Striped Hyena (Hyena hyaena)

• Common Name: Striped Hyena
• Scientific Name: Hyena hyaena
• Swahili Name: Fisi miraba
• Maasai Name: Nasempori
• Size:
  • Head-Body Length (HBT): 160 cm (63 inches)
  • Shoulder Height (SH): 75 cm (30 inches)
• Gestation: 13 weeks
• Recognition: The Striped Hyena is smaller and more slender than its larger cousin, the Spotted Hyena. It is easily identified by its shaggier mane, bushy tail, and greyish coat adorned with dark stripes running from its spine down to its legs. Unlike the round ears of the Spotted Hyena, the Striped Hyena has long, pointed ears that are darker in color.

Habits and Behavior

• Activity: The Striped Hyena is strictly nocturnal and highly elusive. These hyenas are mostly solitary, foraging alone under the cover of darkness. Unlike Spotted Hyenas, they are not pack animals and tend to lead quieter, less social lives.
• Feeding: Striped Hyenas are primarily scavengers, feeding on carrion, bones, and the remnants of carcasses left by larger predators. They have specialized teeth and strong jaws that enable them to crush bones and extract marrow, much like other hyenas. In addition to carrion, they supplement their diet with invertebrates, reptiles, and small mammals. Unlike Spotted Hyenas, they rarely hunt large game.

Habitat

• Where to Find: The Striped Hyena prefers dry acacia scrublands with open areas. In the Masai Mara, they are found in arid regions where vegetation is sparse, and their preferred prey and carrion sources are abundant. They inhabit dens, which are frequently self-dug but may also take over burrows abandoned by aardvarks.

Social Structure

• Breeding and Pups: Striped Hyenas exhibit a more family-oriented structure when it comes to rearing pups. Breeding pairs are monogamous, and both males and females share the responsibility of caring for their young. Pups are born with their characteristic stripes and are cared for within the safety of a den. Compared to Spotted Hyenas, Striped Hyenas have less aggressive social dynamics, possibly due to lower testosterone levels in females.

Vocalizations and Scent Marking

• Communication: Unlike their loud and vocal Spotted Hyena cousins, Striped Hyenas are far more subtle. Their vocalizations are minimal, often limited to soft, chattering laughs that are rarely heard. Instead, they rely on scent-marking to communicate, using their anal scent glands to smear pungent odors on vegetation, similar to other viverrids like civets and genets.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Status: Near Threatened. The Striped Hyena population is declining due to various threats, including habitat loss, hunting, and poisoning by livestock farmers. Though their distribution spans across North and East Africa, the Middle East, and parts of India, their numbers are shrinking in many areas where human expansion and conflict pose increasing risks. The Striped Hyena’s scavenging nature makes them targets for retaliatory killings when they come into conflict with human communities, particularly when they are mistakenly blamed for livestock predation.

Key Threats

1. Human-Wildlife Conflict: Striped Hyenas often come into conflict with livestock farmers who may poison or trap them, believing they are a threat to their animals. In reality, they are more scavengers than active hunters of livestock, but misunderstandings frequently lead to lethal consequences.
2. Habitat Loss: Expanding human settlements, agriculture, and infrastructure development are encroaching upon the Striped Hyena’s natural habitat, reducing the availability of carrion and suitable denning sites.
3. Poisoning: Hyenas, like other scavengers, are vulnerable to poisoning when carcasses laced with toxins are left out to target predators. This indiscriminate killing method affects many non-target species, including hyenas.

Conservation Efforts and Recommendations

1. Education and Community Engagement: Educating local communities about the Striped Hyena’s role in the ecosystem as a cleaner of carrion can help reduce unnecessary killings. Public awareness campaigns can highlight that hyenas pose little threat to livestock and can help farmers adopt non-lethal deterrent methods.
2. Habitat Preservation: Protecting key habitats, particularly dry acacia scrublands and open savannas, is essential for maintaining healthy populations. Expanding protected areas and wildlife corridors can allow hyenas to roam safely without encountering human conflict.
3. Conflict Mitigation: Introducing predator-proof enclosures for livestock (such as fortified bomas) and compensation schemes for livestock losses can help mitigate conflicts between hyenas and farmers, reducing retaliatory killings.

Unique Adaptations

• Bone-Crushing Diet: Like other hyenas, the Striped Hyena is equipped with powerful jaws and specialized teeth for crushing bones. This allows them to extract marrow and nutrients from remains that other predators cannot access.
• Nocturnal Scavenger: Their nocturnal habits help them avoid competition with other large carnivores, such as lions and leopards, who may dominate carrion during the day. Striped Hyenas venture out at night to scavenge on whatever remains are left.

In conclusion, the Striped Hyena is a fascinating and misunderstood species, far less aggressive and vocal than its Spotted counterpart. With its preference for a solitary, nocturnal lifestyle and a diet that relies heavily on scavenging, this hyena plays a vital role in cleaning up the ecosystem. Efforts to preserve its habitat and reduce conflict with humans will be crucial in ensuring the survival of this unique predator in the Masai Mara and beyond.