know that they're very good at finding their own food, too.
Hunting together in large packs, hyenas have a very effective way of
catching their favorite food. One hyena scares a herd of wildebeest, looks
for the weakest member of the herd, and then begins a chase. The other
hyenas join in the attack, and a wildebeest feast is soon ready.
If you've ever heard the expression "laughing hyena" and wondered
where it came from, it was inspired by the strange, laughter-like sound
hyenas make when they're being attacked or chased.
EATING HABITS
True hyenas have thickset muzzles with large ears and eyes, powerful
jaws and big cheek teeth to deal with a carnivorous diet. They walk on four-
toed feet with five asymmetrical pads and nonretractile claws. The tail is
long and bushy (less so in the spotted hyena). Spotted hyenas will eat
almost anything, but in the wild much of their food comes from mammals
heavier than 44 lb. which they mostly kill for themselves. The frequency of
hunting depends on the availability of carrion; spotted hyenas will loot
the kills of other carnivores, including lions. Group feeding is often
noisy, but rarely involves serious fighting. Instead, each hyena gorges
extremely rapidly on up to 33 lb. of flesh. Pieces of a carcass may be
carried away to be consumed at leisure or, occasionally, stored underwater.
It seems that the success of spotted hyenas is ensured through
individual and cooperative hunting and sharing of food between adults.
Cooperation also extends to communal marking and defense of the territory,
in which both sexes play a similar role, whether or not they are related.
Competition within the clan can, however, be intense. The system of
communication shows adaptations, which reduce aggression and coordinate
group activities. Such competition probably provided the selection pressure
whereby females evolved their large size and dominant position, which in
turn relates also to levels of testosterone in the blood that are
indistinguishable from those of the male. Thus female spotted hyenas are
able to feed a small number of offspring alone and protect them from the
more serious consequences of interference by other hyenas, particularly
unrelated males.
WHY THEY LAUGH
Hyenas are often called "solitary," a label which obscures the fact
that their social systems are among the most complex known for mammals.
Spotted hyenas employ elaborate meeting ceremonies and efficient long-range
communication by scent and sound. Even when moving alone, spotted hyenas
maintain some direct contact with their fellows. They respond to sounds,
which are only audible to humans with the aid of an amplifier and
headphones.
Calls audible to the unaided human ear include whoops, fast whoops,
yells and a kind of demented cackle that gives this species its alternative
name of laughing hyena. Whoop calls, in particular, are well-suited to long-
range communication as they carry over several kilometers; each call is
repeated a number of times, which helps the listener to locate the caller,
and each hyena has a distinctive voice. Infant hyenas will answer the pre-
recorded whoops of their mothers, but not those of other clan hyenas.
LIONS
AFRICAN LION: FAMILY CATS
Lions are among the most admired animals on earth. Their strength and
beauty, combined with their bold nature, have fascinated people for ages.
In fact, the lion has often been called the "king of the beasts." And when
you see a big male lion, with its magnificent main and proud walk, it's
easy to understand why. Lions really do look like kings.
But lions don't always lead the easy lives of kings. They often need
to work hard to survive. Lions are meat eaters, or carnivores, so they must
hunt other animals for food. And sometimes prey is hard to find. When food
is scarce, a lion may go for days without eating.
Lions are members of the big cat family, which includes tigers,
leopards, and jaguars. The main difference between the big cats and all
other cats is that generally big cats can roar but cannot purr. Other cats
can purr but cannot roar.
The lion is one of the biggest cats in the world. Only the Siberian
tiger is larger. A male lion may be 9 to 10 feet long (3 meters) and can
weigh 500 pounds (227 kilograms) or more. Female lions are smaller. The
average female is 7 to 8 feet long (2 l/2 meters) and weighs 270 to 350
pounds (140 kilograms).
Lions are different from most other cats in that they live in groups
called prides. They hunt together, guard their territory together, and
raise their young together. Lions that live in groups can catch more food
than a single lion can. And they can protect themselves better. Also, lions
that are born into groups have a large family to care for them.
There are two different kinds, or subspecies, of lions: the African
and the Asiatic. Most of the lions in the world today are African lions.
These animals live on the grassy plains of Africa. The few Asiatic lions
that remain live on a small wildlife preserve in India. There were once
many other kinds of lions in the world but all of these are now extinct.
Lions sometimes climb high up into trees to rest on their branches and
escape the biting insects below.
The body of a lion is made for catching prey. Most of the time, lions
try to get very close to their prey before they attack it. Then they make a
big leap and grab the prey. To help them get close without being seen,
lions have golden-brown coats that blend in with the land around them. And
to help them leap, they have strong muscles in their legs. A lion can leap
35 feet (10.5 meters) through the air in a single jump.
Lions do most of their hunting at night, so they have wonderful
hearing and eyesight to help them find prey in the dark. Their hearing is
so sharp, they can hear prey that is more than a mile away. Lions can turn
their ears from side to side to catch sounds coming from almost any
direction. When a lion is moving through tall grass, it may not always be
able to see its prey -- but it can always hear it. The eyes of lions are
the biggest of any meat-eating animal. Like the eyes of other cats, they
are specially made for seeing at night.
Lions often work together when they hunt. By doing this, they increase
their chances of getting food. A lion that hunts alone may have a hard time
catching prey.
Most of the hunting is done by a team of females. They divide the job
among them, with each female doing part of the work to catch the prey. Some
of the females scare prey animals and make them run -- while other females
lie in ambush to grab the fleeing animals.
The extra strength of a male is sometimes needed to bring down larger
animals, like wildebeest or buffalo. And larger animals are the best prey,
because they provide more meat.
No matter how good a lion is at hunting, it misses more prey than it
catches. Sometimes lions will go for days without eating. If lions can't
find enough of their regular prey, they will eat smaller animals like hares
and tortoises -- and even porcupines.
When they can, lions get their food by taking it away from other
animals. This is often easier than hunting. In some parts of Africa, much
of the food that lions eat is taken away from hyenas. When food is really
scarce, lions will eat almost anything they can find -- including snakes,
locusts, termites, peanuts, fruit, and rotten wood.
Baby lions are called cubs. And like most baby animals they need lots
of loving care. A lion cub is totally helpless at birth. It is blind and
can barely crawl. And it weighs less than 5 pounds (2 kg).
Cubs are born in-groups called litters. Usually, there are three cubs
in a litter. But sometimes there are as many as five. For the first few
weeks of their lives, the cubs stay hidden in a safe place away from the
pride. Then their mother brings them out to join the "family."
In a pride, all of the females help take care of the cubs. When one
mother is away hunting, the other lions feed and watch over her young. But
sometimes, all of the adults join the hunt. Then the cubs are hidden in the
tall grass or among the rocks.
A cub is born with dark spots all over its body. Some people think
that the spots may make it harder for predators to see the cubs when they
are hidden.
A mother lion carries her babies in her mouth -- just like a
motherhouse cat. To keep predators from finding the cubs, she moves them to
a new hiding place every few days.
AFRICAN LION: FUTURE
Asiatic lions are endangered, and African lions have less living space
than in times past. This is because people are taking away their homes, or
habitats. The human population in Africa and Asia is rapidly growing, and
people are turning more and more land into farms and ranches. This means
that the lions have less food to eat and so it is harder for them to live.
Fortunately, wildlife organizations throughout the world are working
hard to save the lions' habitats. And governments in both Africa and India
have set aside special land where lions can live in safety.
AFRICAN LION: THE MANE CAT
Most experts agree that a lion will attack a human only if provoked.
But the experts also suggest that knowledge of the warning signs are
mandatory for anyone who travels by foot in the bush. An angry lion will
drop to a crouch, flatten its ears, and flick its tail tip rapidly from
side to side. Low grunts and growls can often be heard; and just prior to a
charge, the tail is jerked up and down. While these warning signs are
important, it is perhaps of greater importance that a lion can bolt from a
crouch and travel 40 yards in less than 2.7 seconds.
The lion is the largest of the African cats, weighing up to 200
kilograms (440 pounds). Of the big cats, only the tiger is of greater size.
The mane of a male lion is the most distinguishing characteristic of the
species, although a small percentage of lionesses also have manes. The mane
adds to the apparent size of a male lion, and it is believed that the mane
provides added protection during male-to-male combat. The mane begins to
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