The spotted hyena is found in all savannah National parks of Uganda as well as in Mgahinga, but mostly in Queen Elizabeth National Park. They also live in a variety of habitats which include grasslands, woodlands, forest edges and even mountains up to 3900 meters
Spotted hyenas organize themselves into territorial clans of related individuals who may go up to 80 Hyenas. The centre of clan activity is the Den, where the cubs are raised, and individuals meet.
. They hunt in smaller groups and use various techniques to attack different types of animals. They are successful hunters in groups or alone and will even try to catch fish, birds, and bugs in lakes
Hyenas are not members of the dog or cat families. Instead, they are so unique that they have a family of their own, Hyaenidae. There are four members of the Hyaenidae family: the striped hyena, the “giggly” spotted hyena, the brown hyena, and the aardwolf (it’s a hyena, not a wolf).
They mark their territories by depositing a strong-smelling substance produced by the anal glands on stalks of grass along the boundaries and always patrol.
The places where clan members deposit their excreta is called “Latrines,” which also mark territories.
Hyenas make sounds, including wailing calls, howling screams, and the well-known “laughter,” which can be heard up to three miles and is use it to alert other clan members of a food source.
The gestation period for Spotted Hyenas is 110days, Stripped Hyenas 90 days and Brown Hyenas 97 days
Their cubs stick close to their mothers. They usually bear litters of two to four cubs.
Cubs begin to eat meat from kills near the den at about five months, but they are suckled for as long as 12 to 18 months. This time is long as compared to other carnivores. This is probably a necessity, as most kills are made far from the den, and hyenas, unlike jackals and hunting dogs, do not bring back food and regurgitate it for their young.
At about one year, cubs begin to follow their mothers on their hunting and scavenging forays. Until then, they are left behind at the den with adult that protects and takes care of them.
Hyenas are not picky eaters and are one of Africa’s top predators. A large percent of their diet is composed of direct kills. Consuming animals of various types and sizes, carrion, bones, and other animal droppings.
Their jaws are among the strongest in relation to the size of any other mammal. Their jaws and digestive tract allow them to process and obtain nutrients from skin and bones. The only parts of prey not fully digested is hair, horns, and hooves. They are regurgitated in the form of pellets. The high mineral content of the bones makes their droppings a highly visible, chalky white.
Description Coat is rough and short, colour is reddish brown to tan, becoming lighter and less spotted with age, and tail pompom and nose are black. Size of Male: 79 to 86 cm
Female: 80 to 90cm Weight of Male: 50 to 60 kg
Weight of Female: 65 to 75 kg.
They can produce on average 2 young per litter but anywhere from 1 to 4, non-seasonal mating.
males become Sexually Mature In approximately 3 years, Females mature later than males, and their Life Span Average is 12 years; maximum 20 to 25 years.
Female hyenas possess similar looking reproductive organs to males therefore accurate sexing can be difficult.
Hyenas, are important in the regulation of grazer’s populations by weeding out the weak and sick as prey items. Their predation helps to check balance between these herds and their food resources. Hyenas are also important to the study of the evolution of carnivores since are sex-role reversed in both their anatomy and behaviour, and their societies are more complex than those of any other mammalian carnivore. Study of these bizarre animals has led to extremely interesting discoveries in the domains of ontogeny, behavioural endocrinology, ecology, and evolution.
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By migadde Kennedy
