Stripped Hyena
( Hyaena Hyaena )
PHOTO CREDIT: Nirmal Gosh
Local name: Lhagar Bhagar, Charag (Urdu)
Discription and Biology:
Size:Body Length: 1 meter
Shoulder Height: 65-80 cm
Weight: 25 to 45 kg
Description: Stripped Hyena are a long-haired hyena with large, pointed ears. They are gray to straw-colored with a black muzzle and black stripes on their head, torso, and legs. The striped hyena can erect the long hair on its mane and appear 38% bigger, which it does when it feels threatened. Males and females do not differ in average height or length, but males do tend to be slightly heavier.
Reproduction: Breeding is nonseasonal, beginning at two to three years. One to six cubs are born per litter, after a 88-92 day gestation. No detailed studies of sexual behavior in the striped hyena have been published. Based on observations in captivity, estrus lasts one day, with the female mating several times at 15-25 minute intervals throughout the day. The mother brings food to the den for her cubs after they are one month old, but continues to nurse for approximately 12 months.
Social Behavior: The striped hyena is generally considered solitary, but has some social organization. It forages individually and is rarely seen in groups. It does, however, associate in small family groups at the den. Immature family members will help feed younger siblings by bringing food back to the den. Vocal communication is not highly developed. It consists mainly of soft growls and other sounds used during intraspecific encounters. Territoriality is not a prominent feature in striped hyena behavior, but does exist to some extent. Dens are often used merely for short periods of time, and therefore rarely need to be defended. In some areas, however, anal-gland marks and latrines have been found near feeding sites and well-used pathways. Submissiveness in a social encounter is shown by presentation of the anal gland. First, the hyenas sniff noses, followed by anogenital sniffing. Immature young display submission to adults, and one adult will often display to another upon meeting, with the second adult reciprocating. Fighting consists of ritualized wrestling matches, each hyena attempting to grab the other around the cheek region while attempting to evade or break the other's cheek hold. The loser of the competition displays submission by the anal presentation. The striped hyena is not a favored prey species of any predator.
Diet: The striped hyena is predominantly a scavenger; its diet consisting mainly of carrion and human refuse. It scavenges large and medium-sized mammals, such as zebras, wildebeests, gazelles, and impalas, even eating bones from carcasses if the meat has been picked off. It supplements its diet with fruit, insects, and occasionally by killing small animals like hare, rodents, reptiles, and birds. The striped hyena forages principally at night,individually travelling throughout its home range searching for food in no apparent pattern. Travelling speeds average 2-4 km/h, occasionall increasing to 8 km/h when trotting. Wind direction is not used to determine direction of travel, but the striped hyena will respond quickly to the scent of carrion brought by the wind. It also visits established food sites, such as garbage dumps around human settlements, fruit trees, and temporary site of large kills. Water is consumed every night if it is available, but the striped hyena can survive without water for long periods and live under desert conditions (all above information from "Animal Diversity Web," University of Michigan).
Habitat and Distribution:
The Stripped Hyena lives in arid, mountainous regions with scrub woodland. It dens in rocky hills, ravines, and crevices. In Pakistan the Stripped Hyena is mainly found in all the major hill ranges of Baluchistan and Sind Kohistan. It appears to be uncommon in Baluchistan and rare in Sind. The Stripped Hyena definitely occurs in the Kirthar mountain range in Sind, but is is considered rare. It is considered common around the hill ranges surrounding Quetta city in Baluchistan. The Stripped Hyena is extremely rare in Punjab, with only a couple of sightings around Lahore and the border with India. It was considered common in Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan, but is now very rare in these regions. In N.W.F.P, the Stripped Hyena occurs in Attock district and is also found in Mardan (all above information from "The Mammals of Pakistan," T.J. Roberts).
The University of Queensland, Gatton Campus, did a study in 2001 to determine the abundance and distribution of the striped hyena in the Kirthar National Park (KNP), Pakistan. Very little is known about this species, its population and ecological requirements, with the last recorded sighting of these animals in Kirthar, Pakistan being in 1977. This paucity of knowledge is likely to hamper any attempt to conserve it.
The KNP in southern Pakistan covers an area of approximately 3078 km2 providing refuge to a range of rare and endangered fauna as well as housing a human population of 10,500 people. The eastern half of the park was surveyed in three sections through the use of: baited soil plots, road soil plots, bait aided spotlighting, night observations, tracking spoor and direct observations. Anecdotal information about the hyena was also obtained from talking with local villagers.
Over a four-week study period, from the 10/01/2001 till 9/02/2001, no animals were seen, however baited and road soil plots proved successful with both spoor size and direction of travel being recorded. Hyenas unlike other canids have four toes on both front and hind feet. The front foot is also distinctly larger than the hind foot making their spoor easily distinguishable from other large carnivores such as the caracal (Felis caracal) or Asiatic jackal (Canis aureus) in the area. Through these recordings and the tracking of spoor, the abundance of the striped hyenas was determined for the eastern half of the KNP.
The results indicate that approximately eight hyenas were found on the eastern side of the KNP. Anecdotal information given by the villagers indicates that poaching of hyenas was still ongoing and that the population was decreasing in size within the boundaries of the national park. There is no current management plan for the striped hyena in Pakistan. It is therefore critical that a management plan be developed and implemented as soon as possible to preserve the remaining population of striped hyena in the KNP.
