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Save the Striped Hyena!
General Description
Striped Hyenas are mammals that are part of the animal kingdom. They have a dog-like appearance and happen to be omnivorous. They have a long, shaggy beige coat that grows from their head to their tail. Striped Hyenas get their name from the stripes located on the sides of their coat. They're about 100-120 cm long and they weigh about 25-55 kg. Social contact is limited because of needing to forage alone, so they don't exactly communicate with each other.
Characteristic
The Striped Hyena gets its name from the stripes located on the sides of their gray beige coat
Threatened
Because of constantly being blamed for the disappearance of small children, striped hyenas are often captured in cages for display, or hunted for medicine
Food
Striped Hyenas are omnivores, and fruits are one of the many things they eat
Food Chain Notes
Striped Hyenas are night hunters devouring almost anything they come across. They're omnivorous, meaning that they can eat seeds, leaves, fruits, insects, birds, fish, garbage scraps, and other species of mammals. Striped Hyenas are competent hunters, with the ability of killing prey as big as a donkey. They also eat tortoises, mainly depending on the size and strength of the shell. Although they can't catch quick animals, they have enough patience to follow fairly quick animals such as hares, foxes, and rodents,
Habitat Notes
Striped Hyenas were once found in Britain and in China, but now they are recently located in north and north-east Africa, southern Tanzania, throughout the Middle East, Arabia, and northern India. They may have expanded into Nepal. Striped Hyenas enjoy living in hot places with sunny desert climates such as the Arabian desert and the Sahara. Not only do they like sunny and dry climates, they would also prefer dense forests and thickets. They would highly avoid high altitudes. Striped Hyenas rest and live in dens, and they may have been living near human habitats.
Adaptation Notes
Striped Hyenas have long, thick necks, strong skulls, strong jaws that help them break dry bones, a long and bushy tail, blunt claws, and feet bear short. They have black stripes on the sides of their pale beige coat, which gives them the advantage of blending in with tall grass considering that they like to walk through grass stalks. They'd avoid social contact and mostly use paths within their territory. If neighboring hyenas happen to meet, they would fluff out their fur and erect their chest to look intimidating. If fights do break out, they would nip at each others' necks. These hyenas are mostly seen single or in pairs, although groups up to seven can occur.
Endangerment and Critical Info
Striped Hyenas are purposely killed because they're believed to be responsible for the disappearance of small children. They're often kept in cages for display, hunted for medicine, poisoned in bait, or have their dens blocked. If they stubbornly stay in their dens, fire would be used to chase them out. Now, there are many protected areas specifically for striped hyenas, and these people are trying to change other people's minds about these endangered species. Females would give birth after 90-91 days in a rocky den or a dug up burrow. Cubs would open their eyes after 7-8 days, their teeth would sprout after 21 days, and at the age of 30 days, they would be allowed to eat meat.
Striped Hyenas
Attribution for Images
Picture of the grey hyena standing in the middle of the road: photo credit: David Bygott (flickr.com)
Picture of the hyena trapped in a cage: photo credit: Tomosuke (flickr.com)
Picture of the hyena trapped in a cage: photo credit: Tomosuke (flickr.com)
Picture of fruits: photo credit: Tattooed JJ (flickr.com)
Picture of the Arabian Desert: photo credit: Alexandre Bourdeu (flickr.com)
Picture of the hyena walking into the grass: photo credit: Francesco Veronesi (flickr.com)
Attribution for Video
Striped Hyenas walking around in the San Diego zoo: video credit: Jamin Guy