in the hyenas introduces us a species-poor, development-historically young carnivore-group itself, that in the late-night-tertiary showed the present-day types similar forms for the first time and to lead back on tertiary Sneak catsvorfahren is.
Shape Despite theirs of dog-similar look externally, the hyenas are not nearer relative with the Hundeartigen. its sheepdog-big, clumsy shape with the big, penetrated head gets its characteristic look through the front-runs, that are extended in the comparison to the hind legs.
Through the way of life causes, the entire front-body is laid out more powerful and more muscular. The head has a mighty jaw that works as huge Brechschere and through strongly trained musculature to cutting apart from strong skin, tough meat and to pounding of big bones is predestined. The teeth are big and hard.
Those limbs are four-toe-y, merely the Erdwolf (Proteles cristatus) shows five toes at the front-foot what brought it its Latin generic term, that one could translate completely" with "in the front. The claws are blunt and not re-ductile. The tail is short until middle-long, few-y glandular-bags lead into the anus. The penis-bone of the males is re-educated how at all the differentiation of the sexes is not quite simple even for practiced experts.
Food-acquisition The physique of the hyenas is on exemplary tried at its way of life as a "cadaver-user." The strong ones, extended front-limbs the suitable tools form in order to nail food literally at the ground. The huge teeth, in the club with that of considerably trained chews and neck-musculature, are capable to shred everything, which one can utilize at a booty only as food.
It must be cleaned up, however, at this place with an ancient wrong idea over the food-habits of the hyenas. Hyenas are scavengers not at all mainly but catches the bulk of its loot itself, with what they can beat animals until the size of a zebra. This is applicable particularly to the dot or stain-hyena (Crocuta crocuta). An exception makes only the Erdwolf here, that specialized on insect-food within the hyena-relationship.
Spread, types The hyenas are spread in 3 types and 4 types over Africa, front and South-Asia until India. Beside strip-hyena (Hyaena hyaena) and brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea) as well as the dot or stain-hyena (Crocuta crocuta), one considers also the Erdwolf (Prateles cristatus) one of the hyenas today.
Also the both actual hyena-types Hyaena and Crocuta don't get along each other very draws near. they can be regarded as two development-trunks, that separated already in the Alt-Pliozän (40 million years ago). Already externally, the smaller, striped hyena-types (Hyaena) of the bigger, spotted dot-hyena (Crocuta) deviate.
Strip-hyena (Hyaena hyaena)) Strip-hyenas are slimmer than dot-hyenas and show a shoulder-height until 70 cm. The skull seems less compact. The fur is mane-nicely extended at the neck and backs until 30 cm and consists of coarse Grannen there. Strip-hyenas show one vertically proceeding somber strip-paragon and have a dark Kehlfleck in contrast to the Erdwolf.
Spread Strip-hyenas populate Africa in the area around the Sahara, East-Africa as well as the Arabic peninsula, along the South-coast of Asia Minor as far as after India and Europe in the southeast of the Kaukasus Asia.
Way of life, nutrition Strip-hyenas live einzelgängerisch in family-associations. they are omnivores. There, where the hyenas of the feed-competition with the essentially stronger lions are exposed, also nothing at all often remains for them other, as before-dear-increases with that, what lion, hyena-dog and dot-hyena leave remaining. However, small animals and house-livestock easily to be carried off are not spurned. This in Transkaukasien and Südturkestan of living strip-hyenas should carry off mainly small until moderate-sized herbivores however at night. They shy and not belligerent strip-hyenas wander individually, rarely in small troops, through its habitat and are not as noisy as the dot-hyenas on that occasion by far. They become rare dangerous the human being. In the opposite: Many Africans leave holes in the walls, that surround its villages, open in order to make admittance possible for the excellent Unratvertilgern. In the evening from the cottages tossed refuse then vanished without a trace in the next morning.
Reproduction Would toss with 2-3 boys each to be the rule seems. The boys are suckled for months over two. The boys shall very violently, affectionate and love-needy is and gives lutes of itself, that resemble meowing from cats.
Strip-hyenas become sexually mature with 2-3 years and reach an old of over 20 years in captivity.
Brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea)) The brown hyena, named also Schabrackenhyäne or beach-wolf, has a long-haired, brown fur. Those of the neck until mane extending to the shoulder and the back are lighter, as well the head and the Beinstreifung.
Spread Brown hyenas populate South Africa in inferior number. The type is regarded as endangered in contrast to the strip-hyena.
Way of life, nutrition Brown hyenas live in family-associations, existing from one parents-pair and its descendant. With good food-offer, also more than ten animals can live together in a big-family. Brown hyenas are distinct omnivores. On the food-search, they go in the rule alone. Thanks to its strong one, they are the dot-hyenas of similar denture in the situation, that to pound bone of big animal-cadavers. its name got beach-wolf, as the Boers named it, it according to reports, that it should live rinsed cadavers at the Meeresküste of dead fishings, cancers and others at the beach.
Reproduction Over the reproductive-biology, we only expelled from few singles-observations of zoo-animals that we have to reckon with a Tragzeit of 92-98 days and a throw-size of 2-3 boys. In the family-associations, siblings help with the Aufzucht of the boys. Only in the age of over one year, the boys finally leave the community-cave.
Erdwolf (Proteles cristatus)) The Erdwolf, named also Zibethyäne, resembles a strip-hyena externally, however there are also clear differences. So, its carnivore-denture is underdeveloped in the comparison to that of the remaining hyenas: the pre-forecastles and cheek-teeth wasted away. Also the head got accordingly small. The back falls to the croup from and is covered with one long, dark and grain-y mane. The fur is brownish with dark cross-strips, fleecy and grannenbedeckt. The face appears brightly with dark muzzle-mask. The ears are long and pointed, the tail middle-long and bushy. The front-legs are longer than the rear ones.
Way of life, nutrition The Zibethyäne is to frequently be found in its spread-area nowhere. it is active mainly at night. In the wild, it usually oversleeps the day in abandoned aardvark-constructions or in crevices. Erdwölfe can dig caves on grounds of its weak claws only in rather relaxed ground themselves. This anatomical reality causes also its night-active way of life: In the most important thing, Erdwölfe live from grass-eating termites (type Trinervitermes). Their constructions can admittedly not break it open, however its in possession becomes, if they swarm out at night. These termites lick up the Erdwölfe by means of its unusually long tongue. If this food is missing, the Erdwölfe take also other insects, more rarely also eggs and boy of ground-brooding birds.
Erdwölfe live einzelgängerisch or in pairs. they defend a precinct of 1-2 square-kilometers, whose borders mark it with the secretion of its anus-glands.
Reproduction After a Tragzeit of approximately 90 days, it was born 2-4 kids, who will arise with 2-3 months. The sexually mature happens years with approximately one and a half.
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