How to draw a hyena with a pencil step by step. Spotted hyena: photo, description, habitat, reproduction What hyenas eat

About the hyena.

For some time now it has been generally accepted that hyenas are scavenger animals that feed exclusively on the corpses of animals, but scientists have proven that this saying is fundamentally erroneous, proving the inclusion of these animals in the list of the most perfect and dangerous predators existing on earth.

The hyena has excellent hearing and sense of smell, which helps the animal track down prey, and its hunting tactic is to drive the prey “into a corner” without fail.

An adult is capable of reaching speeds of up to 60 - 65 km/h, so a predator can catch up with an antelope or zebra.

Hyenas are quite large animals. The weight of an adult reaches 75 kilograms, and the length is 2 meters.

Night is the time for hunting, although during the daytime predators are also able to go in search of prey. Most often, during daylight hours they rest in burrows or rock caves.

Hyenas are tied to their habitat, the boundaries of which are marked with a special secret. Most often, predators live in packs of 4–7 individuals, but hunt only alone.

Hyenas transmit information to other members of the species using screams, as well as sounds that are elusive to the human ear. Their barking is more like laughter and can be heard within a radius of 2 kilometers.

Predators breed during all year round, but the peak occurs from September to January. The female's pregnancy lasts a little more than 3 months.

A hyena gives birth to no more than 2 puppies at a time. Unlike other mammals, babies are born with with open eyes, and in case of danger they can run almost immediately after birth.

Several females give birth in a burrow or pit overgrown with grass, from which the cubs do not emerge until they reach 8 months of age. The puppies remain under the care of one female, while the rest go hunting, returning every 2 hours to feed their cubs with milk.

Females never bring prey into the hole, excluding the possibility of other predators tracking the hiding place of the puppies - easy prey - by smell.

Hyena jaws - dangerous weapon. The death grip, as well as strong pressure, locks the victim almost immediately. With the help of sharp fangs, the predator is able to gnaw even the hip bone of a bison.

Hyenas love to escape the scorching heat by taking baths in a pond or river.

Recently, scientists have learned that hyenas are not only predators, but also herbivores. Animals love to eat the pulp of melon or watermelon, as well as nuts or various seeds.

Over the past hundred years, the population and numbers of hyenas have declined sharply. The reason for this was the mass destruction of individuals due to their systematic raids on farmers' pastures. The development of new territories by humans also influenced the massive decline in the number of predators.

The hyena is a wild mammal that belongs to the placental infraclass, the carnivorous order, the feliform suborder, and the hyena family (lat. Hyaenidae).

The Latin name of the family was formed from two words of the ancient Greek language “ὕαινα” and “ὗς”, meaning either boar. This is probably due to the unpleasant odor emanating from the hyena and its bristly back, which resembles the withers of a wild boar. The word “hyena” entered the Russian language as a free reading international name families. It is noteworthy that the same name is applied to both male and female individuals, referring to singular female.

Hyena - description, structure, characteristics. What does a hyena look like?

Despite the fact that hyenas belong to the cat-like suborder, in appearance they are more reminiscent of. These are quite large animals, the length of their body including tail can reach 190 cm. Weight Limit hyenas do not exceed 80 kg. The body of the predator is powerful and muscular, significantly expanded in the thoracic region and more narrowed in the sacral region. Due to the fact that the hind, slightly curved limbs are somewhat shorter than the front, hyenas have a sloping back, descending from the scapular region to the sacral part. The hind legs appear thin and rather weak, especially in the thigh area. Almost all species (except for the aardwolf) have 4 toes on the front and hind legs with blunt, long, non-retractable claws. The forelimbs of aardwolves are five-fingered. Under the fingers of hyenas there are convex finger pads, which the animal steps on when walking. The fingers themselves are connected by a dense, thick and elastic membrane that reaches the pads.

Except for the sloping back, characteristic feature The hyena has a massive, thick head with a short, thick muzzle. The neck of the animals is quite short and wide. Powerful jaws allow you to crush the thickest bones of the victim thanks to special structure hyena skull and large, specially shaped teeth.

The hyena's body is covered with shaggy, coarse hair, colored yellowish-gray or brown. The undercoat is poorly developed or absent. On the neck and on the ridge almost along the entire back, the hair is longer and has the appearance of a mane. The color of the fur is heterogeneous: often the hyena’s skin is covered with blurry spots or fairly clear dark stripes, both throughout the body and only on the paws. The hyena's tail is quite short and shaggy.

Animals communicate with each other using squealing, barking, growling or “laughing” sounds. By the way, hyenas laugh in a very unusual way: their laughter, or laughter, is very similar to humans. Basically, laughing sounds are characteristic of spotted hyenas.

Lifespan of hyenas.

In nature, a hyena lives about 12-15 years; in the zoo, its life expectancy is about 24 years.

Where do hyenas live?

All hyenas live in savannas, desert, semi-desert areas and foothills of the African continent. The distribution range of species sometimes overlaps, so they often coexist in the same territory. The exception is the striped hyena, which is found in North-West India, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkey and Iran. Populations of these hyenas have been recorded in the countries of the former Soviet Union: Armenia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. The remaining hyenas live in Sudan and Kenya, Namibia and Botswana, South Africa, as well as in other countries of East, Northeast and Southern Africa.

What do hyenas eat?

Brown and striped hyenas usually hunt solitarily and are primarily scavengers, sometimes feeding on eggs, invertebrates, or small vertebrates. Spotted hyenas often go out in search of prey in small groups and take prey from,. Often they themselves organize hunts for rodents, birds, young ones, and even. In addition, these predators are not averse to feasting on domestic animals (for example,). Sometimes spotted hyenas attack buffaloes, and when gathered in a large flock, they are able to kill this large animal. During the hungry season, spotted hyenas can be content with carrion: the corpses of small and large animals, including sea animals, as well as food waste. In addition, the menu of all members of the family, except for aardwolves, also includes plant foods. Hyenas readily eat nuts and plant seeds, as well as melons - watermelons, melons, and fruits from the pumpkin family.

Unlike other species, the aardwolf never feeds on the corpses of dead animals. Its diet is based on termites, carrion beetles, and insect larvae. When the opportunity arises, it catches small rodents, destroys bird nests and eats not only the eggs, but also the birds themselves.

How do hyenas hunt?

Not so long ago, hyenas were considered exclusively scavengers, but, as it turned out, this was wrong. As a result of numerous observations of these animals, it was found that in almost 90% of cases predators kill a pre-designated victim. This is especially true of spotted hyenas, which drive their chosen prey in a pack, developing speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour and maintaining this figure at a distance of up to 5 kilometers. Such sprinting abilities make hyenas very dexterous and successful hunters, so almost all chases end successfully. A pack of hyenas can easily catch any animal - from a small wildebeest to a large buffalo and a young giraffe. For comparison: maximum speed a lion reaches 80 kilometers per hour, but he develops it very rarely, with great difficulty and not for long. On average, a lion's running speed is 50 km/h.

Contrary to popular belief, very often not only hyenas try to take prey from lions, but the lions themselves are not averse to feasting on an already defeated and captured victim. True, for a lone lion such attempts usually end in complete failure, especially if there are many hyenas. They bravely press on the lion when it tries to take their prey. By the way, among all the predators, only a pack of hyenas can give a worthy rebuff to the formidable king of beasts. Old or sick lions often become victims of hyenas: in a matter of minutes, a dozen hyenas tear the lion to pieces, eating it along with its skin and bones. However, there are cases when several lionesses or a large male lion drive away an entire clan of hyenas from their prey, and sometimes kill them or their helpless cubs.

Classification of hyenas, list and names.

Today, from the once large species diversity of the hyena family, only 4 species remain, the differences between which made it possible to divide the family into 3 genera. Two of them were combined into the subfamily of striped hyenas Hyaeninae, and aardwolves were allocated to the subfamily Protelinae.

The hyena family (lat. Hyaenidae) includes:

Genus Hyaena (Brisson, 1762)
- Species Hyaena brunnea (Thunberg, 1820) – Brown hyena
- Species Hyaena hyaena (Linnaeus, 1758) – Striped hyena
Genus Crocuta (Kaup, 1828)
- Species Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben, 1777) – Spotted hyena
Genus Proteles (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1824)
- Species Proteles cristata (Sparrman, 1783) – Aardwolf

Types of hyenas, photos and names.

Below is short description varieties of hyenas.

- a fairly large animal with a body length from 0.9 to 1.2-1.5 meters and a height at the withers of up to 0.8 m. The length of the tail is about 30 cm. Males are much larger than females, therefore, depending on gender, a hyena weighs from 27 to 54 (sometimes 60) kg. Thanks to a special mane of coarse hair, the length of which sometimes reaches 30 cm, the height of the scapular region becomes more pronounced. The coat, about 7 cm long, is dirty gray or brownish-yellow in color with black or brown stripes running across the body. The characteristic structure of the striped hyena's paws becomes especially noticeable when walking, which is why the animal appears to be dragging its hindquarters. The toes on the front and hind limbs are tightly connected. The striped hyena's head is large, with a slightly elongated muzzle and wide, pointed ears. big size. 34 teeth, which are located in wide jaws, driven by powerful muscles, allow you to tear meat and bones into pieces. The striped hyena lives in clay deserts or rocky foothills. It goes out in search of prey at night and twilight, and during the day it sits out in crevices, abandoned burrows or caves. Striped hyenas are the only members of the family that can live in territories not located on the African continent. The habitat of this species includes the countries of North Africa, as well as areas located south of the Sahara. These animals are found in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, India and other countries Arabian Peninsula.

This species differs from the striped hyena in its more modest size. The body length of these animals rarely exceeds 1.1 - 1.25 m (according to some sources, maximum length reaches 1.6 m). The height at the withers is 70–88 cm. The sizes of males and females are practically the same, although the weight of males is slightly larger and can exceed 48 kg, while the body weight of females barely reaches 40 kg. The light mane, up to 30 cm long, hanging from the neck along the entire spine of these hyenas, looks contrasting against the shaggy, monochromatic, brown-brown coat, which is slightly longer than that of their striped relatives. Characteristic feature This species has a gray coloration of the head and legs, with horizontal whitish stripes clearly visible on the legs. The neck and shoulders are painted white. The size of the skull of brown hyenas is larger than that of striped hyenas, and the teeth are more durable. Below the base of the tail in these animals there is an anal gland that produces secretions of black and white. With its help, the animal marks the boundaries of its territory. Brown hyenas live in desert and semi-desert areas, found in savannas and forests, but most populations are confined to coastal areas. The brown hyena's habitat includes Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique, Tanzania and Somalia, as well as other African countries located south of the current the Zambezi River along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. These animals go out in search of food after dark.

- a wild animal from the genus Crocuta. Spotted hyenas are the most typical representatives of the entire family. This is expressed in characteristic structure the animal's body and its habits. The length of the body with a tail can reach 1.6 m (according to some sources 1.85 m), the height at the withers is up to 80 cm. The weight of female hyenas ranges from 44.5 kg to 82 kg, males are much lighter and weigh from 40 kg to 62 kg. The yellowish-gray or sand-colored coat, decorated with rounded spots of dark brown or black color on the sides, back and limbs, is shorter than that of its relatives. Depending on the habitat, body color can vary from lighter to darker tones. The hair on the head is brown, with a reddish tint on the cheeks and nape. Brown rings are clearly visible on the rather short tail with a dark tip. There may be light-colored “socks” on the front and hind limbs of the mammal. Unlike representatives of other species, spotted hyenas have shorter ears and their tips are rounded. These hyenas have the largest “repertoire” of vocal communication, allowing them to express various emotions. Spotted hyenas live in savannas and on the elevated plateaus of Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana and other countries in South or East Africa. Spotted hyenas are most active at night, although they can scour in search of prey during the day. Social organization Spotted hyena clans are based on female dominance, so even high-ranking males are subordinate to low-ranking females.

Aardwolf (lat.Proteles cristatus) - the smallest species of the hyena family. Unlike spotted and striped hyenas, aardwolves have a more fragile build. The body length of these animals reaches 55-100 cm with a height at the withers of up to 50 cm, and the weight of individuals is 8-14 kg. Like all hyenas, the hind limbs of aardwolves are shorter than the front ones, but the sloping back is not so pronounced. The head of these animals is slightly elongated and resembles a dog’s in appearance. On the coat, which is yellowish-gray or reddish in color, black transverse stripes are clearly visible. The same stripes are visible on the legs of the animal. The long hanging mane, running along the entire ridge, at the moment of danger takes on a vertical position and visually increases the size of this small predator. The jaws of aardwolves are much weaker than those of other species, which is due to the wolf's diet, which feeds on termites and other insects and their larvae, such as carrion beetles. These representatives of hyenas, the only ones in the entire family, have five toes on their forelimbs. Aardwolves live in most countries of Eastern, North-Eastern and Southern Africa, absent only in tropical forests Tanzania and Zambia, which makes the distribution range of this species fragmented. These predators prefer to settle in places where there are open sandy plains and bushes. They go in search of food in the twilight and night hours, and during the day they sit out in abandoned burrows, although they are capable of digging shelters for themselves.

An extinct species of hyena.

Pachycrocuta brevirostris is an extinct species of hyena. Judging by those found in Eurasia, eastern and south africa fossilized bones, these hyenas were real giants. Average weight the predator was approximately 110 kg, and the size of the animal can be compared with the size of a modern lioness. Perhaps representatives of the species were scavengers, since with such impressive dimensions it is impossible to develop high speed It was not easy for hunting.

Reproduction of hyenas.

Depending on the species, there are some differences in the reproduction of hyenas.

U striped hyenas, living in the northern part of the range and on the Eurasian continent, the mating season lasts from January to the end of February, and in populations living in Africa it is not seasonal. Hyenas form stable pairs that can exist for quite some time. long time. The gestation period of a hyena lasts 3 months, after which 1 to 4 blind and toothless cubs are born. Babies' eyes open on the seventh or eighth day of life. Not only mothers, but also fathers are involved in raising the younger generation. The family usually includes a pair of adult individuals and grown-up offspring that remain with their parents until they are one year old. Such families live both isolated from relatives and forming communities of several groups. Striped hyenas reach sexual maturity by 2-3, and sometimes only by the 4th year of life.

Females brown hyenas capable of producing offspring already in the 2nd or 3rd year of life. Their mating season begins in May and ends at the end of July. Due to the peculiarities of the clan structure in a flock, only dominant females mate with the leader of the clan or with single males, however, if several females in the flock become pregnant, they will help each other in nursing the offspring. Around the ninetieth day of pregnancy, females give birth to litters. It can contain from 1 to 5 puppies, whose weight reaches 1 kg. Their fur is gray in color with dark stripes visible on it. In the first few days, newborn hyenas are blind and open their eyes only after a week. The mother is mainly involved in raising the growing offspring, although all members of the flock bring food to the babies. Breastfeeding lasts up to 12 months.

Unlike other species, the structure of the clan in spotted hyenas based on the dominance of the dominant female. Males serve as guards of the flock's boundaries, serve for fertilization and food production. Females are able to reproduce throughout the year. After 14-15 weeks of pregnancy, the female hyena gives birth to offspring, which can include from 1-3 to 7 babies. The weight of puppies sometimes exceeds 1.5 kilograms. It is noteworthy that newborn spotted hyenas are born fully sighted and with rather sharp teeth. The fur coat of babies is monochromatic, devoid of characteristic spots. Mother's milk is very nutritious, so after one feeding the cubs do not feel hungry for a week. Unlike brown hyenas, this species provides food only to its offspring.

Aardwolves, like striped hyenas, create stable monogamous pairs. In rare cases, when the male is unable to defend the territory in which the family lives, the female aardwolf can mate with a stronger individual, although the offspring will be raised by the main partner. The mating period lasts from late June to early July. Pregnancy lasts about 90 days, after which the female gives birth to 2-4 puppies. Aardwolf cubs are born sighted but toothless. For the first three months, the father of the family carefully protects his territory from predators. Puppies that reach 12 weeks of age begin to accompany their parents in search of food. Upon reaching four months of age, the cubs are weaned breastfeeding and go to self-catering, although they continue to stay with their parents throughout the year. These animals reach sexual maturity in the second year of life.

Regardless of the species, hyena childbirth is quite difficult, which is due to the peculiarities anatomical structure their genitals, and last about 12 hours. There are frequent cases of death of a mother weakened by childbirth, who may be attacked. Most cubs die immediately after birth. The fact is that due to the increase in testosterone in pregnant females, the cubs receive a very large dose of this male hormone and become extremely aggressive immediately after birth. They fight, bite and very often kill each other. After some time, the puppies' testosterone levels decrease and they become more peaceful. By the way, hyenas are extremely caring mothers, which feed their cubs with milk from 4 months (in aardwolves) to 12-16 months (in other species). Moreover, unlike lion prides, in clans and families of hyenas, females make sure that the babies are first fed with prey, and only then do they allow adult males to approach her. Scientists believe that it is for this reason that females are more aggressive than males, because they have to take care of their offspring.

In addition to deserts, Africa has numerous savannas. It is they who stretch across the entire continent, starting from the south of the Sahara and all the way to Kenya. An endless sea of grass, also called the savannah belt.

All vegetation in these regions is represented by shrubs and small thickets. Hard subequatorial climate divides the whole year into 2 seasons - this is dry months heat, and then long torrential rains.

In such conditions animals wildlife very dependent on the weather, since the conditions here are not the most comfortable.

Because of constant winds and a small amount of vegetation, these areas can only be inhabited by species that are able to adapt well.

One of these representatives are hyenas. They live in flocks like open spaces, and on the edges of small forests. Quite often, they choose paths and roads as their habitat, where they might be able to profit from something.

Life and habits of hyenas

Many people identify these animals with insidious and evil scavengers who can easily kill innocent victims.

This is far from true; such categories cannot be distinguished among animals. Hyenas are the same predators as any other, they just have a different approach to getting prey.

Previously, they were classified as members of the canine family, apparently due to the fact that their habits were largely similar.

However, these animals are more similar to cats, such as mongooses or civets. Hyenas are differentiated into several breeds:

Spotted;
Buraya;
Striped;
Aardwolf;

The spotted hyena is the largest and ranks 3rd among the most dangerous predators on the African continent.

Of course, in such harsh living conditions, clashes between species often occur. Conflicts arise in the struggle for food and habitat. The main rivals of hyenas are hyena dogs. Both species live in packs and in battles between them, those who have numerical superiority win.

A distinctive feature of hyenas is their shrill voice, which scares people even today. In ancient times, for this reason, hyenas were called servants of hell and were considered demonic creatures.

All because they can, as it were, imitate evil human laughter. Most often this happens when the whole flock is having a hearty dinner or lunch. One can imagine the horror that could wash over from what they heard - even if a small flock began to “laugh” ominously.

The most unpleasant neighbors for these animals are more large predators. They can take prey from hyenas and drive them away from good territories. However, spotted cats themselves can profit from the “fruits” of others’ hunts, but as a rule, these are just leftovers or carrion.

Like other predators, hyenas mark their territory. They do this through feces and secretions. This is done to prevent other animals or foreign flocks from wandering into their territory. In addition, one of the clan representatives remains to guard the borders.

It often happens that animals move to other places. This happens in order to find more food and Better conditions. As a rule, they lead night look life, and during the day they simply rest and gain strength after night outings.

Despite the clumsy appearance— the front legs of hyenas are noticeably longer than the hind legs, they are capable of developing high speed and maintaining it over fairly long distances.

This makes them one of the most effective hunters in African savannah. Contrary to prevailing stereotypes, it should be noted that they eat carrion only 20% of the time. They are excellent hunters, and they also work together and perform sanitary functions for the habitats in which they live.

How do hyenas reproduce?

Female hyenas can mate every couple of weeks. This makes conception more likely. In males, the period of activity is distributed across seasons.

There is a whole fertilization ritual. First, males fight each other for females, who have a dominant position and highest status in the pack. After one of the males wins, he must obtain permission from the female to impregnate her, and only after that can he get down to business.

The period after conception and before birth is up to 14 weeks. A female can give birth to up to 3 puppies at a time. Mothers give birth in burrows specially equipped for this purpose, which they can dig themselves or take from other animals.

Hyena cubs are much more adapted to life than, for example, dogs or cats. They are born fully sighted and weigh up to a couple of kilograms. However, this does not prevent females from feeding their children with their milk for up to 1.5 years.

Each mother feeds exclusively her puppies. With age, the cubs change color, acquiring colors close to their species. They receive the same status in the pack as their parents.

On average, hyenas live 10-13 years. They are trainable and easy to work with in zoos and captivity.

Photo of a hyena in the wild

Hyena- a wild mammal belonging to the cat family predatory species. How hyena lives in nature and where does it live? What does it eat and how does it hunt? Today we will answer these questions, and start with the characteristics.

Description of the hyena

In ancient Greek, hyena meant boar and pig, probably because of its unpleasant odor and hairy back. Though hyena and belongs to the cat-like species, its size is impressive! This is a large animal, growing 190 cm in length and weighing about 80 kg. The body of the predator is large, muscular, with a wide chest, but narrowed towards the sacrum. The body is covered with very shaggy and coarse hair, the undercoat is practically absent. Most of the hair is found on the mane and back. As you know, hyena most often they are colored with peculiar spots or stripes all over the body, but there is coloration only on the paws, and the tail of the predator is short and barely noticeable. The coat color is gray-brown or yellow-gray.

The animal's head is massive with a short muzzle, an elongated nose, and almond-shaped eyes. But the ears of individuals differ, in some they are long, pointed and triangular, while in others, the ears are small and round. By the way, precisely thanks to its powerful jaws, hyena capable of crushing bones, even the thickest ones, because this animal has teeth unusual shape, and the structure of the skull is different from other predators. The forelimbs are much longer than the hind limbs; moreover, the hind limbs are curved and look much weaker, which is why the predator’s back is sloping. Almost all species have 4 toes with strong nails on their paws (except for the aardwolf).

Hyenas They communicate with each other using unusual sounds, reminiscent of squealing, growling or laughter, but only spotted hyenas are characterized by laughter. A hyena lifespan on average 12-15 years, but in a zoo, a wild animal can double its life to 24 years.

Types of hyenas

Hyenas are divided into 3 types:

1. Brown and striped hyenas– The striped hyena is quite large, up to 1.5 meters long and weighing about 60 kg. The brown hyena is 1.25 m long and weighs about 40 kg (this hyena has the longest hair, which grows from the back and hangs down to the paws.)

2. Spotted hyenas can reach a length including tail of 1.6 m, and some individuals are almost 1.9 meters, with a weight of 44 to 82 kg.

3. Aardwolf has a body length of only 55-110 cm, and a weight of 8-14 kg.

WHERE DOES THE HYENA LIVE AND WHAT DOES IT EAT?

What does a hyena eat in the wild?

Scientists have proven that hyenas don't eat exclusively carrion, they are excellent hunters, and in 90% of cases, having chosen prey, they do not leave with empty paws. Of course, they wouldn’t mind taking prey from lions, but lions do the same thing. Spotted hyenas they drive prey in a flock, accelerating at a speed of 65 km/h, but striped and brown They hunt alone, which is why they feed on small animals. Just as often spotted hyenas they take food from leopards and cheetahs, attacking one animal in a flock. They themselves hunt both small and large animals, such as zebras, giraffes, antelopes, turtles, birds, elephant calves, sheep, buffaloes, but in times of hunger they are able to feed on carrion. All hyenas, except aardwolves, eat and plant foods - watermelons, nuts, melons, pumpkin fruits. Earthwolf prefers termites, insect larvae, carrion beetles, bird eggs and chicks, small rodents, and birds.

Where does the hyena live?

Habitat of hyenas depends on the type. For example, aardwolf lives in East, North-East and West Africa, except Tanzania and Zambia. Predators settle in open sandy plains or in thickets of bushes, where they go out to hunt at dusk.

Brown hyenas live also in Africa, in the Zambezi along the Indian and Atlantic Ocean, in Tanzania, in Zimbabwe, in Namibia, Somalia, in Botswana. They live in desert or semi-desert places, in savannas, in coastal areas, in forests, going out to hunt at dusk.

Striped hyenas are found V North Africa, in Turkey, in Pakistan, in Uzbekistan, in Armenia, in Azerbaijan, in India, in the south of the Sahara, in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. They go out hunting at night, and during the day they live in burrows, crevices and caves.

Spotted hyenas live in South and East Africa, in Kenya, Sudan, Namibia, Somalia, Tanzania, Botswana, they settle in savannas at high elevations.