"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.
posted by Kattullus
on May 7, 2008 -
32 comments
Offal Good is a blog dedicated to helping you get more dining experience out of your animal. Most people stop at the skeletal muscle cuts, but there's a world of tripey goodness, not to mention snouts, feet, etc. Videos, recipes, photogalleries & more.
posted by jonson
on Nov 20, 2007 -
24 comments
Gregory Colbert's
Ashes and Snow has been linked to twice before on Metafilter. However, you can now view
10 minutes of his film as part of his Ted Talk--it's the most stunning nature footage I've ever seen. In the talk he also mentions a new concept he's developing called
Animal Copyright, which I think is long overdue.
posted by dobbs
on Jan 2, 2007 -
29 comments
I researched and put an infopiece together
after recently learning of bile bears here on Metafilter. Even as an animal professional, I was unaware of the existence of bile bears. Now I know:
Bile Bears are live
moon bears that are turned into living crated "bile kegs," the bear's bile being extracted by means of a surgically implanted tube and used to treat conditions as varied as gallstones, kidney disorder, and (of course) impotence. After the long-suffering bear dies, the creature's body parts are then sold off individually for further monetary gain.
Indeed, it is an appalling practice, but worse I learned
the practice is spreading, and
in fact demand for bear products is now affecting the bear population of North America, as
North American bears are being illegally hunted and harvested for their parts to be used
domestically and abroadin the preparation of
traditional Chinese medicine.
posted by mongonikol
on Nov 30, 2006 -
43 comments
Horse Rescue in the Netherlands--after a heavy storm in October, 100+ horses were standed on a small island. Here's how they were rescued.
Google video; alternate YouTube link. Warning: Vangelis music.
posted by fandango_matt
on Nov 29, 2006 -
43 comments
