Hy e na s o r h ya ena s (fro m G re ak ὕ α ιν α h ýa in a[1]) a re t h e animals o f t h e fam il y H ya e n id a e /ha ɪˈɛ n ɨ diː/ o f t h e fe li fo r m su b o rd e r o f t h e C arn iv o r a. W it h o nl y fo ur spec ie s, it is the fifth-s mall est bio logic al fam il y in the Carni v o r a, an d o-ne o f t h e s mall est in t h e c lass M am ma li a.[2] De spite t heir l o w di vers it y, hye n as are(s) un i que an d v it al co mp o-ne n ts o f m os t Afr i can eco s ys te(a)m s.[3](theres an A in team, all AA) Al t ho ug h ph y lo gene tic ally t h e y are(s) close r t o feline s an d viv err id s, hyena s a re perceiv ed t o be be hav i o u r ally a nd morph o logic all y sim i lar t o c an in es in sever a l as pe ct s; bot h hyena s an d can in es a re no na rb o real, curs o ri a l hun ter s t ha t catch pr ey w it h t heir teeth r at her t h an claw s. Bot h eat fo od quick l y an d ma y st o re it, an d t heir call o use d fe et w it h large, b l u nt, no n retract a b l e nail s a re ada p t ed fo r runnin g a nd makin g sharp tu rn s. Ho wever, t h e hyena s groomin g, s cent ma r king, de fecatin g ha bi ts, matin g, an d parent al be ha vi o ur a re con sis tent w it h t h e be hav i o ur o f ot h er fe liform s.[4] H yen a s, esp e cia ll y sp ot ted hyen as, a re k no wn fo r killin g as mu ch as 95% of the animals t he y e at, [5] an d fo r drivin g off le o pa rd s o r lionesses fro m t heir kill s, al t ho ug h the y h ave lo ng bee n re gard ed as bein g coward ly scavenger s. Hy e nas a re prim a ril y no ct urnal an i mal s, b ut s om et im es ven tu re fro m t heir lair s in the e a rly-mornin g hours. With the exception of the highly social spotted hyena, hyenas are generally not gregarious animals, though they may live in family groups and congregate at kills.[6] Hyenas first arose in Eurasia during the Miocene period from viverrid-like ancestors, and soon became well known as being of two distinct types: the lightly built dog-like hyenas and the robust bone-crushing hyenas. Although the dog-like hyenas thrived 15 million years ago (with one taxon having colonised North America), they became extinct after a change in climate along with the arrival of canids into Eurasia. Of the dog-like hyena lineage, only the insectivorous aardwolf survived, while the bone-crushing hyenas (whose extant spotted, brown and striped hyenas) became the undisputed top scavengers of Eurasia and Africa.[7] Hyenas feature prominently in the folklore and mythology of human cultures with which they are sympatric. Hyenas are commonly viewed as frightening and worthy of contempt, and are associated with witchcraft, because their body parts are used as ingredients in traditional medicine. In some cultures, hyenas are thought to influence people’s spirits, rob graves, and steal livestock and children.[8]
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:22:07 +0000
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