Hyenas belong to the family of Hyaenidae and it’s the 5th smallest in the carnivore family, they are divided into species of spotted hyena, stripped hyena, aardwolf, and brown hyena.
They usually have lower Hindi quarters with high forelegs, short hind legs, short thick necks and short blunt non-retractable claws. Hyenas are more close to cats than dogs.
Hyenas are known for their aggressive nature caused by abnormal amounts of testosterone hormones found both in males and females. Research shows that cubs are immersed in testosterone hormones in the womb.
The hyenas dentition is designed to tear bones, their bites are so powerful and strong to kill even dogs with a single bite without breaking the skin.
Spotted hyenas give birth to fully developed cubs. Hyena clans are led by alpha females and the ruling is passed down to her cubs after death. It’s interesting how adult males rank last in clans.
Hyenas in Masai Mara
Spotted hyena
The spotted Hyenas in Masai Mara also known as the laughing hyena is one of the hyena species found at Masai game reserve with about 12 hyenas occupying every 100 square kilometers. The spotted hyena is also the largest of the hyena species.
Hyenas in Masai mara are mostly active in the morning hours. There are high chances of spotting hyenas while on a game drive in Masai mara.
Although Spotted hyenas can hunt down their own prey, they usually eat leftovers of other predators like lions. Sometimes hyenas raid the neighboring villages to steal food and some food crops and end up being killed by humans. Occasionally, hyenas are responsible for a few human deaths in areas surrounding Masai mara game reserve.
The Masai people used to live their dead to be eaten by hyenas in the past and some even still do the same today.
The females are more male like. Females have difficulty giving birth. They give birth through their narrow clitoris that 10% of first time hyena mothers die during birth and 60% of cubs suffocate on their way out of the pseudo penis.
Hyenas have sebaceous glands that produce creamy secretion with very strong odor used for marking territories but also be used as defense when attacked. The odor can be sensed by humans several meters away.
Hyenas produce various sounds like grunts, groans, giggles, lows, whoops, growls, yells and whines. Hyenas sometimes drive big cats like lions from their prey.
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