Striped hyena

1
Striped hyena
Striped hyenas
Temporal range: Middle Pleistocene Recent
Striped hyena at a zoo in Nepal
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Hyaenidae
Genus: Hyaena
Species: H. hyaena
Binomial name
Hyaena hyaena
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Striped hyena
2
Striped hyena range
Synonyms
Canis hyaena Linnaeus, 1758
(numerous others)
The striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) is a species of true hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, the
Caucasus, Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. It is listed by the IUCN as near threatened, as the global
population is estimated to be under 10,000 mature individuals which continues to experience deliberate and
incidental persecution along with a decrease in its prey base such that it may come close to meeting a continuing
decline of 10% over the next three generations.
It is the smallest of the true hyenas and retains many primitive viverrid characteristics lost in larger species, having a
smaller and less specialised skull. Though primarily a scavenger, large specimens have been known to kill their own
prey, and attacks on humans have occurred on rare instances. The striped hyena is a monogamous animal, with both
males and females assisting one another in raising their cubs. A nocturnal animal, the striped hyena typically only
emerges in complete darkness, and is quick to return to its lair before sunrise. Though it has a habit of feigning death
when attacked, it has also been known to stand its ground against larger predators such as leopards in disputes over
food.
The striped hyena features prominently in Middle Eastern and Asian folklore. In some areas, its body parts are
considered magical, and are used as charms or talismans. It is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, where it is referred to
as tzebua or zevoa, though the species is absent in some English translations.
Evolution
The species may have evolved from H. namaquensis of Pliocene Africa. Striped hyena fossils are common in Africa,
with records going back as far as the Middle Pleistocene and even to the Villafranchian. As fossil striped hyenas are
absent from the Mediterranean region, it is likely that the species is a relatively late invader to Eurasia, having likely
spread outside Africa only after the extinction of spotted hyenas in Asia at the end of the Ice Age. The striped hyena
occurred for some time in Europe during the Pleistocene, having been particularly widespread in France and
Germany. It also occurred in Montmaurin, Hollabrunn in Austria, the Furninha Cave in Portugal and the Genista
Caves in Gibraltar. The European form was similar in appearance to modern populations, but was larger, being
comparable in size to the brown hyena.
Striped hyena
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Physical description
Build
Skull, as drawn by V. N. Lyakhov.
Dentition, as illustrated in Knight's
Sketches in Natural History
The striped hyena has a fairly massive, but short torso set on long legs.
The hind legs are significantly shorter than the forelimbs, thus causing
the back to slope downwards. The legs are relatively thin and weak,
with the forelegs being bent at the carpal region. The neck is thick,
long and largely immobile, while the head is heavy and massive with a
shortened facial region. The eyes are small, while the sharply pointed
ears are very large, broad and set high on the head. Like all hyenas, the
striped hyena has bulky pads on its paws, as well as blunt but powerful
claws. The tail is short and the terminal hairs do not descend below the
calcaneal tendon. The striped hyena lacks the enlarged clitoris and
false scrotal sack noted in the female genitalia of the spotted hyena.
The female has 3 pairs of teats. Adult weight can range from 22 to
55kg (49 to 121lb), averaging at about 35kg (77lb). Body length can
range from 85 to 130cm (33 to 51in), not counting a tail of 25 to
40cm (9.8 to 15.7in), and shoulder height is between 6080cm
(2431in).
[2][3][4]
The male has a large pouch of naked skin located at
the anal opening. Large anal glands open into it from above the anus.
Several sebaceous glands are present between the openings of the anal
glands and above them. The anus can be everted up to a length of 5cm,
and is everted during social interaction and mating. When attacked, the
striped hyena everts its rectum and sprays a pungent smelling liquid
from its anal glands. Its eyesight is acute, though its senses of smell
and hearing are weak.
The skull is entirely typical of the genus, having a very high sagittal
crest, a shortened facial region and an inflated frontal bone. The skull
of the striped hyena differs from that of the brown and spotted hyena
by its smaller size and slightly less massive build. It is nonetheless still
powerfully structured and well adapted to anchoring exceptionally
strong jaw muscles which give it enough bite-force to splinter a camel's
thigh bone. Although the dentition is overall smaller than that of the
spotted hyena, the upper molar of the striped hyena is far larger. The
dental formula is:
Striped hyena
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Skeleton.
Dentition
3.1.4.0-1
3.1.3.1
Fur
The winter coat is unusually long and uniform for an animal its size, with a luxuriant mane of tough, long hairs along
the back from the occiput to the base of the tail. The coat is generally coarse and bristly, though this varies according
to season. In winter, the coat is fairly dense, soft, and has well-developed underfur. The guard hairs are 5075mm
long on the flanks, 150225mm long on the mane and 150mm on the tail. In summer, the coat is much shorter and
coarser, and lacks underfur, though the mane remains large.
In winter, the coat is usually of a dirty-brownish grey or dirty gray colour. The hairs of the mane are light grey or
white at the base, and black or dark brown at the tips. The muzzle is dark, greyish brown, brownish-grey or black,
while the top of the head and cheeks are more lightly coloured. The ears are almost black. A large black spot is
present on the front of the neck, and is separated from the chin by a light zone. A dark field ascends from the flanks
ascending to the rear of the cheeks. The inner and outer surface of the forelegs are covered with small dark spots and
transverse stripes. The flanks have four indistinct dark vertical stripes and rows of diffused spots. The outer surface
of the thighs has 34 distinct vertical or oblique dark bands which merge into transverse stripes in the lower portion
of the legs. The tip of the tail is black with white underfur.
Geographic variation
As of 2005[5], no subspecies are recognised. The striped hyena is nonetheless a geographically varied animal.
Hyenas in the Arabian peninsula have an accentuated blackish dorsal mane, with mid-dorsal hairs reaching 20cm in
length. The base colour of Arabian hyenas is grey to whitish grey, with dusky grey muzzles and buff yellow below
the eyes. Hyenas in Israel have a dorsal crest which is mixed grey and black in colour, rather than being
predominantly black. The largest striped hyenas come from the Middle East, Asia minor, central Asia and the Indian
subcontinent, while those of east Africa and the Arabian peninsula are smaller.
Striped hyena
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Behavior
A pair of striped hyenas fighting at the Colchester
Zoo
Social and territorial behaviours
The striped hyena is a primarily nocturnal animal, which typically only
leaves its den at the onset of total darkness, returning before sunrise.
Striped hyenas typically live in groups of 12 animals, though groups
of up to seven animals are known in Libya. They are generally not
territorial animals, with home ranges of different groups often
overlapping each other. Home ranges in the Serengheti have been
recorded to be 44km
2
(17sqmi)-72km
2
(28sqmi), while one in the
Negev desert was calculated at 61km
2
(24sqmi). When marking their
territory, striped hyenas use the paste of their anal pouch (hyena butter)
to scent mark grass, stalks, stones, tree trunks and other objects. In
aggressive encounters, the black patch near the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae is erected. When fighting, striped
hyenas will bite at the throat and legs, but avoid the mane, which serves as a signalling device. When greeting each
other, they lick the mid-back region, sniff each other's noses, extrude their anal pouch or paw each other's throats.
The species is not as vocal as the spotted hyena, its vocalisations being limited to a chattering laugh and howling.
Illustration from Frank Finn's Wild Beasts of the
World (1909)
Reproduction and development
The striped hyena is monogamous, with the male helping the female to
establish a den, raise young and feed her when cubs are born. The
mating season varies according to location; in Transcaucasia, hyenas
breed in JanuaryFebruary, while those in southeast Turkmenia breed
in OctoberNovember. In captivity, breeding is non-seasonal. Mating
can occur at any time of the day, during which the male grips the skin
of the female's neck.
The gestation period lasts 9091 days. Striped hyena cubs are born
with adult markings, closed eyes and small ears. This is in marked
contrast to newborn spotted hyena cubs which are born almost fully
developed, though with black, unmarked coats. Their eyes open after
78 days, and leave their dens after one month. Cubs are weaned at the
age of 2 months, and are then fed by both parents. Despite the males'
assistance, female hyenas are very protective of their cubs, and will
chase their mates away from the cubs if they approach too closely. By
autumn, the cubs are half the size of their parents. In the wild, striped
hyenas can live for 12 years, while in captivity they have been known
to reach 23.
Burrowing behaviours
The striped hyena may dig its own dens, but it also establishes its lairs in caves, rock fissures, erosion channels and
burrows formerly occupied by porcupines, wolves, warthogs and aardvarks. Hyena dens can be identified by the
presence of bones at their entrances. The striped hyena hides in caves, niches, pits, dense thickets, reeds and plume
grass during the day to shelter from predators, heat or winter cold. The size and elaboration of striped hyena dens
varies according to location ; dens in the Karakum have entrances 0.670.72 m wide and are extended over a
distance of 4.155 m, with no lateral extensions or special chambers. In contrast, hyena dens in Israel are much more
Striped hyena
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elaborate and large, exceeding 27 m in length.
Diet
Stuffed striped hyena defending a sheep carcass
from hooded crows, as shown in The Museum of
Zoology, St. Petersburg
The striped hyena is primarily a scavenger which feeds mainly on
ungulate carcasses in different stages of decomposition, fresh bones,
cartilages, ligaments and bone marrow. It crushes long bones into fine
particles and swallows them, though sometimes entire bones are eaten
whole. The striped hyena is not a fussy eater, though it has an aversion
to vulture flesh. It will occasionally attack and kill any animal it can
overcome. It hunts prey by running it down, grabbing its flanks or
groin and inflicting mortal wounds by tearing out the viscera. In
Turkmenistan, the species is recorded to feed on wild boar, kulan,
porcupines and tortoises. A seasonal abundance of oil willow fruits is
an important food source in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, while in the
Caucasuses, it is grasshoppers. In Israel, the striped hyena feeds on
garbage, carrion and fruits. In eastern Jordan, its main sources of food are feral horse and water buffalo carcasses and
village refuse. It has been suggested that only the large hyenas of the Middle East, Asia minor, central Asia and the
Indian subcontinent attack large prey, with no evidence of their smaller Arabian and east African cousins doing so.
Because of its scavenging diet, the striped hyena requires more water to survive than most other carnivores. When
eating, the striped hyena gorges itself until satisfied, though hyenas with cubs will transport food to their dens.
Because of the high content of calcium in its diet, the faeces of the striped hyena becomes white very rapidly, and
can be visible from long distances.
Relationships with other predators
The striped hyena competes with the gray wolf in the Middle East and central Asia. In the latter area, a great portion
of the hyena's diet stems from wolf-killed carcasses. The striped hyena is dominant over the wolf on a one to one
basis, though wolves in packs can displace single hyenas from carcasses. Both species have been known to share
dens on occasion.
[6]
Red foxes may compete with striped hyenas on large carcasses. Red foxes may give way to
hyenas on unopened carcasses, as the latter's stronger jaws can easily tear open flesh which is too tough for foxes.
Foxes may harass hyenas, using their smaller size and greater speed to avoid the hyena's attacks. Sometimes, foxes
seem to deliberately torment hyenas even when there is no food at stake. Some foxes may mistime their attacks, and
are killed.
[7]
The species frequently scavenges from the kills of felids such as tigers, leopards, cheetahs and caracals. A caracal
can drive a subadult hyena from a carcass. The hyena usually wins in one-to-one disputes over carcasses with
leopards, cheetahs and tiger cubs, but is dominated by adult tigers.
Striped hyena
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Range and population
A wild individual at Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar
The striped hyena's historical range
encompasses Africa north of and
including the Sahel zone, eastern
Africa south into Tanzania, the
Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East
up to the Mediterranean shores,
Turkey, Iraq, the Caucasus
(Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia), Iran,
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan,
Afghanistan (excluding the higher
areas of Hindukush) and the Indian
Subcontinent. Today the species'
distribution is patchy in most ranges,
thus indicating that it occurs in many
isolated populations, particularly in
most of west Africa, most of the
Sahara, parts of the Middle East, the Caucasus and central Asia. It does however have a continuous distribution over
large areas of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Its modern distribution in Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan is unknown
with some sizable large number in India in open areas of Deccan Peninsula.
Country Population Status Threats/Protection
Afghanistan Unknown Data Deficient Striped hyenas are caught, either for hyena-baiting or for medicinal
purposes
Algeria 50100 Threatened Although protected by dcret no. 83-509, striped hyenas are declining in
Algeria due to poaching, forest fires and the disturbing of den sites
Burkina Faso 100-1,000 Data Deficient Burkina Faso's striped hyena population is low but stable, with hunting
only being permitted outside national parks and in retaliation to
livestock losses
Cameroon 100-1,000 Data Deficient Cameroon's striped hyenas are afforded no protection or special
attention
Caucasus (Armenia,
Azerbaidjan,
Georgia)
150200 Threatened Declining in all three countries due to hunting for fur and in retaliation
to attacks on humans.Other factors include habitat loss, a reduction in
large herbivore populations and changes in livestock management
Chad Unknown Data Deficient
Egypt 1,0002,000 Data Deficient Striped hyenas are offered no protection, and are hunted and poisoned
as pests. There is also a reduced availability of animal carcasses for
them to feed on
Ethiopia, Djibouti,
Eritrea
Unknown Lower Risk in Ethiopia and
Data Deficient in Eritrea, with
no records in Djibouti
Ethiopian hyenas are specially protected under Schedule 5 of the
Wildlife Conservation Amendment Regulations (1974), though they
may be hunted under special permit for EtBirr 40 (equivalent to US$20)
for science, education or zoology
India 1,0003,000 Data Deficient Although India's hyenas are protected, this is given only within
conservation areas, and the population is in decline due to poaching,
competition with leopards over shelter and diminishing food stocks
Iran Unknown Data Deficient Striped hyenas are protected by law
Striped hyena
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Iraq 100-1,000 Threatened Iraqi hyena populations are decreasing, though wildlife laws regulate
their hunting
Israel 100170 Threatened Although hyenas have largely recovered from the strychnine poisoning
campaigns of 19181948, and are protected by law, the current nature
reserves housing them may be too small to ensure viable populations.
Road accidents are their most serious threat
Jordan Unknown Threatened Hyenas are actively hunted, as they are considered threats to human life
Kenya 1,0002,000 Lower Risk Striped hyenas are likely to decrease in Kenya because of accelerated
habitat destruction and poaching
Kuwait 0 Probably extinct
Lebanon Unknown Data Deficient
Libya Unknown Data Deficient
Mali Unknown Data Deficient
Mauritiana Unknown Data Deficient
Morocco 50500 Threatened Though protected by law, the hyena population is in drastic decline,
with the remaining individuals now having withdrawn to the southern
mountains
Nepal 1050 Data Deficient Although a small population of hyenas is confirmed, it is not considered
a priority for protection by the government
Niger 100500 Threatened Declining due to officially sanctioned hunting and persecution
campaigns, as well as habitat loss and overgrazing
Nigeria Unknown Threatened
Oman 100-1,000 Threatened Although not protected, striped hyenas are not officially persecuted, and
are considered useful scavengers
Pakistan Unknown Data Deficient
Saudi Arabia 100-1,000 Threatened Though not officially persecuted, Arabian hyenas are not offered
protection, and are severely poached
Senegal 50100 Threatened
Somalia Unknown Data Deficient
Sudan Unknown Data Deficient
Syria Unknown Data Deficient
Tajikistan Unknown Threatened
Tanzania Unknown Data Deficient Striped hyenas can be hunted, though they are not usually a target
species. Road accidents are the most frequently recorded cause of
mortality
Tunisia Unknown Data Deficient
Turkey
Small isolated
populations
[8]
Threatened
[9][10]
Turkmenistan 100500 Threatened Declining from hunting, though listed in the Red Data Book of
Turkmenia
United Arab
Emirates
0 Probably extinct
Uzbekistan 25100 Threatened Striped hyena populations have declined over decades from active
hunting and habitat loss, though they are listed in the Red Data Book of
Uzbekistan and are protected
Striped hyena
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Western Sahara Unknown Data Deficient
Yemen Unknown Data Deficient
Relationships with humans
In folklore and mythology
Striped hyena pugmark/track in wet clay.
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India
A striped hyena, as depicted on the Nile mosaic
of Palestrina
Striped hyenas are frequently referenced in Middle Eastern literature
and folklore, typically as symbols of treachery and stupidity.
[11]
In the
Near and Middle East, striped hyenas are generally regarded as
physical incarnations of jinns.
[]
Arab writer Al-Quazweeni
(12041283) spoke of a tribe of people called Al-Dabeyoun meaning
"hyena people". In his book Aajeb Al-Makhlouqat he wrote that should
one of this tribe be in a group of 1000 people, a hyena could pick him
out and eat him. A Persian medical treatise written in 1376 tells how to
cure cannibalistic people known as kaftar, who are said to be
half-man, half-hyena. Al-Doumairy in his writings in Hawayan
Al-Koubra (1406) wrote that striped hyenas were vampiric creatures
that attacked people at night and sucked the blood from their necks. He
also wrote that hyenas only attacked brave people. Arab folklore tells
of how hyenas can mesmerise victims with their eyes or sometimes
with their pheromones. In a similar vein to Al-Doumairy, the Greeks,
until the end of the 19th century, believed that the bodies of
werewolves, if not destroyed, would haunt battlefields as vampiric
hyenas which drank the blood of dying soldiers. The image of striped
hyenas in Afghanistan, India and Palestine is more varied. Though
feared, striped hyenas were also symbolic for love and fertility, leading
to numerous varieties of love medicine derived from hyena body parts.
Among the Baluch and in northern India, witches or magicians are said
to ride striped hyenas at night.
The Arab word for striped hyenas, dhubba, is alluded in a valley in
Israel known as Shaqq-ud-Diba (meaning "cleft of the hyenas") and
Wadi-Abu-Diba (meaning "valley of the hyenas"). Both places have
been interpreted by some scholars as being the Biblical Valley of
Zeboim mentioned in 1 Samuel 13:18. The Hebrew word for hyena is
tzebua or zevoa, which literally means "howling creature". Though the
Authorized King James Version of the Bible interprets this word (which appears in Jeremiah 12:9) as referring to a
"speckled bird", Henry Baker Tristram argued that it was most likely a hyena being mentioned.
In gnostic thought, the Archon Astaphaios is depicted with a hyena face.
[12]
Striped hyena
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Livestock and crop predation
The striped hyena is sometimes implicated in the killing of livestock, particularly goats, sheep, dogs and poultry.
Larger stock is sometimes reportedly taken, though it is possible that these are cases of scavenging mistaken for
actual predation. Although most attacks occur at low densities, a substantial number reputedly occur in Egypt,
Ethiopia, India, Iraq, and possibly Morocco. In Turkmenistan, they kill dogs, while they kill dogs, sheep and other
small animals in the Caucasus. Striped hyenas were recorded to kill horses and donkeys in 1950s Iraq. Dogs, sheep
and goats are occasionally at risk in Africa. Sheep and goats are also preyed upon in North Africa, Israel, Iran,
Pakistan, and India, donkeys in North Africa, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, and India, horses in Iran and dogs in India.
Striped hyenas also cause damage on occasion to melon fields and to date palms in date plantations in Israel and
Egypt, and to water and honey melon plantations in Turkmenistan.
Attacks on humans and grave desecration
Engraving of a striped hyena attacking a man in
The Naturalist's Cabinet (1806)
In ordinary circumstances, striped hyenas are extremely timid around
humans, though they may show bold behaviours toward people at
night. On rare occasions, striped hyenas have preyed on humans. In the
1880s, a hyena was reported to have attacked humans, especially
sleeping children, over a three-year period in the Erivan Governorate,
with 25 children and 3 adults being wounded in one year. The attacks
provoked local authorities into announcing a reward of 100 rubles for
every hyena killed. Further attacks were reported later in some parts of
Transcaucasia, particularly in 1908. Instances are known in Azerbaijan
of striped hyenas killing children sleeping in courtyards during the
1930s and 1940s. In 1942, a sleeping guard was mauled in his hut by a
hyena in Golyndzhakh. Cases of children being taken by hyenas by
night are known in southeast Turkmenia's Bathyz Nature Reserve. A further attack on a child was reported around
Serakhs in 1948. Several attacks have occurred in India ; in 1962, nine children were thought to have been taken by
hyenas in the town of Bhagalpur in the Bihar State in a six-week period and 19 children up to the age of four were
killed by hyenas in Karnataka, Bihar in 1974. A census on wild animal attacks during a five-year period in the Indian
state of Madhya Pradesh showed that hyenas had only attacked three people, the lowest figure when compared to
deaths caused by wolves, gaur, boar, elephants, tigers, leopards and sloth bears.
Though attacks on live humans are rare, striped hyenas will scavenge on human corpses. In Turkey, stones are
placed on graves to stop hyenas digging the bodies out. In World War I, the Turks imposed conscription (safar
barlek) on mount Lebanon. People escaping from the conscription fled north, where many died and were
subsequently eaten by hyenas.
Hunting
Hyena (1739) by Jean-Baptiste Oudry
Striped hyenas were hunted by Ancient Egyptian peasants for duty and
amusement along with other animals that were a threat to crops and
livestock. Algerian hunters historically considered the killing of striped
hyenas as beneath their dignity, due to the animal's reputation for
cowardice.
[13]
A similar attitude was held by British sportsmen in
British India. Although striped hyenas are capable of quickly killing a
dog with a single bite, they usually feign death when escape from
Striped hyena
11
A striped hyena being speared in British India, as
illustrated in the Illustrated London News
hunting dogs is impossible, and will remain in this state for long
periods, even when badly bitten. On some rare occasions, hyenas were
ridden down and speared by men on horseback. Although hyenas were
generally not fast enough to outrun horses, they had the habit of
doubling and turning frequently during chases, thus ensuring long
pursuits. Generally though, hyenas were hunted more as pests than
sporting quarries; their scavenging damages skulls, skins and other
articles from hunter's camps, which made them unpopular among
sportsmen.
[14]
In the Soviet Union, hyena hunting was not specially
organised. Most hyenas were caught incidentally in traps meant for
other animals. Some hunters in southern Punjab, Kandahar and Quetta,
catch striped hyenas to use them in hyena-baiting. The hyenas are
pitted against specially trained dogs, and are restrained with ropes in order to pull them away from the dogs if
necessary. In Kandahar, hunters locally called payloch (naked foot) hunt striped hyenas by entering their dens naked
with a noose in hand. When the hyena is cornered at the end of its lair, the hunter murmurs the magic formula turn
into dust, turn into stone, which causes the animal to enter a hypnotic state of total submission, by which point the
hunter can slip a noose over its forelegs and, finally, drag it out of the cave. A similar method was once practised by
Mesopotamian Arab hunters, who would enter hyena dens and "flatter" the animal, which they believed could
understand Arabic. The hunter would murmur "You are very nice and pretty and quite like a lion ; indeed, you are a
lion". The hyena would then allow the hunter to place a noose around its neck and pose no resistance on being
dragged out of its lair.
Because of its coarse and sparse pelage, the striped hyena is not considered a furbearer, with the few skins sold by
hunters often being marketed as poor quality dog or wolf fur. Hyena skins were however once used in preparing
chamois leather. The selling price of hyena pelts in the Soviet Union ranged from 45 kopeks to 1 ruble, 80 kopeks.
Striped hyenas as food
An Ancient Egyptian mural showing a striped
hyena being forcefed
A mural depicted on Mereruka's tomb in Sakkara indicates that Old
Kingdom Egyptians forcefed hyenas in order to fatten them up for
food, though certain scholars have argued that the depicted animals
were really aardwolves. Striped hyenas are still eaten by Egyptian
peasants, Arabian Bedouins, Palestinian laborers, Sinai Bedouins and
Tuaregs. In the Muslim regions of Sistan, Kohat, Bannu, and
Cholistan, striped hyena meat is considered halal under the Shafiite
school, and can therefore be consumed. This represents an exception to
the rule that predatory animals are not to be eaten, due to their being
haraam. This stems from the fact that the striped hyena is an omnivore,
rather than a purely carnivorous animal. Among the Bedouin of
Arabia, the striped hyena is permitted for human consumption, though
hyena meat is generally considered more as a medicine than as food.
Striped hyena
12
Striped hyenas in folk magic
The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed the blood, excrement, rectum, genitalia, eyes, tongue, hair, skin, and fat,
as well as the ash of different parts of the striped hyena's body, were effective means to ward off evil and to ensure
love and fertility. The Greeks and Romans believed that the genitalia of a hyena would hold a couple peaceably
together and that a hyena anus worn as an amulet on the upper arm would make its male possessor irresistible to
women. In West and South Asia, hyena body parts apparently play an important role in love magic and in the
making of amulets. In Iranian folklore, it is mentioned that a stone found in the hyenas body can serve as a charm of
protection for whoever wears it on his upper arm. In the Pakistani province of Sindh, the local Muslims place the
tooth of a striped hyena over churns in order not to lose the milk's baraka. In Iran, a dried striped hyena pelt is
considered a potent charm which forces all to succumb to the possessors attraction. In Afghanistan and Pakistan
striped hyena hair is used either in love magic or as a charm in sickness. Hyena blood has been held in high regard in
northern India as potent medicine, and the eating of the tongue helps fight tumors. In the Khyber area, burned striped
hyena fat is applied to a man's genitals or sometimes taken orally to ensure virility, while in India the fat serves as a
cure for rheumatism. In Afghanistan, some mullahs wear the vulva (kus) of a female striped hyena wrapped in silk
under their armpits for a week. If a man peers through the vulva at the woman of his desire, he will invariably get
hold of her. This has led to the proverbial expression in Dari of kus-e kaftar bay, as well as in Pashto of kus-e kaftar
which literally mean "it happens as smoothly as if you would look through the vulva of a female striped hyena". In
the North-West Frontier Province and Baluchistan, the Pakhtun keep the vulva in vermilion powder, itself having
aphrodesic connotations. The rectum of a freshly killed striped hyena is likewise used by homosexuals and bisexuals
to attract young men. This has led to the expression to possess the anus of a [striped] hyena which denotes
somebody who is attractive and has many lovers. A striped hyenas penis kept in a small box filled with vermilion
powder can be used for the same reasons.
Tameability
The striped hyena is easily tamed and can be fully trained, particularly when young. Although the Ancient Egyptians
did not consider striped hyenas sacred, they supposedly tamed them for use in hunting. When raised with a firm
hand, they may eventually become affectionate and as amenable as well trained dogs, though they emit a strong
odour which no amount of bathing will cover.
[15]
Although they kill dogs in the wild, striped hyenas raised in
captivity can form bonds with them.
References
Notes
[1] [1] Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of near threatened
[2] Mammals: Striped Hyena (http:/ / www.sandiegozoo. org/ animalbytes/ t-striped_hyena. html). San DIego Zoo
[3] Boitani, Luigi, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone Books (1984), ISBN 978-0-671-42805-1
[4] Awad, Simon (February 2008). Myths and Facts about Hyenas (http:/ / www. thisweekinpalestine. com/ details. php?id=2384& ed=150&
edid=150). thisweekinpalestine.com #118
[5] http:/ / en. wikipedia. org/ w/ index. php?title=Striped_hyena& action=edit
[6] Johnson, Daniel (1827) Sketches of Indian Field Sports: With Observations on the Animals; Also an Account of Some of the Customs of the
Inhabitants; with a Description of the Art of Catching Serpents, as Practised by the Conjoors and Their Method of Curing Themselves when
Bitten: with Remarks on Hydrophobia and Rabid Animals (http:/ / www. archive. org/ stream/ sketchesofindian00johnrich#page/ 46/ mode/
2up/ search/ hyena) p. 45-46, R. Jennings, 1827
[7] Macdonald, David (1987) Running with the Fox, p.77-79, Guild Publishing, London, ISBN 0-8160-1886-3
[8] Striped hyena in Turkey (http:/ / iberianature. com/ wildworld/ guides/ wildlife-and-nature-of-turkey/ striped-hyena-in-turkey/ ).
Iberianature.com. Retrieved on 2013-03-21.
[9] . Emre Can, Yldray Lise Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) trapped in Hatay, Turkey (http:/ / www. lcie. org/ Docs/ Regions/ Turkey/
EMRE_striped_hyaena_note. pdf). WWF Turkey
[10] zgn Emre Can (October 2004) Status, Conservation and Management of Large Carnivores in Turkey (http:/ / www. tigerforum. de/
attachments/ 00000000001/ lciTurkey.pdf), WWF-Turkey, p. 11.
Striped hyena
13
[11] Mounir R. Abi-Said (2006) Reviled as a grave robber: The ecology and conservation of striped hyaenas in the human dominated landscapes
of Lebanon Ph.D. thesis, University of Kent (Biodiversity management)
[12] The Apocryphon of John (http:/ / gnosis. org/ naghamm/ apocjn. html). Gnosis.org. Retrieved on 2013-03-21.
[13] Kingsley, John Sterling (1884) The Standard Natural History, Vol. V: Mammals, Boston: S. E. Cassino and Co.
[14] Lydekker, Richard (1907), The game animals of India, Burma, Malaya, and Tibet (http:/ / ia311027. us. archive. org/ 2/ items/
gameanimalsofind00lyde/ gameanimalsofind00lyde. pdf), p. 354, London, R. Ward, limited
[15] Smith, A. Mervyn (1904), Sport and adventure in the Indian jungle (http:/ / ia340902. us. archive. org/ 3/ items/ sportadventurein00smitrich/
sportadventurein00smitrich. pdf), p. 292, London : Hurst and Blackett
Bibliography
Heptner, V. G.; Sludskii, A. A. (1992). Mammals of the Soviet Union: Carnivora (hyaenas and cats), Volume 2
(http:/ / www. archive. org/ details/ mammalsofsov221992gept). Smithsonian Institution Libraries and National
Science Foundation.
Kurtn, Bjrn (1968). Pleistocene mammals of Europe. Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
Mills, Gus; Hofer, Heribert (1998). Hyaenas: status survey and conservation action plan (http:/ / data. iucn.org/
dbtw-wpd/ edocs/ 1998-013. pdf). IUCN/SSC Hyena Specialist Group. ISBN2-8317-0442-1.
Osborn, Dale. J.; Helmy, Ibrahim (1980). The contemporary land mammals of Egypt (including Sinai) (http:/ /
www. archive. org/ details/ contemporaryland05osbo). Field Museum of Natural History.
Pocock, R. I. (1941). Fauna of British India: Mammals Volume 2 (http:/ / www. archive. org/ details/
PocockMammalia2). Taylor and Francis.
Rosevear, Donovan Reginald (1974). The carnivores of West Africa (http:/ / www. archive. org/ details/
carnivoresofwest00rose). London : Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). ISBN0-565-00723-8.
External links
Anderson, Steven C. (2004), Hyaena hyaena (http:/ / www. iranicaonline. org/ articles/ hyena) entry on
Encyclopaedia Iranica
Rieger, Ingo (1981) Hyaena hyaena, Mammalian Species, No. 150, pp.15, 3 figs. American Society of
Mammalogists (http:/ / www. science. smith. edu/ departments/ Biology/ VHAYSSEN/ msi/ pdf/
i0076-3519-150-01-0001. pdf)
Wikispecies has information related to: Hyaena hyaena
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hyaena hyaena.
Striped Hyena Pictures (http:/ / www. feelthewild. com/ galleries/ mammals-photography/ striped-hyena/ )
Article Sources and Contributors
14
Article Sources and Contributors
Striped hyena Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=622331320 Contributors: 17brumco, A2Kafir, Abigail-II, Ahoerstemeier, Altaileopard, Aram-van, Aranae, Arnobarnard,
Ashashyou, Auntof6, Avoided, BD2412, Baristarim, Bayern100, Belovedfreak, Bepushingupdaisies, Berean Hunter, Betterusername, BigCatTruth462, Billinghurst, Billspat, Bougnat87,
Bruinfan12, Butko, CKA3KA, CambridgeBayWeather, CanisRufus, Carlossuarez46, Chaoyangopterus, CharlesC, Chedorlaomer, Chermundy, Chris the speller, Czgoldbe, D momaya, Dark
hyena, Davehi1, Deyyaz, Dolfrog, Donner60, Drmies, Ed88, Elagatis, Elliskev, EoGuy, Erica MZDM, Erik9, ErikHaugen, Ettrig, Everestsh, ExRat, Firsfron, Flavio.brandani, FudgeFury, Future
Perfect at Sunrise, GM Pink Elephant, Gaelen S., Gene Nygaard, Gilgamesh he, Gilliam, Gouerouz, Graham87, Hesperian, Hmains, Hu12, I dream of horses, In Transit, Isfisk, Island, J.delanoy,
J04n, Jaan513, Janderk, Jarble, Jauhienij, Jhfjdhfjhsdfkd, Joel7687, John of Reading, Kaarel, Khazar2, KimiSan, Koavf, Kummi, KyotoMiyazaki, LilHelpa, Lillypees, Lockesdonkey, Lord Gn,
Lugia2453, Makalp, Maple leaf eh, Mariomassone, Mark t young, Materialscientist, Matt Deres, Metanoid, Mike Rosoft, Mild Bill Hiccup, Mitternacht90, Mogism, MohanKumarBS, Morne
Fouche, Mushroom, MusikAnimal, NawlinWiki, NigelR, Nihilrat, NotWith, Numbo3, Octane, Ollios, Oskar71, Pcb21, Pdcook, Pinethicket, Plrk, R'n'B, Random contributor, Rjwilmsi, Sahyadri,
Sandhillcrane, Satellizer, SchreiberBike, Seb az86556, Seduisant, Shalom Yechiel, Shpiglet, Shyamal, Slow Graffiti, Snorkelman, Stemonitis, Stfg, Stuthulhu, Sumeetmoghe, Superjav50,
Tbjornstad, Tekken50, Template namespace initialisation script, The wub, TheArguer, TheParanoidOne, Tigerbreath13, Tommy2010, Trakesht, Unimath, UriBudnik, UtherSRG, Vanished User
4517, Vanished user lt94ma34le12, Vaquero99, Varlaam, Venatico, Vortex Dragon, Woohookitty, Worldbruce, Yaughtmaster, , 210 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
File:Iena Striata.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Iena_Striata.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: User:Nirmal Dulal
derivative work: User:Mariomassone
file:Status iucn3.1 NT.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Status_iucn3.1_NT.svg License: unknown Contributors: Pengo
File:Striped Hyaena area.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Striped_Hyaena_area.png License: unknown Contributors: Chermundy
File:MSU V2P2 - Hyaena hyaena skull.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:MSU_V2P2_-_Hyaena_hyaena_skull.png License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Contributors: V. N. Lyakhov
File:Animaldentition hyaenahyaena.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Animaldentition_hyaenahyaena.png License: Public Domain Contributors: Charles Knight
File:Die vergleichende Osteologie (1821) Hyaena hyaena.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Die_vergleichende_Osteologie_(1821)_Hyaena_hyaena.jpg License:
Public Domain Contributors: Pander, Christian Heinrich, 1794-1865
File:Striped hyenas fighting.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Striped_hyenas_fighting.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors:
Two_Hyenas.JPG: Midnightblueowl (talk). Original uploader was Midnightblueowl at en.wikipedia derivative work: Mariomassone (talk)
File:Winifred austen hyena.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Winifred_austen_hyena.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Frank Finn
File:Stripedhyenacrows.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Stripedhyenacrows.JPG License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors:
Mariomassone
File:Striped Hyena Adult.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Striped_Hyena_Adult.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors:
User:Sumeetmoghe
File:Hyaena pugmark.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hyaena_pugmark.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: D momaya
File:Hyenamosaic.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hyenamosaic.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Praeneste_-_Nile_Mosaic_-_Section_3_-_Detail.jpg:
WolfgangRieger derivative work: User:Mariomassone
File:Striped hyena shot.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Striped_hyena_shot.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Anonymous engraver
File:OudryHyena.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:OudryHyena.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Dark hyena, Mariomassone, Sfan00 IMG
File:Speared hyena.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Speared_hyena.JPG License: unknown Contributors: Dark hyena, Sfan00 IMG
File:Hyena-forcefeed.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Hyena-forcefeed.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Dark hyena, Sfan00 IMG, 4 anonymous edits
Image:Wikispecies-logo.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Wikispecies-logo.svg License: logo Contributors: (of code) cs:User:-xfi-
Image:Commons-logo.svg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Commons-logo.svg License: logo Contributors: Anomie
License
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