Brown Hyena

The brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), also called strandwolf,[4] is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe,[5] southern Mozambique and South Africa.[6] It is the only extant species in the genus Parahyaena. It is currently the rarest species of hyena.[7] The largest remaining brown hyena population is located in the southern Kalahari Desert and coastal areas in Southwest Africa.[8] The global population of brown hyena is estimated by IUCN at a number between 4,000 and 10,000 and its conservation status is marked as near threatened in the IUCN Red List.[1]

brown hyena

In the Kalahari, 80% of a brown hyena's activity time is spent at night, searching for food in an area on spanning 31.1 km (19.3 mi) on average, with territories of 54.4 km (33.8 mi) having been recorded.[17] They may cache excess food in shrubs or holes and recover it within 24 hours.[6]

Brown hyenas have a social hierarchy comparable to that of wolves, with a mated pair and their offspring. They live in clans composed of extended families of four to six individuals.[9] Clans defend their territory, and all members cooperate in raising cubs.[9] Territories are marked by 'pasting',[18] during which the hyena deposits secretions from its large anal gland, which is located below the base of the tail and produces a black and white paste, on vegetation and boulders.[15] Brown hyenas maintain a stable clan hierarchy through ritualized aggressive displays and mock fights. A brown hyena male can move up in rank by killing a higher ranking male in confrontation, while the alpha female is usually just the oldest female in the clan.[9] Emigration is common in brown hyena clans, particularly among young males, which will join other groups upon reaching adulthood.[6]

Brown hyenas are primarily scavengers the bulk of whose diet consists of carcasses killed by larger predators, but they may supplement their diet with rodents, insects, eggs, fruit and fungi (the desert truffle Kalaharituber pfeilii).[19] As they are poor hunters, live prey makes up only a small proportion of their diet: in the southern Kalahari, species such as springhare, springbok lambs, bat-eared foxes and korhaans constitute only 4.2% of their overall diet,[17] while on the Namib coast, cape fur seal pups compose 2.9% of their food.[20] They have an exceptional sense of smell and can locate carcasses kilometers away.[15] They are aggressive kleptoparasites, frequently appropriating the kills of black-backed jackals, cheetahs and leopards.[21] Single brown hyenas may charge at leopards with their jaws held wide open and can tree adult male leopards;[21] they have been observed treeing leopards even when no kill was in contention.[22] In the Kalahari Desert, they are often the dominant mammalian carnivores present because of this behavior and the relative scarcity of lions, spotted hyenas, and packs of African wild dogs. In areas where their territories overlap, brown hyenas may, on rare occasions, be killed by spotted hyenas and lions.[1] Brown hyena cubs are also susceptible to being killed by wild dogs and jackals.[11]

The global brown hyena population is estimated to comprise 4,000 to 10,000 individuals.[8][1] It is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List.[1] The major threat to the brown hyena is human persecution, based on the mistaken belief that it is harmful to livestock. Farmers find brown hyenas scavenging on livestock carcasses and wrongly assume that they have killed their property.[17] Brown hyena body parts are also occasionally used for traditional medicines and rituals. The brown hyena is not in high demand for trophy hunting.[8]

There are several conservation areas that are home to the brown hyena, including the Etosha National Park in Namibia, the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.[8] The maintenance of these protected areas aids in the conservation of these animals. Educational campaigns are being utilized to promote awareness about hyenas and dispel prevailing myths, while problem individuals are removed from farmlands and urbanized areas.[8]

The brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea ), also called strandwolf, is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. It is the only extant species in the genus Parahyaena. It is currently the rarest species of hyena. The largest remaining brown hyena population is located in the southern Kalahari Desert and coastal areas in Southwest Africa. The global population of brown hyena is estimated by IUCN at a number between 4,000 and 10,000 and its conservation status is marked as near threatened in the IUCN Red List.

The Brown hyena has a scruffy look and differs in appearance from the three other hyena species by its pointed ears and long shaggy coat. It is well known for its weird howl, sounding like a hysterical human laugh. It is an inelegant animal with a large head, muscular shoulders, sloping hindquarters and an untidy, shaggy brown coat. Long hairs on its neck, shoulders, and back are able to be raised when it is agitated. These are aggressive animals, and a possible difference between the genders in appearance is the larger size of the males.

The Brown hyena lives in the southern regions of Africa, namely, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, southern and western Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique. The south part of the Kalahari Desert and the coastal areas of southwest Africa are the location of the largest population in existence today. These animals inhabit semi-desert and desert areas, open woodland savanna and open scrub. They can survive near urban areas but need some sort of cover where they can rest during the day, like bush cover and rocky areas.

Brown hyenas are nocturnal, and during the day adults will sleep under cover of bushes, trees, or rocks to avoid being overheated. Adults hunt on their own, following trails they used previously and have scent-marked. This species lives either nomadically or within a clan. About one third of males are nomads, having left their birth clan, and are searching for a new clan to join in the role of alpha male. The females are sometimes nomadic, but only when there are no cubs to look after. Clans number 5 to 15 individuals which are related to each other, but alpha males have usually come from another clan. These animals defecate in latrine sites throughout their territory, mostly near their den and other important locations such as killing sites and territorial boundaries. Such sites are mostly used for communication between members of a clan, along with scent markings.

Brown hyenas are generalist (carnivores), and, being scavengers, are highly opportunistic feeders. They mainly eat carrion but also catch live animals such as small mammals, birds, fish and insects. They will also eat fruit, vegetables and eggs.

The Brown hyena is often killed due to misconceptions, myths and an unjustified bad reputation. There is a continuing false belief that these animals threaten domestic livestock, resulting in commercial farmers throughout its range killing harmless individuals. Brown hyenas, in fact, rarely kill livestock, and when they do, such killings are probably the work of a particular individual. Besides such persecution, this species is occasionally used in traditional rituals and medicine. Due to the amount of poisoning, hunting, and trapping, the overall range of brown hyenas is possibly declining, and in the south part of its range it is now rare, and possibly even extinct.

According to the IUCN Red List, the total Brown hyena population size is 5,000 to 8,000 individuals. This includes populations of 2,799 and 5,271 in Botswana; 566-2,440 animals in Namibia and 1,007 (31-2,316) animals in South Africa. Currently this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT), but its numbers today remain stable.

As a scavenger, the Brown hyena has an important role removing the remains of dead animals from its habitat, as these serve as breeding grounds for many diseases and parasites if left to decay. These animals help regulate black-backed jackal and South African fur seal populations through predation. They also change the predation frequencies of leopards and cheetahs by stalking them while they are hunting and then driving them away from their kills. They also disperse seeds from tsama melons, gemsbok melons and hookeri melons at defecation sites.

The Brown Hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) is a scruffier-looking and more solitary relative of the spotted hyena. It's confined to the southwest corner of Africa, frequenting areas where its larger cousin is rare or absent.

Spotted hyenas live in large maternal-led clans; their social life is worthy of its own blog. They have territories, but as the book Carnivores of the World notes, they will tolerate other carnivores passing through their territory. This is likely what I witnessed in the Serengeti: other hyenas moving to take advantage of the moveable feast of the wildebeest migration.

The brown hyena is a bit smaller and hairier than a spotted hyena. These hyenas roam desert areas, often covering significant distances in search for carcasses to scavenge. Despite its more innocuous appearance, it will chase other cat species (like cheetahs and servals) away from kills. But spotted hyenas will chase off brown hyenas.

I saw lots of brown hyena tracks and ample evidence of their scavenging at the Cape Cross fur seal colony on the Namibian coast. Due to oceanic conditions, many seal pups were starving the year I visited, a heart-wrenching sight for me but a banquet for brown hyenas. In fact, brown hyenas live in higher densities near fur seal colonies. They scavenge carcasses but will also kill baby seals.

This is the only hyena species that ranges outside Africa; it is also found in the Middle East, India and into central Asia. Despite its wide range, it is also the least studied. Its nocturnal behavior and cryptic habits have also likely led to some misperceptions. 041b061a72