Hyena - Spotted Hyena
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Spotted Hyena sitting in water
Spotted Hyena sitting in water A characteristic behaviour of spotted hyenas to cool themselves off.[Ngorogora, Tanzania].
Hyena and mudbath: This is the same hyena as in the preceding image. Our approach disturbed it, causing it reluctantly to abandon the nice bath. [Ngorogora, Tanzania].
A Spotted Hyena female (?alpha female) steals carrion from a young male. L image: female approaches the young male with his bone; 2 center images: the female chases and nips the backside of the male, causing him to drop the carrion; R image: the male watches as she runs off with his meal. This female could have been the clan's alpha female or a high ranking female. In a clan, the males are subservient to the adult females, who are largerand stronger. The males, except for the mate or male progeny of the alpha female, have no authority in a clan. Males do not play with the cubs, and have no role in their upbringing, nor do they sleep in the same burrow with the females. The alpha female is the head of the clan and makes all the decisions; her progeny are automatically high-ranked. If she is killed, her progeny then lose their rank. [Kuando, Botswana].
Spotted Hyenas at the wildebeest migration: The hyenas are waiting for the foaling to begin. After the wildbeests began birthing, the hyenas will make a feast of hundreds of the young. I remember seeing a large field strewn with at least 30 partially eaten newborn wildebeest carcasses. In this photo. The huge one in the left-foreground may well be a head-of-clan female. [Serengeti, Tanzania].
A very young baby (4-6 weeks) Spotted Hyena with its mother at the entrance to their burrow. Hyenas have superb night vision. Taken with flash. [S. Luangwa NP, Zambia].
Portrait of a juvenile Spotted Hyena cub (4-5 months) at its burrow. [Serengeti, Tanzania].
Spotted Hyena juvenile peering out of its burrow by the side of the road. Same individual as in previous image. [Serengeti, Tanzania].
Spotted Hyena with vultures-1st image: While the young hyena chases the whitebacked vultures on his right, the vultures behind him feed on the carcass. The vultures are emboldened because the hyena is a lone youngster. This zebra was probably killed by lions who fed well and left the remains. [Serengeti, Tan].
Young Spotted Hyena with whitebacked vultures-2nd image:The hyena tries reversing his direction, but the vultures behind him on his right are now free to feed. The prey was a zebra. (Please read caption of the preceding image). [Serenegti, Tanzania].
Spotted Hyena chasing vultures-3rd image: We watched this performance for about an hour. As you can see, the hyena has left the area of the kill. There is very little left except the stain, skin, rib-cage, and some bones. It was a zebra (image 2) that was probably killed and well-eaten by lions, who are off somewhere digesting their meal. The white-spotted vulture on the right is a Ruppell's vulture, the second largest vulture in East Africa. {Serengeti, Tanzania].
Eight month Spotted Hyena cub with mother [Botswana].
Two-month Spotted Hyena Cub (L), and walking (R) with mother [Botswana].
Pair of 2-month Spotted Hyena cubs with mother. [Botswana].
Spotted Hyena 5-week old cubs (L); (R) 8-mo-old rests. [Botswana].
Two Juvenile Hyenae w/ Carrion
Two 6-month cubs with their mother (center). [Botswana].
Adult female Spotted Hyena lying down {Botswana].
Young adult female Spotted Hyena with her eyes closed. [Botswana].
Three adult Spotted Hyenas cooling off in a pond. [Botswana].
The Spotted Hyena have a custom which requires a junior male member of a family to greet an older or important male member of the clan by performing fellatio on him.This and the next image depict that act. [Botswana].
Spotted Hyenas: Please see preceeding image for explanation. [Botswana].
An adult male Spotted Hyena lifts his leg to permit the expected fellatio by a younger male animal. In Spotted Hyenas, this is not so much a sexual act, but a gesture of homage or tribute to the older, more prominent male, i.e., offspring or mate of the female. [Botswana].
Two juvenile (8-month) Spotted Hyenas play (L); 4-month Spotted Hyena pup with it mother. [Botswana].
