Hyaena brunnea
brown hyena

Hyaena brunnea are restricted to the southern tip of Africa. The largest populations are in the southern Kalahari and the coastal areas of southwest Africa.

Hyaena brunnea inhabit an arid habitat, consisting mainly of "open scrub, woodland savannah, grassland, and semi-desert" (Nowak 1999). Along coastal areas of their range they are

often found scavenging along beaches. (Nowak 1999)

Hyaena brunnea are medium sized with long legs and a sloping back. Their ears are long and pointed. Long coarse dark brown to black hair covers most of the body except the head and neck, which are grey, and the legs, which are covered with brown and grey bars. Their is little differences in size or coloration between the sexes, with males being just slightly larger.

Hyaena brunnea live in small clans ranging from a breeding pair and their young to groups of several mature males and females. The clan cooperatively defends a territory, but P.

brunnea do not forage together. Hyaena brunnea are nocturnal. Large carcasses are shared among members of the clan and females cooperate in lactation for young. Brown hyena females give birth and raise their young in dens, which are often stolen from aardvarks, but are occasionally dug by the females. There is a social hierarchy within each sex; the highest ranking female has an equal rank to the alpha male. This hierarchy determines feeding time at carcasses, the maternal duties, and the number of matings by a male. This hierarchy is maintained through ritualized forms of aggression, including biting of the neck. A greeting between two brown hyenas consists of mutual smelling of the head, neck, back and anus. Emigration between clans is common, and eventually all males leave their parental clans. Brown hyena are generally fairly quiet except during conflict, when they may use vocalization as a method of communication between clan members. (Mills 1982, Owens 1996, Nowak 1999)

Hyaena brunnea, like most other members of the Hyaenidae, have massive jaws and well developed molars and premolars specialized for crushing bone. The brown hyena is mainly a scavenger, feeding upon carcasses of large herbivores killed by other animals. Their jaw and dentary adaptations allow them to break open the long bones of these large animals and feed on the marrow inside. Along coastal areas of their habitat, H. brunnea often feed on carcasses of seals as well as other smaller marine animals. In addition to being a scavenger, H. brunnea hunt and eat a wide variety of smaller mammals and reptiles. Brown hyenas may also consume fruits and mushrooms for their high water content, making them less dependent upon fresh water than other members of their family. (Mills 1982, Grzimek 1990)

Many cattle farmers in Namibia and South Africa see H. brunnea as a predator of domestic animals. These claims seem to be greatly exaggerated and the brown hyena seems to pose little

threat to domestic animals.

Brown hyaena are kept fairly easily in zoos worldwide and are often a desirable attraction.

Hyaena brunnea is still abundant in Botswana but killings by farmers in Namibia and South Africa have caused drastic declines in that part of its range.

Brown hyenas were previously recognized as Parahyaena brunnea.