WILDLIFE SOUTH AFRICA |
| SPOTTED HYENA |
Latin Name: Crocuta
crocuta Afrikaans: Gevlekte Hiëna |
 |
Distribution in South
Africa: |
Mainly found in the Kruger National Park, Mapungubwe National Park and Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park as well as in protected areas like Private Game reserves. |
Habitat: |
A variety of habitat, from semi desert areas to open and bushveld savannah or open plains to dense bush woodland, rocky areas, hills and mountains, as long as there is enough food (in the form of animals or carcasses from kills by lions) in the area. |
| Habits: |
Although they often move around on their own, Spotted Hyenas are highly gregarious, living in family groups (clans) of between 2 and up to 12 or more in some areas. Every pack has a dominant female as leader and they are territorial. They scent mark and will defend their territories against other clans. Spotted Hyenas have an acute sense of smell, sound and sight and often congregate in large numbers at carcasses of animals killed by lions. Depending on their number, they will on many occasions drive away predators like Lion, Leopard and Cheetah from their freshly killed prey and then take over the carcass. |
Day or Night: |
Mainly nocturnal and they are most often seen at dusk and dawn. They are also often seen on cool overcast days. Spotted Hyenas are scavengers as well as hunters and will hunt antelope in packs, chasing the antelope to exhaustion and then killing it. Although they are sometimes seen during daytime when they feed on carcasses of animals killed recently by lions, they mainly rest up in burrows either dug by other animals or dens dug by themselves. They also rest up in tall grass, underneath bushes, rainwater culverts and storm drains (Kruger National Park) or in caves. |
| Difference between male and female: |
Females are larger than the males. |
Mass: |
Male: From 48 to sometimes even up to 75 kg Female: From 55 to in exceptional cases 80 kg. Weight of Spotted Hyenas varies widely from area to area and factors such as their diet and availability of food play a huge role. |
Breeding: |
1 to 4 cubs are born any time during the year with peaks in late summer (February / March). The cubs are born in a large burrow or “den”, dug out either completely by themselves or dug out by other animal species and enlarged by themselves. |
| Lifespan: |
About 20 years |
| Gestation Period: |
3 and a half months or about 105 to 110 days |
| Diet: |
Food and water: Spotted Hyenas are opportunistic animals.
They are scavengers but also regular and successful hunters and their
diet may vary from insects to large animals like Zebra, Blue Wildebeest
and even young Giraffe. Whether they will mainly scavenge on carcasses
and other carrion or rather hunt regularly, depends on the presence
of other large predators like lions and thus the regular availability
of carrion / carcasses. If there are many lions around they might
scavenge more regularly on carcasses of animals that lions have caught
but in the absence of lions they might hunt much more on their own. Depending on their numbers at a kill they will attempt, more than often, successfully to drive Lions away from their kills. In areas populated by humans, they will raid and scavenge in rubbish bins and rubbish dumps or pits near human dwellings and camps. They require drinking water on a regular basis. |
| Enemies: |
Lions and humans |
Status |
Becoming scarcer in South Africa and rarely found outside Game Reserves and National Parks. |
| Interesting facts: |
Spotted Hyenas are rumoured to have the strongest jaws
of all predators and can crack the bones of carcasses easily. They
have been observed cracking thighbones of Buffalos. They often hide their food in water like in dams and shallow pools for short periods of time. In the Kruger National Park and other areas where they occur, their whooping calls, screeching giggles and laughter, is of the most interesting (some people may say eerie or frightening) calls of any animal at night in the African bush. Some indigenous people in Southern Africa are superstitious and still believe in witchcraft. They consider Spotted Hyenas (most probably because of the sounds they make) as companions of witches and sorcerers that are part of the underworld and view them with awe. Contrary to popular believe, Spotted Hyenas are not cowards at all. If the opportunity arises they will attack and at times kill even lions. When out camping or sleeping in the open in areas where Spotted Hyenas occur, it is wise for humans to take extra care, as many people are attacked and seriously injured or even killed by Spotted Hyenas foraging in and around camps. Hyenas are cunning and intelligent animals and are known to watch vultures’ movements to locate carcasses. |