Holekamp Lab
  • Home
  • Research
    • Spotted Hyena >
      • Hyena Publications
      • Carnivore Conservation
      • Communication
      • Cognition
      • Demography
      • Interspecific Competition and Anti-Predator Behavior
      • Socioendocrinology
      • Project Database
    • Arvicanthis niloticus
    • Belding's Ground Squirrel
    • Benefits of our Research
  • People
    • Kay Holekamp >
      • CV
    • Graduate Students
    • Lab Alumni
    • Lab Staff
  • Prospective Students
  • Courses
    • Study abroad: BEAM
  • About Hyenas
    • Images
  • Contact

Notes from kenya
mara hyena research

Hyenas, by the numbers

2/10/2009

0 Comments

 
Author: Kate

Let's face it: we all love fun facts. With these, you can impress your friends and family, or at least procrastinate for a few minutes...

The oldest hyena we’ve studied is K-Butt, who lived for nearly 17.5 years.

The lovable Bailey holds the record for our heaviest hyena, weighing in at a whopping 179 lbs. She was just under 3 feet tall at the shoulder.

Hyenas can run at 40 miles per hour for about 2 miles. For comparison, the fastest human clocked in at just over 27 miles per hour, and that was only for 100 meters. Wimp.

In the longest hyena hunt ever recorded, a hyena chased an eland for nearly 15 miles.

While the average hunting group size is 1.8 hyenas, successful zebra hunts require 10 or more hyenas. The reason? Hyenas need to call in reinforcements against male zebras, who protect their ladies fiercely and have a deadly kick.

Here in the Mara, hyenas kill 95% of the food that they eat. I bet you scavenge a heck of a lot more than 5% of your food.

Their bone-crushing bite force has been estimated at about 9000 newtons (2000 pounds), which roughly equals the force of a big NFL hit.

They have 11 distinctive vocalizations.

They can hear noises from over 6 miles away, and can probably identify odors from a distance of nearly 2 miles.

A mother hyena’s milk contains 15% protein, compared to less than 1% protein in human milk. No wonder hyenas grow up fast and become big bullies!

When erect, a female hyena's pseudopenis may be up to 7 inches long. Enough said.

Picture
Remember, we're talking about spotted hyenas...the other hyena species are strange in their own ways. Most of the info here is from our observations. The rest is from the IUCN Hyaena Specialist Group website and the book The Spotted Hyena by Hans Kruuk. Both are fantastic sources of information for you hyena-philes out there!

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    About

    Notes From Kenya is a blog run by the students in the Holekamp Lab at Michigan State University, College of Natural Science, East Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A.

    You can help support our research by making a donation to the Hyena Research Fund at MSU. Your contributions provide necessary resources for the students and scientists to continue our work. Use the link to make a donation or contact MSU for additional details.

    Archives

    July 2020
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    November 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Integrative Biology Department
MSU EEBB
BEACON
Hyena conservation
© 2016 Kay E. Holekamp
  • Home
  • Research
    • Spotted Hyena >
      • Hyena Publications
      • Carnivore Conservation
      • Communication
      • Cognition
      • Demography
      • Interspecific Competition and Anti-Predator Behavior
      • Socioendocrinology
      • Project Database
    • Arvicanthis niloticus
    • Belding's Ground Squirrel
    • Benefits of our Research
  • People
    • Kay Holekamp >
      • CV
    • Graduate Students
    • Lab Alumni
    • Lab Staff
  • Prospective Students
  • Courses
    • Study abroad: BEAM
  • About Hyenas
    • Images
  • Contact