Lesser known relative of the familiar spotted hyaena, the brown hyaena is restricted to southern Africa where it occurs in mountainous and semi-desert regions. The brown hyaena is almost fully nocturnal and, unlike its predatory relative, is unable to tackle large prey and feeds almost exclusively by scavenging. Offspring born to the captive pairs are released back into the wild.

Would it matter if one day there were no brown hyaenas - what use are they?

Being predatory animals, they assist in maintaining the numerical balance of species living in a particular area. As scavengers, they help to dispense quickly with carcasses abandoned by other animals, thus minimizing the risk of disease arising from putrid flesh.

What does the brown hyaena look like?

The front of the animal is larger and more developed than the hind part - it has a big head, powerful shoulders and sturdy forelegs, with shorter and slighter hindquarters. Front paws of a brown hyaena are noticeably larger than its back paws, all feet have four clawed digits (or toes). In colour, fur range from dark brown to black, with a tawny mantle and dark legstripes. The coat is heavy and coarse, with a shaggy mantle and tail, the striped legs are short-haired. When on the move, the head is bent downwards; when stationary, the animal bears its characteristic 'sloping' stance. Its larger ears, with pointed tips, are covered in short hair; its muzzle is short, black and hairless - apart from black whiskers. Brown hyaenas have large black eyes, adapted for keen night vision. Teeth and jaws are extremely powerful, suited to breaking bones of prey and tearing limbs. Weight (mass): about 38 - 47 kilograms; length: about 1,4 metres; length of tail: about 20 centimetres; shoulder height: 75 - 85 centimetres.

When does the female reach sexual maturity?

At approximately two to three years of age.

Where could you expect to see a brown hyaena?

The species inhabits coastal areas of the far northern Cape, Namibia and southern Angola. Inland, it may be found in a broad area stretching eastwards from the west coast, across Botswana and the Kalahari, as far as the western Drakensberg and Kruger National Park. It prefers sparsely populated arid areas, scrubland, and remote mountainous territory.

At what time of day could your expect to see a brown hyaena and how many at a time?

As a nocturnal animal, it is active during hours of darkness. It first appears usually just after sunset, returning at dawn to its den or secluded sleeping place. Although family groups share the same territory, one is likely rather to encounter solitary animals.

What does the brown hyaena eat?

It is primarily a carnivorous species, but omnivorous at times. A poor hunter, it scavenges meat from the kills of other predators. Its preferred diet consists of fresh meat, easily crushed bones and bone marrow. However, when kills of other animals are scarce, the brown hyaena will procure food on its own - such as small mammals, reptiles, insects, wild fruits and birds' eggs. Water is consumed when it is plentiful, though it is not essential to the animal's survival. In dry periods, sufficient moisture can usually be obtained from its kills, supplemented by liquid from wild melons.

How long does a brown hyaena live?

Potential longevity is about 24 years. Obviously the survival rate in the wild is not as great as in captivity.

What sounds do brown hyaenas make?

A variety of calls are made, audible only for short distances: deep growling/grunting (when greeting); short high-spirited yelling (to threaten likely attackers); shrill squealing (by a subordinate brown hyaena when approaching another/others more dominant); high-pitched screaming (during neck-biting, by the brown hyaena being bitten), hoarse squeaking (to indicate submission by a weaker/younger animal to another brown hyaena that is stronger/older) Brown hyaenas do not make the more familiar cackling/laughing sounds or whooping noises, these being the calls of spotted hyaenas.

What are the mating habits of the brown hyaena and how many cubs are there in a litter?

Females in season are covered usually by nomadic males - less often by males of their own clans. Seasonally, females may have several partners. After a pregnancy of about ninety days, up to three cubs are born, mothers giving birth in disused burrows of other animals (mostly antbear holes). When cubs are a few months old, mothers move them to the communal den. Cubs do not leave the den to start with; when they do, they are always accompanied by older animals. At birth, the cubs have the same colouring as that of adults, and their eyes are closed for the first two weeks of life. They suckle from their mother for about two months, after which meat is brought to the den for them - by both their mother and other members of the clan. At fifteen months youngsters are mature enough to feed themselves.

Are the sense of the brown hyaena in any way special?

All the senses are acutely developed, especially that of smell which enables animals to locate kills situated at great distances from them - reportedly from as far away as one or two kilometres. Large ears pick up the slightest sound, while eyesight is excellent at night. Touching (neck-licking, nibbling, cleaning of one another), reinforces family bonds.

What is scent-making or pasting?

These terms describe the way in which the brown hyaena marks its territory. The animal has an anal pouch which, when self-stimulated (usually by lowering its hindquarters to a squatting position and wiping the pouch on vegetation, etc.), secretes two kinds of paste, one white, the other black. The white is deposited first and serves to identify the individual animal, while the black paste is thought to indicate how long ago an animal made a deposit. Both secretions are exceedingly foul-smelling to humans, the odour of the white lasting longer than that of the black. During foraging, pasting occurs twice or three times per kilometre. The secretions are deposited on grass and other prominent objects, near places most often used by the clan, such as dens, water-holes, latrines and paths.

How can one identify the toilet of a brown hyaena?

There would be scattered accumulations of faeces which are conspicuously white because of the high content of bone in the animal's diet. Latrines (a feature of all hyaena species) are sited mostly on the perimeters of scent-marked territory, often in dry water-holes and on the tops of sand-hills.

How many species of hyaena exist in Africa?

There are three: brown hyaena (Hyaena brunnea), striped hyaena (H. hyaena), and spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta); the striped hyaena is found in east, centre and northern African regions, and does not occur naturally in southern Africa.

BROWN HYAENAS AT DE WILDT

How many brown hyaenas are kept at the Centre?

At the moment there are five, grouped singly, in pairs, or in small groups. Compatibility of animals is not easy to attain, so grouping is done with sensitivity.

How much food is needed each day to feed the brown hyaenas?

An adult requires about 2 to 3 kilograms of meat and bone, every 1 to 2 days. At 3 months, a cub will daily consume 100 grams of Eukanuba pellets.

If the brown hyaena is not endangered, why is it kept at De Wildt?

Being nocturnal, it is not easy to study the lifestyle and habits of the species in the wild. The De Wildt Cheetah Centre affords the opportunity to do this.