a ghostly hyena vampire that would seek out dying soldiers and drain the last of their blood.  Persian folklore tells of the existence of half-man, half-hyena cannibals that mesmerize their prey before sucking their blood.

Of course, in reality, the hyena is a beautiful creature that plays a very important role - helping carcasses other animals leave behind to decay faster to keep harmful bacteria from washing into the surrounding water and soil. 

[i-love-hyenas]

Syrio, 2019

[birdblues]

Striped Hyena

[birbbones]

Striped Hyena [Hyaena hyaena]

[autistrix]

[https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/135575639]

Striped Hyena || Hyaena hyaena

Observed in Israel

Endangered in location of observation