#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

[i-love-hyenas]

Nirmal Dulal, 2011

[inbarfink]

[birdblues]

Striped Hyena

[tiifu-ndovu]

[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.

[birbbones]

Striped Hyena [Hyaena hyaena]

[i-love-hyenas]

Syrio, 2019

[autistrix]

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

Striped Hyena || Hyaena hyaena

Observed in Israel

Endangered in location of observation

[birdblues]

Striped Hyena

[striped-civet]

Indian striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena hyaena) Velavadar Blackbuck National Park, Gujarat, India

Source

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]