Brown Hyena: The Deadliest Fear of Leopards and Cheetahs! Brown hyena vs lion | Wild Animalogy
The brown hyena is like an isolated wolf who laughs like a hyena! They are distinguished by their punk rock mane and shaggy, dark brown fur. During the night, they hunt and gather food from the deserts of Africa by using their extraordinary sense of smell. Regretfully, they are the rarest species of hyena. As scavengers, brown hyenas mostly consume dead animals, but they may occasionally prey on small animals and consume fruit and insects.
Brown Hyena: The Deadliest Fear of Leopards and Cheetahs! Brown hyena vs lion | Wild Animalogy
Brown Hyena: The Deadliest Fear of Leopards and Cheetahs! Brown hyena vs lion | Wild Animalogy
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00:00Hiding in the darkness, they are the invisible night-time predators.
00:04Even the most courageous creatures shudder at the sound of their screams, which pierce
00:09the night.
00:10The ultimate solitary brown hyenas dominate their enormous swaths of southern Africa.
00:16These cunning predators aren't your typical scavengers.
00:19Their teeth have the strength to break an elephant bone.
00:21However, brute force isn't their only covert tool.
00:25Meet the ghost of the desert, the brown hyena.
00:32Scavengers of interest in southern Africa are the brown hyena, sometimes referred to
00:36as the strandwolf.
00:38With a population believed to be between 4,000 and 10,000, it is the only living species
00:44in the genus Parahyena and is regarded as the rarest hyena.
00:51Males and females may weigh up to 74 kg and grow to a maximum length of 160 cm.
01:00Savannas, semi-deserts and deserts are their preferred habitats, and they are found in
01:06southern Africa.
01:08They may also be found in mountains, forests and along coastlines, demonstrating their
01:13great adaptability.
01:16Although brown hyenas prefer to live alone, they may often organize into small groups
01:21known as clans.
01:23The dominant female, the dominant male, and their progeny comprise each newly established
01:28clan.
01:31The overall number of clan members seldom goes above 10, however, immigration from other
01:36clans is also possible.
01:38To top it off, not even the clan living brown hyenas hunt in packs, they always prey alone.
01:44Brown hyenas are now lone fighters since they can no longer depend on the support of a pack.
01:49In addition to being extremely fierce, opportunistic hunters, brown hyenas are mostly scavengers.
01:56Although they are not very adept at pursuing swift and agile animals, they are incredibly
02:01well suited to snatching prey from other predators.
02:05Brown hyenas are known for their powerful jaws, but they also have lengthy hair that
02:09effectively shields them from enemy fangs and claws.
02:14They can hunt efficiently thanks to their strong teeth and bone-crushing jaws, they
02:19can even crack through hard bones to get to the nutrient-rich marrow.
02:25Their excellent sense of smell is essential for finding corpses across long distances,
02:30particularly at night.
02:33They may communicate through a variety of unusual vocalizations including loud chuckles,
02:38whines, and yelps, however in contrast to spotted hyenas their laugh sounds more like
02:43a cough.
02:46Leopards and cheetahs are among the most frequent adversaries, and they typically abandon their
02:51victims without putting up much of a fight, while a wounded hyena can live by eating carry
02:56and big cats would rather avoid risking their lives in a battle since even a little wound
03:02might result in starvation and the incapacity to pursue prey.
03:05Brown hyenas may be so insistent that a whole pack needs to retire but African wild dogs
03:11are not as powerful as them, though they can form large groups.
03:15They also don't quit their victims as quickly as cheetahs and leopards do.
03:22Spotted hyenas are among the predators that brown hyenas would like to never come into
03:26contact with.
03:28Compared to brown hyenas, they are not only much more powerful, but also dwell in large
03:33clans.
03:34Though these instances are uncommon and interactions typically finish without conflict, spotted
03:40hyenas have the ability to assault and even kill brown hyenas.
03:47Lions are the most potent natural opponents of brown hyenas.
03:50A brown hyena's only chance of survival is to flee because an adult lion may weigh up
03:55to three times as much as the hyena.
03:59Fortunately for hyenas, lions typically hunt them for training purposes rather than killing
04:03them.
04:04And brown hyenas, in contrast to spotted hyenas, strive to stay away from lion interactions
04:10and are only interested in the food scraps left afterward.
04:15Brown hyenas are smaller than lions, but their jaws and teeth are nearly as strong, enabling
04:20them to break through most bones that come across them.
04:25Not every predator stays away from brown hyenas or makes an attempt to attack them.
04:30A few of them have discovered the advantages of being close by.
04:36Predators with remarkable ecological adaptability.
04:40Jackals are tiny and swift.
04:42Black-backed jackals are the only species that brown hyenas typically encounter.
04:46Rarely weighing more than 10 kilograms, these jackals can be seen living alone or in couples.
04:52They are bold enough to approach large predators without fear nevertheless.
04:58Even though jackals can be rather bothersome, brown hyenas often ignore them, but it's not
05:03appropriate to steal food.
05:05Hyenas can then rob jackals of their food.
05:08Compared to most other African predators, brown hyenas and jackals are more resilient
05:14to drought.
05:15Even in one of the driest locations on Earth, they are able to live.
05:20Some interesting investigations have shown that brown hyenas may mimic the vocalizations
05:25of other species, such as jackals.
05:28Although the exact reason for this behavior is unknown, it may be an attempt to trick
05:33prey or rob food from other scavengers.
05:38Southern Africa's western coast is home to the Namib Desert.
05:41The majority of brown hyena populations are situated close to the shore, where they can
05:46be seen roaming amid cliffs or even in deserted ghost towns.
05:51They identify their territory and communicate by scent marking.
05:54They leave foul-smelling glandular secretions on rocks and foliage surrounding their anuses.
06:02For brief periods of time, brown hyenas are able to stand and move on their hind legs,
06:06particularly when searching for food or examining their environment.
06:13Although their primary mode of feeding is scavenging, brown hyenas are also opportunistic
06:18eaters and will occasionally pursue small animals such as birds, rodents, and reptiles.
06:24Their versatility in terms of eating is demonstrated by the fact that they have even been observed
06:29consuming insects and some fruits.
06:34On rare occasions, brown hyenas have been seen using tools.
06:38To break through the hard ostrich egg shells, for example, some have been seen using pebbles.
06:45Although there aren't many notable freshwater sources, hyenas may get the majority of the
06:49water they require from their diet.
06:52Fish and seabird corpses are among the nearly endless variety of foods they consume.
06:59Cape fur seals are the primary food source in this area.
07:03Because they live on the shore year-round, hyenas are always able to hunt the young or
07:07find corpses.
07:11Every clan's history begins when a lone female chooses to depart from her home clan and settle
07:16in a new location.
07:17She needs to find a lonely male who will accompany her and be the father of her first offspring.
07:23Females often want to mate with unrelated men from different clans in order to prevent
07:28inbreeding.
07:30These hyenas establish themselves as the alpha members of a new clan when they form a partnership.
07:36They locate an appropriate habitat, such as a cave or a burrow, where the female may
07:41give birth.
07:42Typically, there are one to five cubs, and for the first three months of their lives,
07:47they only consume milk.
07:49The cubs totally transition to an adult diet around the age of 15 months or so, at which
07:54point they gain independence.
07:59The majority of adult males often start living alone after leaving their home clan.
08:04However, the majority of females stay and work with other clan members to nurture their
08:08offspring.
08:09Males that are alone have the option to attempt joining a clan but they can also breed with
08:15females from different clans while remaining alone.
08:19If they want to replace the dominant male they may conflict with and even assassinate
08:23him.
08:24However, they may also coexist quietly in a clan as lowly males, and even breed with
08:30certain females.
08:34The majority of brown hyena numbers are fairly steady, despite being one of the rarest hunters
08:39in Africa.
08:40Resource scarcity in their ecosystems is the primary reason for their low population, but
08:46human activity also has a big influence.
08:51Although brown hyenas do not often harm people, they can occasionally kill cattle for which
08:56they are pursued.
08:57Nonetheless, the majority of brown hyenas are protected in several preservation zones
09:03and reside in locations that are not very interesting to humans.