Hyenas: orderlies of the savannas and deserts. Hyenas laughing orderlies of African expanses ... A hyena clearing the savanna from carrion

Found throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa.

The length of her body is 128-166 cm, tail - 26-33 cm, weight from 59 to 82 kg.

Inhabits various landscapes from hot deserts to mountain forests, but prefers steppes and savannahs. In the mountains it rises up to 4000 m above sea level.

The spotted hyena is a typical corpse-eater - carrion is its main food. However, often hyenas themselves attack antelopes and other animals. The reputation of the hyena as a cowardly scavenger, surviving on the remains of the prey of lions and other predators, is firmly rooted, but when studies were carried out, it turned out that spotted hyenas are excellent hunters, in some cases even surpassing lions.

Active at night, in search of food during the night it can travel up to 70 km. Often found during the day, resting in the shade of trees or lying in shallow water. For reproduction, it uses caves, anteater burrows and other animals.

Highly social view- hyenas live in a matriarchal clan, which is a territorial entity, occupying up to 1,800 km 2. A separate dominance hierarchy exists among males and females, but females dominate all males. High-ranking females have the first access to food and to resting places located near the entrance to the den. They also raise more young than lower-ranking females. High-ranking males have priority access to females. Males join new clans during the breeding season, showing constant submissiveness to females. Neighboring clans fight among themselves to protect their home areas. Territories are patrolled by clan members, and clan sites are demarcated by anal scent gland marks and faecal heaps containing large amounts of white bone sediment.

A walking hyena can run relentlessly at a speed of about 10 km / h for many hours, but if necessary, it can gallop at a speed of 40-50 km / h for at least several kilometers. The pinnacle of their short distance running is about 60 km/h.

The spotted hyena is clearly a carnivore, but is extremely picky in its choice of food. Hyenas are both scavengers and hunters, feeding on corpses, dead animals, or picking up and eating any organic matter. They use every part of the body, including the bones. It is the most effective of the scavengers due to its specific digestive system and active, very acidic gastric juice. The hyena is capable of assimilating nutrients from bone tissue, skins and even feces of other predators. She is able to satisfy her hunger even with the corpses of dead relatives in the last stage of decomposition. Bones, horns, hooves and even teeth are digested completely within 24 hours. The hyena also pursues young and weak animals and animals with pathological changes. Some of their usual prey includes gazelles, zebras, rhinos, impalas, and other ungulates. It also takes mice and other small mammals, birds, reptiles, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and insects.

Pregnancy lasts 98-99 days. There are usually 2 cubs in a litter, rarely 1 or 3.

brown hyena
Brown Hyena
(Parahyaena brunnea)

Lives in central Africa south of the Sahara desert, mainly in the Kalahari and Namib deserts. The range lies south of the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and southern Angola. Within the territory of South Africa the species is practically exterminated, except for the northernmost Transvaal and the Cape Province.

The body length is up to 1.2 m, of which 25-30 cm fall on the tail. On average, it weighs from 25 to 35 kg.

Inhabits barren savannahs, but has also been found in deserts. It mainly prefers grassy semi-deserts with a mosaic of shrubs, typical tropical savannah and woodland (with a well-developed layer of grass vegetation, under the forest layer).

It is the most carnivorous animal in the most barren parts of the Kalahari and Namib deserts. Here it feeds mainly on carrion. In the absence of carrion, it manages fruits, vegetables, marine organisms, insects and other invertebrates, and can also get small bustards and other birds, ostrich eggs, can hunt small mammals, lizards and occasionally poultry. It also attacks larger prey up to the size of young antelope (springbok in particular).

The brown hyena is a fairly solitary animal and is mostly active at night. Although this hyena has keen eyesight and hearing, it usually relies more on its sense of smell.

Brown hyenas live in clans, but they do not hunt in groups. Most clan members are close relatives, although sometimes immigrating males join the clan. Within the clan, relations between its members are much more peaceful than among other members of the hyena family, because the cubs are less aggressive towards each other. Older pups help guard younger, younger pups by sounding an alarm if a lion or other threat approaches their den. Although the clans are territorial, the females breed with nomadic migratory males. Males often leave their clan and join another clan (as do the occasional immigrant females) or become vagrants. Stray individuals represent one third of all adult males and 8% of the population, they are responsible for the reproduction of the species; resident local males rarely show sexual interest in the females of their clan.

Within clans, there is no seasonality and synchrony in reproduction. Pregnancy lasts 92-98 days. Usually there are 2-4 puppies in a litter. During the first three months after birth, the mother visits the cubs at sunrise and sunset to babysit them, spending up to 5 hours a night with them. Sexual maturity is reached at 2.5 years.

striped hyena
Striped Hyena
(Hyaena hyaena)

Found throughout North Africa, in large parts of Asia from mediterranean sea to the Bay of Bengal. Common in Northwest and Central India, becoming rarer towards the south, and absent from Ceylon, as well as from all countries further to the east; in sub-Saharan Africa it is also common in places, but becomes rare towards the south of the region.

The height at the withers is up to 80 cm, the weight of males is up to 55-60 kg. Males are larger than females.

Prefers foothills with dry channels, gullies, ravines, rocky gorges and labyrinths of caves. Lives in low clay hills with desert and steppe vegetation, overgrown in some areas with pistachio and juniper. Willingly inhabits areas overgrown with dense shrubs. Avoids high mountains and vast forests. Occasionally found in sandy desert, but the water source must be within 10 km. Prefers sparsely populated deserted areas, but sometimes visits gardens, vineyards and melons. Hyenas are not found in areas where there is a stable snow cover, and do not tolerate high humidity.

It is predominantly a nocturnal animal, although it occasionally roams during the day. Unlike the spotted hyena, it does not form packs. Feeds mostly on carrion. Often hyenas are content with the bare skeleton of ungulates, completely gnawed by other scavengers - in this case, powerful jaws come to the rescue, thanks to which hyenas easily gnaw any bones. It can be said that, with the deduction of carrion feeding, the striped hyena is practically omnivorous - it catches any living creatures that it is able to cope with and that it can catch up with, eats insects, and destroys ground nests of birds. Spring in Central Asia and Transcaucasia, during the exit from the eggs of turtles, the hyena switches almost completely to them. The shell of even a large turtle is not a problem for hyena teeth. In addition, the hyena, like the jackal, can collect garbage. Plants are an important part of the diet. Hyenas willingly eat many types of succulent plants, but they especially love melons and watermelons, for which they raid melons. They eat nuts and seeds. Having eaten, hyenas often sleep near the feeding place.

In the north of the range, mating occurs in January-February, and in hotter countries it is not confined to a specific season. Pregnancy takes 90-91 days. There are 2-4 blind puppies in the litter, which begin to see in a week or a little more. Both parents appear to be involved in their upbringing, although in captivity, male hyenas may eat the brood. Young hyenas reach puberty at the 3-4th year.

Families exist for a number of years and consist of a male, a female and one or two, less often three grown-up young, who stay with their parents for at least a year. Such a family can live in isolation from relatives, but also two or three families can live close to each other, while each family has several of its own "towns". In the family, hyenas show sociability and friendliness, which are not characteristic of a hyena in relationships with other animals.

Aardwolf
Aardwolf
(Proteles cristatus)

Found in East and South Africa. Its range is torn apart by the tropical forests of Zambia and southern Tanzania, where this species not found.

Body length is only 55-95 cm, tail length is 20-30 cm, shoulder height is 45-50 cm. Adults weigh from 8 to 14 kg.

Inhabits open dry plains, found in agricultural lands. Avoids mountainous areas and deserts. Also not found in dry tropical forests. The habitat as a whole coincides with the distribution of termites of the family Hodotermitidae inhabiting grassy plains and savannahs. Earthwolves are kept solitary, although they usually live monogamously. couples. They aggressively protect their feeding territories from invasion, the sizes of which, depending on the availability of food, vary from 1 to 4 km 2. Active at twilight and at night, only in South Africa in winter does it switch to daytime activity, which corresponds to the behavioral patterns of its main food, termites. During the day, the earthwolf usually hides in underground shelters, usually in old aardvark burrows (which are built near termite mounds), as well as in empty porcupine and strider burrows. Able to dig their own holes.

Unlike real hyenas, the earthen wolf does not feed on carrion, but on termites and occasionally on other insects and their larvae (in particular dead-eating beetles, which he collects on animal corpses) and arachnids. Occasionally, the earthwolf catches small rodents and birds nesting on the ground, or eats their eggs. Does not depend on water sources, getting liquid from termites.

Earthwolves form monogamous pairs. However, if the male is unable to defend his territory, the female will mate with another, more dominant male, although the offspring will later be guarded by her regular partner. Pregnancy lasts approximately 90 days, the female brings 2-4 cubs. In South Africa, puppies are born from October to December; in warmer northern regions(Botswana, Zimbabwe) the breeding season is less pronounced. Puppies stay in the den for 3-4 weeks; lairs change about 1 time per month. Until 9 weeks old, puppies do not move more than 30 m from the den. 12-week-old pups begin to accompany their parents on feeding, but still do not move more than 300-500 m from the den. By 4 months, milk feeding stops and the young go to independent feeding, but remain with their parents until the next breeding season, that is, for 1 year. By the age of 2, young earthwolves reach sexual maturity.

The brown hyena, also called the brown hyena, lives in Central Africa, mostly in the Kalahari and Namib deserts. Their range stretches from the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe to Namibia and southern Angola. In South Africa, brown hyenas are almost completely destroyed, with the exception of the Cape Province and the Transvaal.

Features of the appearance of a brown hyena

Brown hyenas are much smaller than spotted hyenas - the body length is 71-82 centimeters, plus a tail 25-30 centimeters long. Average weight varies from 25 to 35 kilograms, and the maximum body weight is 39 kilograms. Males are slightly heavier than females.

In isolated areas - the provinces of Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape - exceptionally large individuals weighing about 70 kilograms were found.

This species has typical for the family external signs: reverse tilt of the body, large head, long and strong legs. The head is broad, the ears are narrow, the teeth are large. The front legs are much better developed than the hind legs. Fingernails do not retract.

The mane of the brown hyena is very long, not upright and shaggy, it runs along the back and hangs down on the sides of the body. The color of the mane is much lighter than the color of the whole body. The coat is a solid brown color, and the stripes are located only on the legs. The lower part of the body is lighter. The tail is shaggy.

At the anus there are odorous glands, a secret is secreted from them with bad smell so hyenas smell bad.

Brown hyena habitat

This species is endemic to the dry and barren regions of southern Africa. Although the range of brown hyenas has been significantly reduced in recent times, they are still quite numerous in southern Africa. They have learned to survive close to humans.

Mostly brown hyenas live in barren savannahs, they also live in deserts. Brown hyenas prefer semi-deserts, savannas and wooded area. They hunt and hide in rocky areas.

The lifestyle of brown hyenas

These are fairly solitary animals that are active mainly at night.

Although brown hyenas have excellent hearing and vision, they most often rely on a keen sense of smell to detect carrion and other prey. Feeling the prey, the hyena runs quickly, overcoming a considerable distance to arrive at the place first than the rest of the scavengers.

During the dry season, brown hyenas are actively looking for food, they hunt for about 10 hours, while walking 30-50 kilometers a day.

Fortunately, there is more food during the rainy season, so the hyenas don't have to travel as much.

Brown hyenas live in clans, but they hunt alone. Most of groups are close relatives, but migrating males sometimes join the clan. Within the clan, relations are more peaceful than among other hyenas, and the cubs are not as aggressive towards each other. Older pups even guard their younger counterparts and make alarming sounds when a predator approaches their lair.

Females mate with migrating males. Females and some males remain with the clan even after maturation, which occurs at 2.5 years. But more often than not, males leave their clan and join someone else's, or constantly migrate.

The brown hyena encounter takes place in the den, when the hyenas are outside the den, it is a loner. Individuals forage alone and can only gather in a few pieces near a large carcass.

Juveniles rest near the den and play, while grabbing each other's manes with their teeth. These games are so tough that all the cubs have numerous scars on their necks.

AT conflict situations hyenas raise their manes on their backs and necks. Brown hyenas have overdeveloped chemical communication. There are scent marks throughout the clan's territory. Each individual has a unique smell, so other hyenas are able to identify each other. Brown hyenas have two types of odorous secretion. One has a short effect, it disappears after a few hours, with the help of this secret, the hyenas will find out where the individual got food. The second secret has a persistent aroma that does not fade for a month, with the help of which the hyena strengthens its position in the clan.

The coastal hyena is the largest land animal, whose diet consists mainly of carrion.

Brown hyenas, like spotted hyenas, are very vocal, but unlike their counterparts, they do not make cackling sounds. The brown hyena can most often be heard at night. When individuals quarrel over food, they growl, whine and howl.

Listen to the voice of the brown hyena

natural enemies brown hyenas are lions and common hyenas.

Nutrition of brown hyenas

In the Namib and Kalahari deserts, brown hyenas feed mainly on carrion. If there is no carrion, then hyenas pass to fruits, vegetables, termites, locusts, dung beetles, small birds, rodents, lizards. Occasionally they attack domestic birds. Also, brown hyenas can attack larger prey, such as young antelope.

During the rainy season, leftovers from the meals of cheetahs, lions and leopards are the basis of the diet of brown hyenas. In the dry season, the percentage of vegetables and fruits decreases sharply in the diet, so melons become the main source of moisture for them during the 8 months of drought.

The jaws of the brown hyena are not as powerful as those of the spotted hyena, but it is able to bite through an ostrich egg. Hyenas, like foxes, stock up on food. They also bring additional food to the den by feeding the pups.

Brown hyenas can chase small game for a short distance, but only one out of 6-10 hunting attempts is successful.

Reproduction of brown hyenas

Seasonality in mating season brown hyenas are not observed. Females mate with various nomadic males. Some males mate with females and leave the clan, while others remain after mating and take part in raising offspring. If the female dies, then other females begin to feed her babies.

Pregnancy lasts 92-98 days. There are usually 2-4 babies in a litter. The first 3 months, the mother comes to the cubs at sunrise and sunset, and spends about 5 hours with them. There are juveniles in the den so the puppies don't get bored and the mother doesn't have to come over too often. As the babies grow, their milky diet is supplemented by the meat that the mother and other clan members bring to the den.

When the babies begin to feed on solid food, the mother comes to them once a day, staying with them for about half an hour. And teenagers aged 8 months can stay on their own for 2-3 nights.

At 10 months, young individuals already begin to hunt on their own, foraging near the den. Over time, the range of their sorties increases. Females feed their offspring with milk for 10 months, and wean them completely at 15 months. The juveniles continue to return to the den where they socialize, play and sometimes receive additional food from the males. Brown hyenas begin to breed at least 2.5 years.

Coast hyenas are social animals that can live in clans.

Brown hyena population

Brown hyenas are useful animals, as they eat carrion and clear the area of infected remains. Occasionally they harm people by attacking poultry.

The number of brown hyenas in Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe Botswana and Zambia is about 5070-8020 individuals. It is also believed that about 220 brown hyenas live in Lesotho, Angola and Mozambique. As of 1995, 16 brown hyenas were registered in zoos.

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Alas, we often build our attitude towards someone based on appearance, often accept the opinion imposed by the TV. And this happens with early childhood. We watch cartoons in which there are kind, brave and smart characters, but there are stupid, mean and evil ones. Good heroes we love, but evil, of course, no. Remember the cartoon "The Lion King"? Here the authors of this cartoon easily inspired all the children that the lion is good, and the hyena is bad.

Lions have a historically good reputation. They have long been depicted on coats of arms. Lions symbolized courage, strength, beauty and intelligence. I do not want to destroy your ideas about the king of beasts, especially since this is not about them. But the erroneous idea about hyenas, which has stuck to them completely undeservedly, I would like to change.

So, to start with, most of you think that hyenas are scavengers. This is not entirely true. Yes, they feed on carrion, but carrion makes up no more than 30% of their diet. In most cases, the hyena hunts on its own. The hyena is not a very fast animal, but incredibly hardy. She is capable of chasing her prey for hours.

The hyena is often shown as a cowardly animal that can only attack in packs. This is not true either. In the struggle for food, one or two hyenas are able to fight even with lions.

And hyenas are very intelligent creatures. They learn quickly, are able to transfer knowledge to other hyenas in the pack, instantly adapt to new conditions.

But the main purpose of hyenas, no matter how strange it may sound, is to take care of the health of animals in the savannah. Yes, hyenas, along with the African vulture (vulture), clean the savannah. By feeding on carrion, they prevent the possible spread of disease. Hyenas and vultures clean up carcasses abandoned by other predators. Birds gnaw on the smallest pieces of meat, and powerful jaws and sharp teeth allow hyenas to gnaw even bones, thereby leaving no traces of a dead animal.

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AT last years the number of scavenger birds (mainly vultures) has decreased sharply, which has affected the growth of diseases of ungulates, which are food for all predators. If the hyena population begins to decline, this may lead to irreversible processes and, having lost some, we will lose dozens of other species ...

Hyena- the only animal that can eat only bones. These animals serve as an important link in the food chain, cleaning natural environment from carrion and preventing the spread of dangerous diseases.

HABITAT

The spotted hyena is distributed throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, except for the southern tip of the continent. This beast settles in the most different places avoiding wet rainforest and deserts. Hyenas can be found both in the valleys at sea level and in the mountains at an altitude of up to 4000 m, but their favorite habitat is the endless grassy savannas, where there is a great variety of herbivorous ungulates. Hyenas easily adapt to any living conditions and, in search of garbage, visit even the outskirts of cities.

SECURITY

Although not a protected species, the spotted hyena is not threatened with extinction. And yet, the territories of wild savannahs are steadily shrinking, and herds of herbivores are thinning out, depriving them of their usual prey. large predators- and, as a result, reducing the population of hyenas. In the past, these animals were distributed up to the Cape of Good Hope, but the colonization and industrial development of South Africa drove the steppe predators north. Now in South Africa, spotted hyenas are preserved only in reserves.

LIFESTYLE

In order to successfully hunt and defend their territory, spotted hyenas unite into clans of several dozen individuals. The hunting grounds of the clan occupy 10-40 km2; the owners mark their borders with the secret of the anal glands and dig the ground with their paws, leaving the secretions of the interdigital glands on it. In some places, hyenas live alone or in pairs. Hyenas of different sexes, when meeting, greet each other by sniffing each other's genitals, raising their hind legs for greater convenience, and the male allows himself to be sniffed first. In a married couple, the female is in charge, which is on average 6 kg heavier than the male. The partner is inferior to her in everything, shows submission and even gives the last piece of meat. The number of males and females in the flock is the same, but here the females dominate, although their dominance is not so noticeable. Members of the pack recognize each other by voice and smell. Powerful jaws and good digestion allow hyenas to devour even the bones and skins of animals. They usually feed on carrion, not disdaining the remains of their relatives, but quite often and successfully hunt zebras, gazelles, wildebeest, rodents, sick lions, buffaloes and elephants, and sometimes the whole flock pursues a female rhinoceros, trying to recapture a defenseless cub. A hyena can single-handedly kill a victim weighing twice as much as itself. As a rule, hyenas hunt at night, hunting alone and in packs. In running, they are fast, hardy and can run for 15 minutes at a speed of 40-50 km / h, due to which every third hunt brings them success. Mostly females hunt. Having caught up with the victim, they sink their teeth into her belly, neck and legs, and when the animal falls, the whole flock instantly attacks it and tears it to pieces. A bloody meal is accompanied by greedy rumbling, screeching and laughter, the sounds of which often converge lions and leopards. Predatory cats often take prey from hyenas, but a sufficiently large clan is able to give them a proper rebuff.

BREEDING

The female spotted hyena ovulates all year round at two-week intervals, and during each cycle she becomes fertile for a few hours. A whole flock of males converges on a female in estrus, who desperately fight among themselves for the right to mate with her. The cavaliers, who emerged victorious from the tournament fights, cautiously approach the female, expressing obsequious submission with their whole appearance: the head is lowered low, the tail is drawn to the belly. Of these, the female chooses one single partner who has the highest status in the group. After a pregnancy lasting 110 days, the female brings from one to three cubs, which are born sighted, toothy, weigh about 1.5 kg and can walk. Childbirth takes place in a hole prepared by the mother. Often, puppies of several females live in the same den, but each responds only to the call of his mother. Newborns are covered with a uniform dark brown coat, but after six weeks it brightens and becomes covered with the first spots.

At 4 months old, puppies are already adult in color, and only their paws are black at the bottom. Puppies suckle milk for 12-16 months, but gradually get used to the meat food that the mother brings to the hole. The female vigilantly guards her offspring, primarily from adult males who can devour them. Having caught up with the growth of adult animals, juveniles are weaned from milk feeding. The male becomes sexually mature at 2 years, and the female at 3 years.

DID YOU KNOW?

The spotted hyena needs 1.5-1.8 kg of food per day, but it is able to eat up to 14 kg of meat in one sitting. Having devoured the animal whole, the hyena then regurgitates the undigested fur and hooves.
The main competitors of spotted hyenas are lions, which often take their prey from them; in turn, hyenas love to profit from lion leftovers. On occasion, the lions kill the hyenas and leave the corpses to the scavengers. If the hyenas happen to attack a wounded, sick or old lion, they kill it and devour it.
The terrible voice of the hyena, strikingly similar to the laughter of a madman, terrifies many inhabitants of the savannah. This carnivorous laugh is usually emitted by animals in the midst of a hunt or a fight. Each hyena has its own voice, by which the members of the pack recognize it.
Inhabitants of some regions of Africa allow hyenas to roam freely at night through the streets of cities and villages and devour garbage.
The extremely acute instinct of a hyena allows her, after a few hours, to determine by one drop of urine which animal left her.

RELATED SPECIES

The hyena family includes four species of animals that live in Africa: spotted, brown and striped hyenas, as well as an earthen wolf. The striped hyena is also found in the Middle East. Earthwolves lead a solitary lifestyle, while spotted and brown hyena live in pairs. All hyenas are predators.

Aardwolf( Proteles cristatus ) feeds exclusively on termites. Regularly making rounds of his territory, he licks insects from the ground with a sticky tongue.

brown hyena( Hyaena brunn ea) is almost omnivorous. It can often be seen on the coast of Namibia, where the animal is looking for dead fish, birds, eared seals and whales.

striped hyena(Hyaena hyaena ) — its extremely varied diet includes insects, small animals, reptiles, fruits, and carrion.

One of interesting features the hyena is such that it is impossible to distinguish males from females: both have a phallus dangling between their hind legs. For "men" it is real, and for "women" it is false. No one has yet explained this natural twist. Maybe it's a disguise? Or are they hermaphrodites?

Be that as it may, the ladies, having received the scepter, appropriated social primacy for themselves - they established matriarchy. They even became physically larger (70 kg or more), which helps them with daily competitive contacts.

Constant observations of the behavior of the clan show that each of the ladies stands on a certain social step, and at the very top is the "queen". The amount of life's blessings they receive accordingly. High-ranking individuals are the first to prey, they get the best pieces, few dare to stand in their way, to challenge their right to own something.

Success is easier for sisters who fight side by side for power, but still one of them will be "number one", and someone - "number two" and so on. It happens that a lonely matron reaches the top of the hierarchy - if she has outstanding abilities. As a rule, this is the best and merciless of fighters, who also knows how to think and lead a team. The males became subordinate in everything. Each of them spends years to infiltrate the women's society, to gain a foothold there. They try to be useful to the clan - they mark and protect the territory, participate in hunting, fight with other clans or with lions. Among them, the highest rank belongs to those who have earned the approval of the leading female elite through a long, impeccable service. But their main role in the conditions of matriarchy is reduced to participation in reproduction.

Each clan has a rather extensive hunting territory. It is carefully guarded, marked with the smell of anal and finger glands, protected from neighbors. Migratory antelopes, unaware of such a distribution of land, enter into the possession of one or another clan, becoming the object of attention, and then the hunt of the owners. Prey caught on the border can go "from paw to paw" up to a dozen times until there is nothing left of it. If the antelope, while chasing, ran into someone else's territory, then the chances of enjoying its taste from the initial pursuers are small - most likely, it will have to be left to the host neighbors under the pressure of their superior forces.

Hyenas love their little children very much, caress them and lick them incessantly. The same tender relationship between young couples, between sisters and brothers. When you look at the playing, caressing fluffy animals, you can’t believe that these are predators - a thunderstorm for the entire savannah.

Children who appear once a year deep underground immediately acquire the rank of a mother and very soon begin to behave accordingly: dominants take away food from others, mark everything around with their smell, can punish anyone; "rabble" keeps modestly, "tail between its legs". Females feed only their own children - strangers will be doomed if their mother died in a skirmish. The grown puppy hurries along with everyone to the prey.

The main inclinations absorbed with mother's milk are selfishness, individualism, and not collectivism (as, for example, in hyena dogs). Cubs are brought up by individuals who are ready to "grab everyone by the throat" for their piece.

Another feature of hyenas is their fantastic resistance to bacteria and viruses. In 1987, more than 4,000 hippos died from anthrax in Luangwe. All of them were eaten by hyenas, thus stopping the spread of infection. At the same time, there has been a sharp increase in short period the number of "fighters". I imagine how hard it became for them to feed later, when the hippos ran out and other forces came into play to regulate the number of flocks.

Another peculiar quality of hyenas is the incredible strength of their jaws. There are no unbitten, uneaten bones left after them. Even horns and hooves they are able to absorb when they are hungry. No wonder in African savannah there are no lying skeletons or horned skulls of fallen antelopes (as, for example, in Central Asia): hyenas "sweep" everything. Their stomach can hold up to 15 kilograms of meat, bones, in general, any organic matter at a time. All this is perfectly digested, the maximum of nutrients is extracted.

Some nomadic peoples have a custom to leave their dead in the middle of the desert, where our heroes find them. Others use hyenas as scavengers for entire towns and cities. Still others consider them demons of the night, the embodiment of evil, dark forces that sorcerers deal with in magical rituals. In any case, the role of hyenas as orderlies of nature is truly priceless. They are indispensable in the savannah and desert.