Comments on: The hyena, "our favorite animal"

The hyena, "our favorite animal"

Kattullus — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:28:15 -0800

"With most animals, males duke it out and the winner gets the girls," says Holekamp. "But with hyenas, females have 100 percent say." They decide when and under what conditions they will tolerate deferential sperm donors. At age 2 or 3 a male leaves his natal clan and wanders off to beg acceptance into another clan. After vicious rejections, he eventually succeeds and reaps his reward: brutal harassment as the clan's nadir, one of the last in line for food and sex. This probation, which biologists call "endurance rivalry," is a test, Holekamp explains: "The guy who can stick it out the longest wins." The trial lasts about two years, after which some females may grant him access. "You do not want to be a male hyena," Holekamp says.

-From an article in Smithsonian Magazine, Who's Laughing Now? Professor Holekamp's hyena site. Also, hyena pictures and The Hyena Pages, a fine site about this fascinating animal.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:30:20 -0800

Extremely adorable picture of hyena cub.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:31:51 -0800

"You do not want to be a male hyena" Holy Christ, no. Have you ever seen an attractive female hyena? They're all dogs!

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:34:28 -0800

If you'd read the article, Ubu, you'd know that they're all mongeese.

By: felix betachat

felix betachat — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:40:14 -0800

After vicious rejections, he eventually succeeds and reaps his reward: brutal harassment as the clan's nadir, one of the last in line for food and sex. This probation, which biologists call "endurance rivalry," is a test, Holekamp explains: "The guy who can stick it out the longest wins." Welcome to my 20's.

By: cowbellemoo

cowbellemoo — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:43:47 -0800

I just finished reading this in my dead tree version. It was great! Best part was when they said they're closer to cats than dogs and that lions do more scavenging of hyena kills than vice versa.

By: Effigy2000

Effigy2000 — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:44:34 -0800

"With most animals, males duke it out and the winner gets the girls... But with hyenas, females have 100 percent say." If that's true, some female hyenas obviously have lower standards than others.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:47:51 -0800

If you'd read the article, Ubu, you'd know that they're all mongeese. I was speaking figuratively. Besides, mongeese are foxes.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:54:19 -0800

Some people don't mind getting up close & personal with a hyaena or two.

By: drea

drea — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:55:42 -0800

I love when hyenas laugh; they always sound like they heard a green joke. It's hilarious.

By: Kadin2048

Kadin2048 — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:59:09 -0800

Finally, a biological model for Junior High.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:04:46 -0800

Heh. Okay, I have a hyena story here. Er, no, wait. That was a cougar.

By: nowonmai

nowonmai — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:26:33 -0800

I dunno. Sounds better than my experiences on the NYC dating scene.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:29:18 -0800

Yeah, that and the gigantic, elongated clitoris pretty much makes female hyenas pretty bad-ass. And the males less so.

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:39:31 -0800

I wonder how these researchers and scientists make sure they're not just subconsciously projecting their own neuroses and insecurities onto the hyenas' behavior?

By: bibliowench

bibliowench — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:41:29 -0800

Ugh. I remember reading an article in the New Yorker a long time ago in which the writer describes being attacked by a hyena and seeing it eat part of her leg as it was attacking her. I decided then that hyenas were not allowed on my ark. I can't find the original text, but the summary is here.

By: tkchrist

tkchrist — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:55:43 -0800

The newborn female Spotted Hyena are also genetically programed to practice neonatal siblicide. The first born will attack their litter mates immediately after birth.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:00:23 -0800

I wonder how ikkyu2 makes sure he's not just subconsciously projecting his own neuroses and insecurities onto these researchers' and scientists' behaviour?

By: Staggering Jack

Staggering Jack — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:12:26 -0800

Thanks for the post. I really enjoyed the book Cry of the Kalahari (by Mark and Delia Owens) which talked a lot about hyena behavior. It's a great pop-science book on animal behavior (and an amazing adventure story).

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:13:06 -0800

so, who wants to be the first to tell dave sim about this?

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:33:03 -0800

Oh, he doesn't, Ubu. Not at all.

By: aeschenkarnos

aeschenkarnos — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:45:55 -0800

I love this one. "If you think I am cute, you should meet my mother!"

By: eclectist

eclectist — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:00:40 -0800

so, who wants to be the first to tell dave sim about this? You can't, unless you want to sign that stupid petition...

By: tellurian

tellurian — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:13:19 -0800

GuyZero: Yeah, that and the gigantic, elongated clitoris pretty much makes female hyenas pretty bad-ass.

"The subordonate [sic] individuals lick the clitoris of a higher ranked female as a sign of submission. The clitoris of the dominant female will be licked by all the other females, males (which are inferior to any female) or cubes [sic]. When females lick each other's clitorises, this is a greeting or an affective behavior that strengthens links between individuals. Usually, females won't lick males' penises, as they are clearly subordinate, the higher ranked male is inferior to the lower ranked female.

More reason to not want to be a male hyena.

By: nebulawindphone

nebulawindphone — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:44:36 -0800

Hot cube-on-meerkat action. Oh [sic] yeah.

By: Mastercheddaar

Mastercheddaar — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:50:29 -0800

And how is this any different from being married??? Wait in marriage you continuously get harassed and you never get sex....

By: ZaneJ.

ZaneJ. — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:34:17 -0800

If you had to give birth through a pseudo-penis you'd be pretty damn picky about your sexcapades as well.

By: hydropsyche

hydropsyche — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:51:14 -0800

I wonder how these researchers and scientists make sure they're not just subconsciously projecting their own neuroses and insecurities onto the hyenas' behavior? Which is really the problem with most behavioral research (personal biases can be a problem in any science, including neuroscience, but observational studies like behavioral ecology are especially prone to this problem). Behavioral science was changed forever when one scientist studying baboons developed a method which standardized behavioral research and made it replicable--in her particular case one chose an individual and recorded all of its behavior for a period of time, instead of just counting the number of times males fought or had sex.

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:58:46 -0800

What, no hyena butter?

By: Maias

Maias — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:30:37 -0800

Yeah, that giving birth *through* your clitoris thing-- not so fun for hyena females either, I'd imagine.

By: Kattullus

Kattullus — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:02:56 -0800

There's some anal gland residue scraping in the article, MrMoonPie, don't you worry.

By: quin

quin — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:01:47 -0800

I've long thought of hyenas as the exact opposite end of the spectrum from foxes. Despite their dog-like appearance and mannerisms, hyenas are more closely related to cats, whereas foxes, with their slitted eyes, retractable claws, and vertical pounce hunting style (and the fact that the young are called 'kits') as canids are technically closer to dogs. Given the choice, I'd rather deal with a vicious ferocious killer like a vulpine over a hyena.

By: tula

tula — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:10:26 -0800

A few years ago we were driving through a non-residential area of the Berkeley hills at dusk and we started hearing these freakishly eery grunting howls, like a pack of giant murderous chupacabras. The sounds were bouncing down a canyon, and we were mystified about what it was and where it was coming from. It just sounded like something to run away from. Months later we learned that what we'd heard was a hyena colony that lives up there being studied at UC Berkeley.