Rapid Fire
Hyena
- 03 May 2025
- 2 min read
27th April was observed as International Hyena Day 2025 which aims at promoting awareness of hyenas' ecological importance and challenging negative perceptions.
Hyenas (Hyaenidae)
- About: They belong to the family Hyaenidae, which are a group of carnivorous mammals like dogs.
- Habitat: Hyenas are found across diverse habitats in Africa and parts of Asia.
- They are often mischaracterised as the ‘villain of the African Savanna’, given its haunting howls and unconventional appearance.
- Diet: Spotted hyenas are both a skilled predator and scavenger, actively hunting in groups. They frequently engage in kleptoparasitism, where they steal food from other predators.
- Striped hyenas are omnivores, brown hyenas mainly scavenge but also eat small animals and fruits, while aardwolves feed almost exclusively on termites.
- Behaviour: Spotted hyenas live in female-led clans with complex social systems and high intelligence.
- Striped hyenas are nocturnal and solitary, brown hyenas form small clans with nomadic males, and aardwolves are monogamous, living alone or in pairs.
- Ecological Role: Hyenas play a vital ecological role by controlling herbivore populations as predators, preventing disease as scavengers, and recycling nutrients.
| Read More: Conservation Breeding in Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) |
