The brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), also called strandwolf, is a species of hyena found in Namibia, Botswana, western and southern Zimbabwe, southern Mozambique and South Africa. It is the only extant species in the genus Parahyaena. It is currently the rarest species of hyena. The largest remaining brown hyena population is located in the southern Kalahari Desert and coastal areas in Southwest Africa. The global population of brown hyena is estimated by IUCN at a number between 4,000 and 10,000 and its conservation status is marked as near threatened in the IUCN Red List.
Description
Brown hyenas are distinguished from other species by their long shaggy dark brown coat, pointed ears, and short tail. Their legs are striped brown and white, and adults have a distinct cream-colored fur ruff around their necks. Erectile hairs up to in length cover the neck and back and bristles during agonistic behavior. Body length is on average with a range of . Shoulder height is and the tail is long. Unlike the larger spotted hyena, there are no sizable differences between the sexes, although males may be slightly larger than females. An average adult male weighs , while an average female weighs . Brown hyenas have powerful jaws, and young animals can crack the leg bones of springboks in five minutes, though this ability deteriorates with age and dental wear. The skulls of brown hyenas are larger than those of the closely related striped hyena, and their dentition is more robust, indicating a less generalized dietary adaptation.
Distribution and habitat
Today, the brown hyena only inhabits Southern Africa, but in the past it lived also in the Iberian Peninsula and perhaps in other parts of Europe, indicated by fossils found in the area of Granada from the Upper Pliocene. It inhabits desert areas, semi-desert, and open woodland savannahs. It can survive close to urban areas by scavenging. The brown hyena is not dependent on the ready availability of water sources for frequent drinking and favors rocky, mountainous areas, as these provide shade. It has home ranges of in size.
Ecology and behavior
In the Kalahari, 80% of a brown hyena's activity time is spent at night, searching for food in an area on spanning on average, with territories of having been recorded. They may cache excess food in shrubs or holes and recover it within 24 hours.
Social behavior
Brown hyenas have a social hierarchy comparable to that of wolves, with a mated pair and their offspring. They live in clans composed of extended families of four to six individuals. Clans defend their territory, and all members cooperate in raising cubs. Territories are marked by 'pasting', during which the hyena deposits secretions from its large anal gland, which is located below the base of the tail and produces a black and white paste, on vegetation and boulders. Brown hyenas maintain a stable clan hierarchy through ritualized aggressive displays and mock fights. A brown hyena male can move up in rank by killing a higher ranking male in confrontation, while the alpha female is usually just the oldest female in the clan. Emigration is common in brown hyena clans, particularly among young males, which will join other groups upon reaching adulthood.
Diet
Brown hyenas are primarily scavengers the bulk of whose diet consists of carcasses killed by larger predators, but they may supplement their diet with rodents, insects, eggs, fruit and fungi (the desert truffle Kalaharituber pfeilii). As they are poor hunters, live prey makes up only a small proportion of their diet: in the southern Kalahari, species such as springhare, springbok lambs, bat-eared foxes and korhaans constitute only 4.2% of their overall diet, while on the Namib coast, cape fur seal pups compose 2.9% of their food. They have an exceptional sense of smell and can locate carcasses kilometers away. They are aggressive kleptoparasites, frequently appropriating the kills of black-backed jackals, cheetahs and leopards. Single brown hyenas may charge at leopards with their jaws held wide open and can tree adult male leopards; they have been observed treeing leopards even when no kill was in contention. In the Kalahari Desert, they are often the dominant mammalian carnivores present because of this behavior and the relative scarcity of lions, spotted hyenas, and packs of African wild dogs. In areas where their territories overlap, brown hyenas may, on rare occasions, be killed by spotted hyenas and lions. Brown hyena cubs are also susceptible to being killed by wild dogs and jackals.