A seasonal feast: long-term analysis of feeding behaviour in the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta)

The feeding behaviour of the Talek clan of spotted hyaenas in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, was monitored continuously for 7 years. Talek hyaenas adapted to large temporal variations in prey abundance by being opportunistic predators. During the first half of the year, the hyaenas fed on resident ungulates, and their diet consisted mainly of topi and Thomson's gazelles. Upon arrival of the migratory herds of wildebeest and zebra from the Serengeti, Talek hyaenas switched to feeding on the wildebeest which provided them with a superabundance of food for about 3 months. After the migratory animals returned to the Serengeti, Talek hyaenas experienced a period of reduced prey abundance due to the temporary dispersion of resident ungulates. At this time hyaenas hunted the few remaining wildebeest, and also increased their use of the remaining resident animals. Although Talek hyaenas were generally opportunistic in their feeding behaviour, they did exhibit clear dietary preference for larger prey species, particularly wildebeest. Finally, carrion comprised only 5% of the biomass consumed by Talek hyaenas, the lowest proportion of carrion in the diet of any Crocuta population studied to date.     

Feeding habits of the spotted hyaena in the Niokolo Koba National Park, Senegal

The food habits of the spotted hyaena were studied during the dry season in relation to food availability in the Niokolo Koba National Park, Senegal. Frequency of occurrence of the different foods was quantified by means of scat analysis; species occurrence in the diet was compared with availability in the study area. Large and medium-sized mammals, such as the buffalo, the hartebeest and the warthog, were eaten more often than expected.     

Behavioural structuring of relatedness in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) suggests direct fitness benefits of clan-level cooperation

Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are gregarious carnivores that live in multigenerational social groups, called clans, containing one to several matrilines. Members of multiple matrilines within a clan cooperate during dangerous interactions with inter- and intraspecific competitors. The evolution of cooperation may be influenced by relatedness between individuals, which in turn is influenced by reproductive skew and mate choice, dispersal and territorial behaviours. Behavioural data exist for spotted hyenas, but corresponding data on patterns of relatedness are unavailable; this lack of data makes it difficult to assess the relative importance of selection pressures favouring cooperative behaviour within and among groups. Therefore we conducted a longitudinal analysis of relatedness within a single large clan of spotted hyenas, as well as a cross-sectional analysis of relatedness among hyenas from multiple clans. Within a clan, patterns of relatedness reflected known pedigree relationships, and relatedness was higher within than among matrilines, even across generations. Although mean within-matriline relatedness varied among matrilines, it did not decline with matriline rank. On average, clan members were not related closely, due to high levels of male-mediated gene flow among clans, and relatedness declined very slightly across clan borders. Low mean relatedness within clans suggests that spotted hyenas cooperate with unrelated clan-mates against close paternal kin in other clans. Our data also suggest that spotted hyenas must derive large net direct fitness benefits from group living and cooperation.     

Male spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) queue for status in social groups dominated by females

A long-term study of immigrant male spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) living in large multimale/multifemale groups (clans) demonstrated that males acquire social status by queuing. Maximumlikelihood estimates of parameters of a stochastic queuingmodel that assessed queuing discipline confirmed that immigrantmales respected the convention that their positions in a queueof typically 15 or more individuals was determined by theirsequence of arrival. Levels of aggression among males were low;males did not attempt to improve their social status throughphysical contests. Size and body mass did not influence malesocial status. The stability of queues was insured by an increasein the rate at which males formed coalitions against othermales as they rose in social status and by coalitions between high-ranked males and dominant females. High-ranked, long-tenuredmales chiefly consorted with ("shadowed") and focused theiraffiliative behavior on females of high reproductive valueand disrupted attempts by subordinate males to associate withthese females. High-ranked males also supported females againstlower-ranked males that harassed them. In contrast, lower-ranked,short-tenured males focused their affiliative behavior on young adult females and rarely shadowed or defended females. Malesthat did not disperse from their natal clan (nondispersers)quickly acquired top rank in the male social hierarchy. Irrespectiveof the social status acquired from their mother when young,nondisperser adult males submitted to all adult females.     

Fine‐scale movements and use of space by spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) on Ongava Game Reserve,Namibia

We deployed Global Positioning System (GPS) collars on spotted hyaena, Crocuta crocuta, on Ongava Game Reserve in northern Namibia. We analysed the movement profiles recorded from three periods of fine temporal scale (15 min interval) GPS data – dry season data from a sub‐adult female (36 days) and a lactating adult female (54 days), and wet season data from the same adult female (55 days). The hyaenas both had similar daily activity patterns – at rest between 12.00 and 18.00 hours, with a peak of activity in the 2‐h period around sunrise. They exhibited one or two active periods each night, travelling up to 30 km and being active for up to 10 h. Daily rest sites were widely distributed across the reserve, typically located on elevated ground and never revisited on consecutive days. In the dry season, both hyaenas made extensive use of the reserve, plus adjacent areas in Etosha National Park (sub‐adult home range 240 km², adult home range 366 km²). The wet season data for the adult female showed a significant reduction of space used (home range 232 km²). However, their utility distributions showed a nonuniform use of space, with multiple areas of high‐density utilization located away from open terrain.     

Androgen levels in the Spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta: the influence of social factors

The Spotted hyaena is characterized by a suite of unique morphological and behavioural adaptations in the female: the external genitalia are nearly indistinguishable from those of the male, and females dominate males in most behavioural interactions. In a previous study of southern African hyaenas, males and females were found to have similar levels of circulating androgen, and it was suggested that relatively high foetal and adult levels are associated with female genital masculinization and dominance over males, respectively. This study shows that females from an East African population have androgen levels significantly lower than males, and that these levels in both sexes are strongly affected by individual social status; alpha animals had the highest androgen levels in each sex. These data cast doubt on the earlier hypothesis that aspects of sexual monomorphism in the Spotted hyaena are related solely to elevated female androgen titres.     

Diel feeding periodicity, daily ration and prey selectivity in juvenile brown trout in a subarctic river

Feeding of age-1 brown trout Salmo trutta in a third-order river in northern Finland was usually highest in the twilight hours and lowest around midday. Diel periodicity in food intake was less distinct and rarely significant for age-0 trout. Daily rations declined seasonally, being lowest in October, and highest in June (age-1 trout) or early August (age-0 trout). Prey selection did not differ between day and night, but differences between age classes and sampling dates were distinct. Age-0 trout preferred Ephemerella nymphs in summer and Micrasema larvae later in the season. Age-1 trout fed selectively on caddis larvae on all sample dates. Aerial insects and Baetis nymphs were avoided by both age classes on most occasions. These patterns of preference are probably explained by a trend towards epibenthic feeding, which may be a predominant foraging mode in some trout populations. Nevertheless, repuscular peaks in feeding periodicity suggest that trout were able to capitalize on the increased availability of drifting prey in the twilight, especially in the early summer months.     

Long-Read Genome Sequencing Provides Molecular Insights into Scavenging and Societal Complexity in Spotted Hyena Crocuta crocuta

The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is a large and unique terrestrial carnivore. It is a particularly fascinating species due to its distinct phenotypic traits, especially its complex social structure and scavenging lifestyle, with associated high dietary exposure to microbial pathogens. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms related to these phenotypes remain elusive. Here, we sequenced and assembled a high-quality long-read genome of the spotted hyena, with a contig N50 length of ∼13.75 Mb. Based on comparative genomics, immunoglobulin family members (e.g., IGKV4-1) showed significant adaptive duplications in the spotted hyena and striped hyena. Furthermore, immune-related genes (e.g., CD8A, LAG3, and TLR3) experienced species-specific positive selection in the spotted hyena lineage. These results suggest that immune tolerance between the spotted hyena and closely related striped hyena has undergone adaptive divergence to cope with prolonged dietary exposure to microbial pathogens from scavenging. Furthermore, we provided the potential genetic insights underlying social complexity, hinting at social behavior and cognition. Specifically, the RECNE-associated genes (e.g., UGP2 and ACTR2) in the spotted hyena genome are involved in regulation of social communication. Taken together, our genomic analyses provide molecular insights into the scavenging lifestyle and societal complexity of spotted hyenas.     

The Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population and its prey from the Late Pleistocene Teufelskammer Cave hyena den besides the famous Paleolithic Neandertal Cave (NRW,NW Germany)

Remains from at least seven individuals of the Late Pleistocene Ice Age spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) from the Teufelskammer Cave in the Neandertal valley (North Rhine-Westphalia, northwest Germany) are described. The small cave was a well-frequented hyena den of the Early to Middle Late Pleistocene which was only 100 m from the famous small Feldhofer Cave, where the first Neandertal human skeleton was found. The high amount of hyena bone material (37%) and its strongly chewed and incomplete prey remains of the mixed mammoth steppe and boreal forest megafauna prove one more of 11 recently known hyena den caves in the Rhenish Massif. Hyenas and cave bears have used the cave, but Neandertal humans lived possibly not at the same time in the same valley. Although hyenas occupied mainly the smaller caves such as the Teufelskammer Cave, humans preferred large portal cave entrances such as in the Neandertal valley with the Small Feldhofer Cave.     

An Ice Age spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population,their excrements and prey from the Late Pleistocene hyena den of the Sloup Cave in the Moravian Karst,Czech Republic

A Late Pleistocene spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population from the cave bear den Sloup Cave, Moravia (Czech Republic) consists of mainly adult/senior and few cub/juvenile remains and coprolites, and 139 prey bones. Hyenas used the Nicová Cave branch that is connected to the entrance area mainly as a communal den site. Prey bone damage is most visible on the imported woolly rhinoceros remains. The partly excavated prey bone accumulation consists of a single woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach 1799) tooth (2%), mainly Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach 1807) remains (16%), 4% Bos primigenius (Bojanus 1827) and 1% each of Megaloceros giganteus (Blumenbach 1799) and Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus 1758). The other carnivores such as Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss 1810), Gulo gulo (Linnaeus 1758) and Canis lupus (Linnaeus 1758) subsp. are less represented (1–3%). Wolverines might have been imported also as prey remains, whereas wolves also possibly used this cave on a short-term basis, whereas steppe lions seem to have preyed upon cave bears deeper in the cave periodically, where even skeletons of P. leo spelaea were found in the Elisabeth Cave part.     

The ecology of large carnivores in the highlands of northern Ethiopia

The degradation and fragmentation of the northern Ethiopian highlands has resulted in frequent encounters of large carnivores with humans and their livestock. We interviewed 500 randomly selected households to estimate economic impact of livestock predation by spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta), leopard (Panthera pardus) and jackal (Canis aureus aureus) in the highlands of northern Ethiopia. The annual mean economic loss per household was approximately U.S.$ 20.2, about 7% of the average annual income of households in the area. Households surveyed reported losses of a total of 3122 livestock to hyaena, leopard and jackal predation over the past 5 years. This loss equated to a total financial loss of U.S.$ 50,381 . Livestock predation incidents of spotted hyaena, leopard and jackal demonstrated that spotted hyaena had a preference for dog, donkey, goat and sheep; leopard for goat, dog and sheep; and jackal for goat and sheep. Livestock predation of spotted hyaena and leopard were mainly during the night. We conclude that assessing depredation problems is important to develop actions for management of either livestock practices or wildlife conservation.