Striped hyaena

A juvenile striped hyaena, (Hyaena hyaena).Template:Photo

The striped hyaena Hyaena hyaena, is the least known member of the hyaenid family, smaller than either the brown hyaena or the spotted hyaena.

Description

The striped hyaena Hyaenid is 1.2-1.5 m in length, with the tail being between 25 and 35 cm, and stands approximately 70 cm at the shoulder. Adults weight 40-55 kg, with variation between the subspecies. In Israel the mean weight for males was recorded to be 33.6 kg and females were 30.7 kg<ref name="Stuart">C. Stuart and T. Stuart (1997). Field guide to the larger mammals of Africa=. Struik publishers.  <ref name="Mendelssohn">H. Mendelssohn and Y. Yom-Tov (1999). The mammalia of Israel=. Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Males are typically larger, with both sexes having a very distinctive ‘hyaena’ stature, that being high at the shoulders and lower in the hindquarters. The striped hyaena has very distinctive black and white striping and can erect the hair from the mane al the way back to the tail when to make it appear larger when threatened. The ears are very large and pointed. The muzzle and throat area are typically black in colour. The stripes cover the majority of the body and continue down the legs. It is not known whether the leg stripes can be used to identify individuals as has been recently discovered with brown hyaenas <ref name="Wiesel">Template:Personnal communication, 2005. Five subspecies of striped hyaena have been described.

A juvenile striped hyaena laying down, note the distinctive stripe pattern. Striped hyaenas are typically nocturnal, this photo was taken of a captive animal.Template:Photo

Behaviour

The striped hyaena is usually sited only at night and tends to forage alone or in pairs. . Females give birth to 2-4 cubs in either modified burrows or natural cave dens . Not a lot is known about striped hyaena behaviour throughout their range. Research done in Israel shows that while mainly nocturnal, striped hyaenas are occasionally seen during the day. It prefers a rocky habitat where it can rest in caves during day time, but at times will take over and modify the burrow of another animal in less rocky areas. Although they primarily forage alone, at times three or more individuals were seen together. They have a suggested home range (calculated by radio tacking) of approximately 300 km2. .

Diet

Not an efficient hunter, the striped hyaena is primarily a scavenger and forages a wide range of food from vegetables and fruit to reptiles, birds and mammals. They are capable from scavenging from the largest available prey in the region Template:Cite Thesis They are notable collectors of bone material which they store in their dens, the make up of which are indicators of the other species and relative abundance of said species inhabiting the environment at the time of collection.

Geographical distribution

The striped hyaena has the broadest range of all the Hyaenid. In the wild, it is found from northern Tanzania to Morocco and across North Africa through out the Middle East and into India.

Status

Listed as low risk or threatened by IUCN.