Taphonomic and zooarchaeological implications of spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) bone accumulations in Kenya: a modern behavioral ecological approach

Paleobiology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah W. Lansing ◽  
Susan M. Cooper ◽  
Erin E. Boydston ◽  
Kay E. Holekamp
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Ecology ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Site Formation ◽  
Behavioral Variability ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Site Formation Processes ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Bone Accumulation

The significant impact of extant carnivores, particularly spotted hyenas, on the depositional history and physical characteristics of archaeofaunal and paleontological assemblages is well recognized. We focus on the behavioral ecology of extant spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in relation to bone accumulations produced by one East African clan at communal dens. Limbs and skulls of prey animals more frequently appear at dens than do other carcass portions. These items reflect the relative abundance of prey species near dens; carnivore remains are poorly represented. Comparative analysis reveals that bones are deposited far more slowly (<7 carcass portions per month) and accumulations tend to be smaller at Crocuta dens than at dens of either brown (Parahyaena brunnea) or striped (Hyaena hyaena) hyenas. We propose that extant Crocuta bone accumulation rates and sizes are likely affected by prey species abundance, clan size, social interactions within the clan, and the type and availability of den sites. We also suggest that the potential for intraspecific behavioral variability in bone accumulation patterns is important when comparisons are made among spotted hyena populations and across hyena species. For example, accumulation patterns may be dramatically influenced by the temporal span, potentially ranging from days to hundreds or thousands of years, in which bones are collected, depending on the species-specific history of occupation at a given site. Understanding the behavioral and ecological variability likely to influence bone accumulation patterns at dens used by different hyaenids will allow taphonomists and zooarchaeologists to refine their knowledge of mechanisms underlying site formation processes and potential causes of variability in deeper-time den assemblages.

scholarly journals Post-weaning maternal effects and the evolution of female dominance in the spotted hyena

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1665) ◽  
pp. 2291-2298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather E. Watts ◽  
Jaime B. Tanner ◽  
Barbara L. Lundrigan ◽  
Kay E. Holekamp
Keyword(s):  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Female Dominance ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Compensatory Mechanism ◽  
Feeding Apparatus ◽  
Skull Development ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Maternal Presence ◽  
New Hypothesis

Mammalian societies in which females dominate males are rare, and the factors favouring the evolution of female dominance have yet to be clearly identified. We propose a new hypothesis for the evolution of female dominance and test its predictions with empirical data from the spotted hyena ( Crocuta crocuta ), a well-studied species characterized by female dominance. We suggest that constraints imposed by the development of a feeding apparatus specialized for bone cracking, in combination with the intensive feeding competition characteristic of spotted hyenas, led to the evolution of female dominance. Specifically, we propose that protracted development of the feeding apparatus in young hyenas led to selection for increased aggressiveness in females as a compensatory mechanism for mothers to secure food access for their young after weaning. Our analyses yielded results consistent with this hypothesis. Morphological and behavioural measurements indicate that skull development is indeed protracted in this species; spotted hyenas do not achieve adult skull size or feeding performance capabilities until after sexual maturity. The period between weaning and completed skull development is particularly challenging, as indicated by high mortality. Finally, maternal presence between weaning and full skull maturity, as well as the relative ability of females to aggressively displace conspecifics from food, are important determinants of offspring survival.

Glacial/Interglacial Size Variation in Fossil Spotted Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) from Britain

1989 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard G. Klein ◽  
Katharine Scott
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Temperature Variation ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Bergmann’S Rule ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Bergmann's Rule ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe lower carnassial lengths of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in 12 late Pleistocene samples from Britain indicate that, on average, local hyenas of the last (Devensian) glaciation were significantly larger than their last-interglaciation (Ipswichian) counterparts. Together with the tendency for spotted hyena carnassial length to increase with latitude in present-day Africa, this suggests that spotted hyena body size is inversely related to temperature, as predicted by Bergmann's rule. The implication is that spotted hyena carnassial length can be used as an independent gauge of Pleistocene temperature variation, though the combined African and British data imply that the relationship between carnassial length and temperature is curvilinear, such that as temperature declines, equal amounts of further decline produce progressively smaller increases in average carnassial length.

A keystone predator at risk? Density and distribution of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in the Etosha National Park, Namibia

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (10) ◽  
pp. 941-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina Trinkel
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Spatial Relationship ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Mathematical Correlation ◽  
Equus Burchelli ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
The Status ◽  
Connochaetes Taurinus

For wildlife management and conservation biology, it is important to be able to estimate the status and distribution of animals and to monitor their population trends. In the Etosha National Park, Namibia, there is a lack of knowledge about numbers and distribution of spotted hyenas ( Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben, 1777)) and factors regulating their population. To estimate hyena density and distribution, tape-recorded vocalizations (call-ups) were performed to attract hyenas in the central and eastern parts of Etosha. Eighty-five adult and subadult hyenas responded to the calls, with most of them responding in an area with high density of migratory ungulates, principally springbok ( Antidorcas marsupialis (Zimmermann, 1780)), wildebeest ( Connochaetes taurinus (Burchell, 1823)), and Burchell’s zebra ( Equus burchelli (Gray, 1824)). These migratory species are the main prey of spotted hyenas in Etosha. There was a strong spatial relationship between hyena density and migratory prey biomass. Based on this mathematical correlation, I estimated 203 ± 79 hyenas, i.e., 2.7 ± 1.1 hyenas/100 km2, in the central and eastern parts of Etosha. Applying this correlation to the western part of the park, it was possible to estimate 339 ± 176 spotted hyenas, corresponding to an overall density of 2.1 ± 1.0 hyenas/100 km2, in the whole Etosha National Park.

scholarly journals Naturally-occurring tooth wear, tooth fracture, and cranial injuries in large carnivores from Zambia

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11313
Author(s):  
Blaire Van Valkenburgh ◽  
Paula A. White
Keyword(s):  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Tooth Wear ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Fracture Rate ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Tooth Fracture ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Prey Handling

Determining the incidence and causes of craniodental damage in wild carnivores is often constrained by limited access to specimens with associated ecological data, such as prey type and abundance. We assessed dental condition and cranial injuries in lion, leopard, and spotted hyena in relation to prey and predator populations in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley, where large prey are more abundant and lion and leopard more numerous, and the Greater Kafue Ecosystem, where smaller prey species are more prevalent and lion and leopard less common. In Luangwa, lions had significantly higher rates of tooth fracture, and blunt trauma injuries attributable to prey-handling, compared to Kafue lions. In contrast, leopards in both regions had similar rates of tooth wear and breakage. Overall, lions showed a significantly higher tooth fracture rate than leopards on a per tooth basis. Spotted hyenas had the highest rates of tooth wear and fracture among all three carnivores, and greatly exceeded previously recorded rates based on historical samples. Despite larger numbers of lion and leopard in Luangwa, there was no difference in incidence of intraspecific injuries between regions. These results are consistent with a greater abundance of large prey species, especially buffalo, in the diets of Luangwa lions, and previous work showing a reliance on smaller prey species in Kafue throughout the large carnivore guild.

Hyena as a predator of small mammals? Taphonomic analysis from the site of Bois Roche, France

Paleobiology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Williams ◽  
Peter Andrews ◽  
Sara García-Morato ◽  
Paola Villa ◽  
Yolanda Fernández-Jalvo
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammals ◽  
Small Mammal ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Behavioral Variability ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Small Stream ◽  
Bone Modification ◽  
Fossil Bones ◽  
High Concentrations

AbstractFeeding behaviors may differ between past and current predators due to differences in the environments inhabited by these species at different times. We provide an example of this behavioral variability in spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), for which our analysis of a late Pleistocene micromammal assemblage indicates that hyenas preyed upon small rodents, a feeding habit that is rarely observed today among hyenas.The Bois Roche cave site is situated at the edge of a low bluff overlooking the floodplain of a small stream in Cherves-Richemont (Charente, France). The deposits are dated by electron spin resonance (ESR) to about 69.7 ± 4.1 Ka. Excavations at the site recovered fossil bones and teeth of large and small mammals, together with hyena coprolites. Water screening of the sediments produced large accumulations of rodent remains with low taxonomic diversity. Small mammal bones were recovered from hyena coprolites as well. Descriptions of small mammal bone modification, both from the sediments and coprolites, are reported here. The analysis yielded a distinct taphonomic pattern representative of large carnivores (over 30 kg), which differs from any other modern or fossil predator-accumulated microfaunal assemblage taphonomically analyzed to date. To our knowledge, previous studies of hyena diet have not recorded high concentrations of a single-rodent prey species. We conclude that the low species diversity of this small mammal assemblage most likely relates to a local abundance of the prey species due to an outbreak in the rodent population, rather than from specialist predator behavior and hunting technique.

scholarly journals Pastoralist activities affect the movement patterns of a large African carnivore, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)

2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. 1941-1953 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S Green ◽  
Kay E Holekamp
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Anthropogenic Activity ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Gps Collars ◽  
Spotted Hyenas

Abstract Populations of large carnivores are declining in many parts of the world due to anthropogenic activity. Some species of large carnivores, however, are able to coexist with people by altering their behavior. Altered behaviors may be challenging to identify in large carnivores because these animals are typically cryptic, nocturnal, live at low densities, and because changes in their behavior may be subtle or emerge slowly over many years. We studied the effects of livestock presence on the movements of one large carnivore, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). We fit 22 adult female spotted hyenas with GPS collars to quantify their movements in areas with and without livestock or herders present, in and around a protected area in southwestern Kenya. We investigated anthropogenic, social, and ecological effects on the speed of movement, distances traveled, long-distance movements, and extraterritorial excursions by spotted hyenas. Hyenas living primarily within the protected area, but in the presence of livestock and herders, moved faster, traveled over longer distances, and were more likely to be within their territories than did conspecifics living in areas without livestock and herders. Hyenas of low social rank were more likely than hyenas of high social rank to engage in long-distance travel events, and these were more likely to occur when prey were scarce. The movement patterns of this large African carnivore indicate a flexibility that may allow them to persist in landscapes that are becoming increasingly defined by people.

Food base of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in Ethiopia

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gidey Yirga ◽  
Hans H. De Iongh ◽  
Herwig Leirs ◽  
Kindeya Gebrehiwot ◽  
Jozef Deckers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Parks ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Financial Loss ◽  
Scat Analysis ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Waste Dumps ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Study Sites

Context Livestock depredation and scavenging of waste by the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) occurs widely across Ethiopia. Aims The aim of this study was to investigate the food base of the spotted hyena and livestock depredation across Ethiopia. Methods The diet of spotted hyenas was assessed in 17 randomly selected study sites across the country, including two national parks, by scat analysis. We conducted an extensive survey of livestock depredation and economic impact in 10 randomly selected subdistricts using semistructured interviews with 3080 randomly selected households. Key results We found that even spotted hyenas from national parks feed predominantly on anthropogenic waste. Households reported losses of 2230 domestic animals, 3.9% of their stock or an average annual financial loss of US$10.3 per household over the past five years. The diet of spotted hyenas showed only prey items of domestic origin except in Chebera Churchura National Park, where a few items of prey of wild species were found. Frequencies of prey remains of cattle, sheep, donkey and goat were highest in decreasing order. Key conclusions Survival of hyenas in Ethiopia is thus largely and widely dependent on management of livestock conflict and waste. Some hairs in scats originated from depredation, but most food intake is from waste dumps and slaughterhouses. Implications Waste management, spotted hyena persistence and environmental sanitation area are linked.

scholarly journals Palaeopopulations of Late Pleistocene Top Predators in Europe: Ice Age Spotted Hyenas and Steppe Lions in Battle and Competition about Prey

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cajus G. Diedrich
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Boreal Forests ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Cave Bear ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Modern Analogue ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Steppe Bison

Late Pleistocene spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss, 1823) and steppe lion Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss, 1810) were top predators in Central Europe. The fossil record (2.303 hyena/1.373 lion bones = ratio 3/1) from 106 cave and open air sites demonstrates comparable associations to modern African hyenas/lions resulting in competition about prey and territory. Cannibalism within extinct spotted hyenas is well documented, including two individual skeletons. Those hyenas produced bone accumulations at dens. Feeding specializations on different megamammal groups are demonstrated for Late Pleistocene hyenas whose prey partly overlaps (e.g., cave bears) with those of lions and wolves. At most fossil sites, 1–3% of the lion remains indicate scavenging of lions by hyenas. The larger Late Pleistocene felids focussed on cervids (reindeers specialization during the high glacial = LGM), on bovids (steppe bison/aurochs), and possibly on saiga antelope and on the cave bear, hunting deep in caves during their hibernations and targeting cubs. The cave bear feeding was the target of all three top predators (lions, hyenas, and wolves) in the Late Pleistocene boreal forests which caused deathly conflicts in caves between them, especially with lions/hyenas and herbivorous cave bears that have no modern analogue.

Brain and Body Size Relations among Spotted Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta)

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 82-95
Author(s):  
Michael D. Mann ◽  
Lawrence G. Frank ◽  
Stephen E. Glickman ◽  
Arnold L. Towe
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Vertebrate Zoology ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Relationship

The relationship between brain size and body size across species “from mouse to elephant” is described by a function of positive slope. Almost uniformly, the relationship between brain size and body size within a species has a positive slope, though this is less steep than across species. The spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta, differs from most other mammals in a number of ways including the fact that, on average, adult females weigh more than adult males and occasionally display greater body lengths. Brains of 5 female and 4 male hyenas were weighed in the field near Moyale in Northern Kenya, and body weights and body lengths were obtained from the same animals. When our analyses of brain/body relationships in these animals revealed an unanticipated negative relationship between brain size and body length, we extended our measurements to include intracranial volume in 19 skulls (8 females and 11 males) from the collection at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley; body weights and lengths were also available. A third dataset was formed by measuring intracranial volumes in 60 spotted hyena skulls (27 females and 33 males) in the Natural History Museum, London, UK; body lengths and intracranial volumes were available. Brain/body size slopes, in general, were not significantly different from zero except in 3 cases: brain weight/body length for Moyale males alone and males and females together, and cranial volume/body weight for Museum of Vertebrate Zoology males and females together. Although most of the slopes were not significantly different from zero, they were all negative, and a statistical test which combined probabilities from the 3 datasets supports the conclusion that there is a negative relationship between brain size and body size in spotted hyenas. Possible explanations for the negative slopes are discussed, including costs and benefits of large brains and large bodies and physiological mechanisms.

scholarly journals Endocrine differentiation of fetal ovaries and testes of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta): timing of androgen-independent versus androgen-driven genital development

Reproduction ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 649-659 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Browne ◽  
N J Place ◽  
J D Vidal ◽  
I T Moore ◽  
G R Cunha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cytochrome P450 ◽  
Cytochrome B5 ◽  
Late Gestation ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Spotted Hyena ◽  
Morphological Development ◽  
Fetal Life ◽  
Endocrine Differentiation ◽  
Spotted Hyenas ◽  
Androgen Independent

Female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) have an erectile peniform clitoris and a pseudoscrotum but no external vagina, all established by day 35 of a 110-day gestation. Recent studies indicate that these events are androgen-independent, although androgen secretion by fetal ovaries and testis was hypothesized previously to induce phallic development in both sexes. We present the first data relating to the capacity of the ovaries and testes of the spotted hyena to synthesize androgens at different stages of fetal life. Specifically, spotted hyena fetal gonads were examined by immunohistochemistry at GD 30, 45, 48, 65, and 95 for androgen-synthesizing enzymes, as related to the morphological development. Enzymes included 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase cytochrome P450 (P450c17), cytochrome b5, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3βHSD), and cholesterol side-chain cleavage cytochrome P450 (P450scc). Anti-Müllerian-hormone (AMH) expression was also examined. AMH was strongly expressed in fetal Sertoli cells from GD 30 and after. P450c17 expression was detected in Leydig cells of developing testes and surprisingly in Müllerian duct epithelium. Fetal ovaries began to organize and differentiate by GD 45, and medullary cells expressed P450c17, cytochrome b5, 3βHSD, and P450scc. The findings support the hypothesis that external genital morphology is probably androgen-independent initially, but that fetal testicular androgens modify the secondary, male-specific phallic form and accessory organs. Fetal ovaries appear to develop substantial androgen-synthesizing capacity but not until phallic differentiation is complete, i.e. after GD 45 based on circulating androstenedione concentrations. During late gestation, fetal ovaries and testes synthesize androgens, possibly organizing the neural substrates of aggressive behaviors observed at birth in spotted hyenas. These data provide an endocrine rationale for sexual dimorphisms in phallic structure and reveal a potential source of androgenic support for neonatal aggression in female and male C. crocuta.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document