How long do hyenas live in the wild

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It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. The tail is short and bushy. The forelegs, which are horizontally striped, are much longer and more massively built than the hind legs, giving the brown hyena the appearance of always climbing a hill. The striped hyena is 39 to 45 inches to cm long and 26 to 30 in 66 to 75 cm tall from paw to shoulder, according to the San Diego Zoo. Their tails add another 12 to 16 in 30 to 40 cm and they weigh from 57 to 90 lbs.

Striped hyenas have long hair that is gray to straw-colored. Their muzzle is black, and there are black stripes on the head, torso and legs. Aardwolves are the smallest species of hyena.

They weigh from Aardwolves resemble striped hyenas , with similar fur texture and color. Where hyenas live depends on their type. Brown hyenas have a very limited range and live only in Southern Africa, including the Kalahari and Namib deserts. There are two distinct populations of aardwolves. One subspecies lives in southern Zambia, Angola and Mozambique, as well as northeastern Uganda and Somalia.

The other subspecies extends into central Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. Spotted hyenas have a little bit larger range and live south of the Sahara Desert. They occur throughout sub-Saharan Africa, and are the most numerous large predators in the Serengeti. The striped hyena has the largest range of all. Hyenas can adapt to almost any habitat and are found in grasslands, woodlands, savannas, forest edges, sub-deserts and mountains as high up as 13, feet Hyenas are very social and live in groups called clans.

Clans can have up to 80 members, according to the National Wildlife Foundation. Not only are spotted hyena females larger, they are also more aggressive and are dominate in their clans. All females rank higher than males in the clan. However, the brown and striped hyenas and aardwolves have male-dominated clans. Cubs are born with soft, brownish black hair and weigh 2 pounds on average. Unique among carnivorous mammals, spotted hyenas are born with their eyes open.

Cubs nurse for 12 to 16 months, though they can process solid food as early as three months. Within ten days of birth, they are able to move at considerable speed.

They begin to exhibit hunting behaviors at 8 months and will begin fully participating in group hunts after their first year. Spotted hyenas reach sexual maturity at the age of three years. Hyenas live up to 20 years in the wild and up to 40 years in captivity. Females dominate males, with even the lowest ranking females being dominant over the highest ranking males. Home ranges are defended through vocal displays, scent marking, and boundary patrols. Overall, spotted hyena society is characterized by its flexible nature, as demonstrated by impressive variation in group size, territorial behavior, foraging tactics, and nursing behavior.

The spotted hyena travels long distances in search of prey. The spotted hyena primarily kills and scavenges mammalian herbivores. These include small, medium, and large-sized antelope, Cape buffalo, and other herbivores such as zebra, warthog, and the young of giraffe, hippopotamus and rhinoceros. Hyenas can be very opportunistic and have been recorded eating almost any mammal, bird, fish or reptile, irrespective of size. The spotted hyena detects live prey by sight, hearing, and smell.

It detects carrion by smell, the noise of other predators feeding on the carcass, or during daytime, by watching vultures descend on a carcass. Its hearing is acute enough to pick up noises over distances of up to 6 miles. A single spotted hyena can eat up to 32 pounds of meat per meal. Most people think hyenas are scavengers only. In fact, lions will readily appropriate the kills of spotted hyenas. Spotted hyenas play a major role in Africa.

While spotted hyenas are not threatened at the moment, things could change.