Hyena - hyena

Japanese: ハイエナ - はいえな（英語表記）hyena

A general term for animals belonging to the family Hyena in the order Carnivora of the class Mammalia. This family, Hyaenidae, has three genera and four species that are distributed in the dry plains of Africa and Southwest Asia. They are also known as maned dogs because of the long hair on the back of their necks. Phylogenetically, they are more closely related to the family Civetidae than to the family Canidae.

The three species of hyena, the spotted hyena, and the brown hyena, are large, measuring 1-1.6 meters in length and 65-90 centimeters in height. At first glance they resemble wolves, but have thick snouts, large ears, and low backs. They have four digits on each of their front and back legs. They have strong jaws and teeth that enable them to chew bones and tendons, which are part of their diet. The dentition is as follows:

A total of 32 to 34 teeth. The premolars are larger, and the number is much smaller than the 42 teeth of wolves. Males and females are difficult to distinguish from each other just by appearance, and in the case of spotted hyenas, they cannot be distinguished even by their external genitalia.

Hyenas have different activity times depending on the species, but all of them use caves or holes in the ground to rest and give birth. To declare their territory, they apply a creamy secretion from a gland near their anus to grass stalks.

The spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta , is found in a wide range of Africa and lives in groups. It is active during the day and mostly hunts and eats zebras and wildebeests, but also eats leftovers and carrion from lions. It has a gestation period of 110 days and gives birth to 1-3 cubs. The striped hyena , Hyaena hyaena , is found from India west to central Africa. It is active in the twilight and sometimes hunts small animals, but mostly relies on carrion. It also eats plant matter. The spotted hyena often makes a loud noise that sounds like human laughter, but the striped hyena rarely makes a sound. The brown hyena, H. brunnea , is found in southern Africa. It is completely nocturnal and its main diet is carrion, but it also eats a lot of moist plant matter. It is also called the brown hyena. The striped hyena and brown hyena have a gestation period of about 3 months and give birth to 1-5 cubs.

The aardwolf ( Proteles cristatus ) is small, with a body length of 65 to 80 centimeters, and there is a theory that it should be separated from the hyena family and classified as a single species, the aardwolf family, due to differences in morphology and feeding habits. It is found in eastern and southern Africa. It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on termites. The gestation period is about three months, and it gives birth to two to four pups. It has five fingers on its front legs.

[Iya Katsunori]

Hyenas and humans

Hyenas have been associated with an ominous image due to their short legs, their unbalanced appearance, their tendency to gather around the abandoned carcasses of other carnivores, their powerful jaws to crush even the bones, and their nocturnal habits. Even today, in many African societies, they are considered to bring about sinister omens, or to be the incarnation of a sorcerer who becomes invisible and eats the organs of others at night. In folk tales, they are contrasted with other animals, and are often given the role of clever tactics but ultimately losers. In a folk tale by the Kaguru people of Tanzania, the hyena kills and eats its own mother to stave off hunger, and is eventually tricked by its nephew, a rabbit, and starves to death. In the coming-of-age ceremony of the Bambara people of West Africa, people perform wearing hyena masks, which represent "false wisdom" in contrast to the lion, which represents "true wisdom," and "unkind wisdom" in contrast to the jester, which represents "joyful wisdom." In other words, the hyena is seen as being fooled by the trickster and laughed at.

[Kouzo Watanabe]

"African Animals 3: Spotted Hyenas Living in Groups" photographed and written by Hiroyuki Kuroda (1988, Rural Culture Association)" ▽ "Savanna and Wild Animals" by Hiroyuki Kuroda (1990, Labor Shunposha) ▽ "World Animals: Classification and Rearing 2: Carnivora" edited by Yoshinori Imaizumi (1991, Tokyo Zoological Park Society)"

Spotted hyena
The largest species of hyena. Found throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They live in groups and often hunt and eat zebras and wildebeests. They make a loud cry that sounds like human laughter. Head and body length 120-140cm, tail length 25-30cm, weight 50-80kg ©Shogakukan ">

Spotted hyena

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

哺乳(ほにゅう)綱食肉目ハイエナ科に属する動物の総称。この科Hyaenidaeの仲間は、アフリカ、西南アジアの乾燥した平地に3属4種が分布する。頸(くび)の背面に長毛があるため、タテガミイヌの別名もある。系統的には、イヌ科よりジャコウネコ科に近縁である。

　ブチハイエナ、シマハイエナ、カッショクハイエナの3種は、体長1～1.6メートル、体高65～90センチメートルと大きい。一見オオカミに似ているが、吻(ふん)が太く、耳が大きく、腰が低い。指は前後肢とも4本ずつである。食物の骨や腱(けん)などをかみ砕くことができるじょうぶなあごと歯をもっている。歯式は

で合計32～34本。前臼歯(きゅうし)が大きくなっており、本数はオオカミの42本よりはるかに少ない。雄と雌は外見上の区別が困難で、ブチハイエナでは外部生殖器でも区別できない。

　ハイエナは種類によって活動の時間が異なるが、いずれも休息や出産のために岩穴や地中の穴を使う。縄張り宣言のため、肛門(こうもん)近くの分泌腺(せん)から出るクリーム状の分泌物を、草の茎などにつけることが行われる。

　ブチハイエナCrocuta crocutaはアフリカに広く分布し、群れで生活する。日中も活動し、シマウマやヌーなどを狩って食べることが多いが、ライオンなどの食べ残しや死肉も食べる。妊娠期間は110日で、1～3子を産む。シマハイエナHyaena hyaenaは、インド以西、アフリカ中央部まで分布する。薄暮活動性で、小動物などをとることもあるが、ほとんど死肉に頼っている。また、植物質も食べる。ブチハイエナは人間の笑い声に似た大きな声でよく鳴くが、シマハイエナはあまり鳴かない。カッショクハイエナH. brunneaは、アフリカ南部に分布する。完全に夜行性で、主食は死肉であるが、水気の多い植物質も多く食べる。チャイロハイエナともいう。シマハイエナとカッショクハイエナの妊娠期間は約3か月で、1～5子を産む。

　アードウルフ（ツチオオカミ）Proteles cristatusは、体長65～80センチメートルと小形で、形態や食性の相違から、ハイエナ科から独立させて、1種でアードウルフ科とする説もある。アフリカの東部と南部に分布する。夜行性で、シロアリを主食とする。妊娠期間は約3か月で、2～4子を産む。前肢の指は5本。

［祖谷勝紀］

ハイエナと人間

足が短くて均整を欠いた姿態、また他の肉食獣の打ち捨てた死体に群がり、その強いあごで骨までかみ砕く、夜行性、といった習性などから、ハイエナは不吉なイメージを人間に与えてきた。いまもアフリカの多くの社会で、まがまがしい前兆を行うもの、あるいは不可視の姿となって夜に他人の内臓を食う邪術師が姿を変えたもの、と考えられている。民話のなかでも他の動物と対比され、しばしばこざかしい策を弄(ろう)するものの最後には敗者となる役割を与えられている。タンザニアのカグル人の民話では、ハイエナは飢えをしのぐために自分の母親を殺して食い、ついには甥(おい)であるウサギにだまされて飢え死にする。また西アフリカのバンバラ人の成人儀礼では、人々はハイエナの仮面をつけて演じるが、これは「真の知恵」を表すライオンに対し「偽りの知恵」を、また「喜ばしい知恵」を表す道化に対しては「気の利かぬ知恵」を表すものとされる。つまりハイエナは、トリックスターにだまされて笑われるものとされているのである。

［渡辺公三］

『黒田弘行写真・文『アフリカの動物たち3　群れで生きるブチハイエナ』（1988・農山漁村文化協会）』▽『黒田弘行著『サバンナと野生動物』（1990・労働旬報社）』▽『今泉吉典監修『世界の動物　分類と飼育2　食肉目』（1991・東京動物園協会）』