Who cares about hyenas? Aren't you bored of them?

Anyone out there enjoy people watching? Me too (Disney World is the best place for this FYI). I’m now an avid hyena watcher as well.

A bunch of cubs...people watching.

This morning I was hanging out with five hyenas, SAMI, SLIM, TOBA, HONR, and PALA, and had a moment (or ten) of complete and utter gratitude.

All the time people ask me, why hyenas? Don’t you get so bored watching them day after day?

TOBA and SAMI

It was 6:15am when I stumbled upon this group of five. SAMI (a hyena who I feel knows me personally) immediately came up to investigate the car. TOBA joined her for the car investigation. I watched as TOBA acted submissive to SAMI, pulling her ears back and grinning as she approached. TOBA used to be one of the highest rankers in the clan until her mother, the matriarch, died. SAMI then walked over to her mother, PALA, to engage in a traditional hyena greet. The two of them, joined by TOBA, then aggressed onto HONR, the lowest ranking female of the bunch, who squealed and backed off. SLIM, an immigrant male, ran away after that...probably scared he’d be next. I recorded all of this into my DVR. They then all sacked out...besides SAMI who tried to chew on the car. We sat together and watched the sunrise. I felt so grateful.

A coalition bristle tail stand-over onto an individual who
ears back grins and carpal crawls in submission.

It’s an incredible thing to witness a hyena mother step in to assist her cub who is getting beaten up by a lower ranking hyena and show him his rank. It’s really neat to watch 12-week old babies, who have learned their rank, beat up on 8-year-old moms. Just the other day an adult female, MDRK, blissfully walked up to the den only to be instantly attacked by five tiny cubs. These babies didn't hesitate for a second before they were on her with bristle tail points, lunges, snaps, and even a few bite shakes. I smiled because I knew their mothers taught them they could and should act in this way.

But it’s not all so black and white. There are some hyenas I rarely see aggress onto anyone. The old matriarch of North clan, WAFL, was one of the most peaceful ever. Contrast her with PIKE, matriarch of Happy Zebra clan, who is a stone-cold b****, to be frank. Some cubs are the same size, like SGL’s babies, RBG and NSH, indicating they nurse pretty equally, while baby NAUT is about half the size of ARGO, indicating ARGO beats up NAUT pretty good when it comes time to nurse. SAMI and ROUG are some of the most curious hyenas I’ve come across -- always running up to the car to look me in the eye before nibbling on the front bumper. LOBI, my absolute favorite hyena, has taken it upon herself to be the guard of North den. Whenever someone new arrives she walks over and rustles them up a bit before escorting them to the den. I always feel a little bad for the immigrant males who try to come around because LOBI scares them off before they get anywhere near.

KRAB (a north clan cub) is very aggressive to her sibling RNTN.

When I first came out here, I wasn’t already head over heels for spotted hyenas (a reason I came was because it is an opportunity to return to the African savanna and study a large carnivore—a very rare opportunity). Now, I’m 100% here for these bizarre matriarchal creatures that exhibit amazingly complex social networks and intelligence, not to mention their remarkable immune resistance. In how many species do you have a female who has evolved to be more aggressive/larger than her male counterpart while also being a completely devoted mother to cubs that require intense care? I watch mothers that just single handedly took down a large antelope get on her back and roll around with a six-week-old cub.

 

It is a miraculous thing to be let into the world of another species. So the easy answer is, no, I’m never bored when I’m hanging out with hyenas. Over the past eight months I’ve built such a relationship with these weirdos. Hyena culture is so rich and multifaceted – always something going on, something changing.

So, I sat this morning with a full heart, feeling so small in the world with the thoughts swirling in my mind of all the complex societies that exist all around us, and thankful to those five silly hyenas for the reminder.