Striped hyena: An unusual species of hyena that inhabited Asia. They are completely different from their spotted counterpart and have even learned to be friends with wolves (12 photos)

Forget the characters from The Lion King. Today we will talk about completely different hyenas - striped ones. Instead of maintaining the centuries-old tradition of enmity with the kings of beasts, they made friends... with wolves! But how do two large predators tolerate each other? Let's figure it out.





The striped hyena is one of four living members of the hyena family. They differ significantly from the laughing African scavengers we are used to, both in appearance and behavior. From a distance, the animals generally look like stubborn zebra dogs: 80 centimeters at the withers, striped print, long front legs and maximum photogenicity in any photo.



It is quite easy to meet striped hyenas: they have settled far beyond the borders of the African continent. The beast occupies the territories of Northern and Eastern Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and India. This is the hyena with the largest range!





In some places, animals come close to cities and villages. However, despite this proximity, minke whales remain very cowardly. If the beast is caught off guard, it can do three things. The first is to try to escape. Although hyenas look slow and clumsy, in reality the animal reaches speeds of up to 50 km/h. Secondly, the animal will try to scare you by raising the long hair on its back and spraying a foul-smelling liquid from special glands under its tail. Yes, almost like a skunk! Third, the animal will simply pretend to be dead. They don’t beat someone who is lying down, much less someone who is dead!



The animal raises its steep mohawk when it is scared or excited.

Striped hyenas also try not to have unnecessary contact with larger predators. Sometimes they have to give up prey even to their close relatives - spotted hyenas. This “peaceful” behavior is due to two things: firstly, animals are unpretentious when it comes to food, they can easily eat the remains of someone’s prey or outright carrion.



It's not just the wolf's feet that feed him.

In addition, large teeth and powerful chewing muscles allow animals to eat what others cannot profit from: they gnaw on huge camel bones or turtle shells like crackers. Hyenas can go very far in their meals... According to some sources, the tradition of installing tombstones originated in Israel, where human burials were protected from striped hyenas in this way.



Hyenas also know how to hunt: small mammals, birds and reptiles are consumed. A separate item on the menu is fruits and vegetables, with the help of which animals quench their thirst. Therefore, animals are sometimes noticed stealing on plantations and melon fields.



The second point that explains the peacefulness of these animals is that they prefer solitude. To be fair, not total: depending on their place of residence and the amount of available resources, hyenas gather in small groups. The more food and water there is in the area, the longer the animals will stay together. The composition of hyena groups varies: for example, in some African populations a female and several males were noticed at once. But in Central Asia they saw a couple of opposite sexes. Also, any flock may contain cubs from a previous litter.



By the way, the area also affects family values. In Africa, the female has affairs with many partners, and then babysits the kittens herself. Only cubs from previous litters can help her. Whereas in Central Asia, both parents care for babies.



Despite their introverted nature, there is one very interesting observation: striped hyenas are occasionally seen in the company of wolves. From a logical point of view, such behavior is unacceptable: the two species have too similar diets and dimensions for them to easily get along with each other. And most often the logic is followed: hyenas and wolves vehemently conflict with each other. But when the animals do get together, they behave as if nothing unusual is happening. It was as if old friends were just going about business!



Most often, contact occurs with the Indian subspecies of wolf. Hyenas most often both make friends and quarrel with them. What exactly is happening in this photo is not entirely clear.

The cohabitation of wolves and hyenas is far from common, one might say, an isolated thing. But that doesn't make it any less interesting. Biologists have put forward a number of assumptions about how and why this could happen. Hypothesis number one: hyenas and wolves cooperate with each other. The hyena helps the pack in search of food, relying on its keen sense of smell, and wolves can share large prey that they have piled up with the pack. In addition, minke whales easily gut garbage cans and cans with the help of powerful jaws, but this is more difficult for gray whales.



Hypothesis number two: the environment of wolves and hyenas became so unbearable that the animals had no choice but to come to terms with each other’s presence. More or less peaceful communication between wolves and hyenas is observed in places with high anthropogenic interference and in especially arid and resource-poor areas.



Today, striped hyenas are at minimal risk: they are widespread and no one hunts them. Even people - neither meat, nor skin, nor even sport hunting for these animals are of any interest. Isn't this wonderful?