Hyenas reprodctive cycle

Reproductive cycle of hyenas

By Santiago de Jesus

START

Index

Hyenas's genitalia

What is precisely a hyena

Birth of cubs

Reproductive cycle

SECTION 01

What are hyenas

What are hyenas?

Hyenas, or hyaenas are feliform carnivoran mammals belonging to the family Hyaenidae. With just four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the class Mammalia. Despite their low diversity, hyenas are unique and vital components of most African ecosystems.They are typically a scavenger species moreover than primary predators or secondary. Hyenas are not members of the dog or cat families.

Generally speaking, hyenas are four-legged animals with scraggly fur and large ears. Interestingly, they have both feline and canine features, and all sport manes. They also have downward-sloping spines, long front legs, and short hind legs.The animals vocalize loudly and frequently. However, not all species laugh, as is often assumed. In fact, spotted hyenas are the only extant species known for laughing. Notably, they use about a dozen distinct grunts, laughs, and barks to communicate with their clan members about food and migration efficiently.

SECTION 02

Reproductive cycle of hyenas

Reproductive cycle of hyenas

All female spotted hyenas have functional penises, they use it to pee, signal, anally mount other males and females to establish dominance, and give birth.Intersex is found in ALL females of the spotted hyena of Tanzania- in which the females have penises nearly indistinguishable from those of the males. The first scientific investigation in 1939 showed that a spotted hyena makes only one-size gamete throughout its life, either as an egg or sperm.

Female hyenas's gennitalia

The females have a phallus 90% as long and the same diameter as a male penis. The labia are fused to form a scrotum containing fat and connective tissue resembling testicles. The urogenital canal runs the length of the clitoris, rather than venting from below. The animal can pee with the organ, making it a penis. Completing the picture, the female penis contains erectile tissue (corpus spongiosum) that allows erections like those of a male penis.

SECTION 01

Birth of a cub

Birth of a cub

The birthing process is where the downsides of the pseudo-penis genitalia become most apparent. As mentioned previously, the entire structure of the hyena birth canal is highly modified to account for the unusual quirks of the pseudo-penis. After the eggs are fertilized, the offspring gestate in the uterus for a few months like normal. However, when she is ready to give birth, the mother essentially needs to squeeze a 2-pound cub through a narrow opening in the hyena birth canal that’s only about an inch in diameter. The problem is compounded by the fact that spotted hyena cubs are among the largest offspring in relation to the mother’s weight throughout the entire animal kingdom.

Reproductive cycle

Spotted, brown, and aardwolf hyenas copulate with several partners in a lifetime. Striped hyenas, on the other hand, are monogamous, meaning they mate with the same partner for most of their lives. For the spotted variety, mating is an awkward and tricky process since both males and females have genitalia on the outside of their bodies. The male has to position himself just right in order to successfully mate with the female. This process often is described as a dance because of all the jumping around he has to do.

Male/Female genitalia comparison

Birth of a cub

References https://a-z-animals.com/blog/hyena-birth-what-makes-it-so-unique/ L. Frank, 1996, Female masculinization in the spotted hyena: Endocrinology, behavioral ecology, and evolution, pp. 78-131 in J. Gittleman, ed., Carnivore Behavior and Evolution, vol. 2, Cornell University Press; L. Frank, 1997, Evolution of genital masculinization: Why do female hyenas have such a large ‘penis’? Trends Ecol. Evol. 12:58-62. M. Harrison, 1939, Reproduction in the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta (Erxleben.), Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond., ser. B, 230-1-78. Roughgarden, J. (2013) Evolution’s Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People. University of California Press, Berkeley. pp. 138-39. M. East, H. Hofer, and W. Wickler, 1993, The erect “penis” is a flag of submission in a female-dominated society: Greetings in Serengeti spotted hyenas, Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 33:355-70; H. Hofer and M. East, 1995, Virilized sexual genitalia as adaptations of female spotted hyenas, Revue Suisse de Zoologie 102:895-906. Howard, C. (1999). " Hyaena hyaena ". Animal Diversity Web. Available at: Accessed May 28, 2022 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hyaena_hyaena/

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