Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Hunting Success in the Spotted Hyena: Morphological Adaptations and Behavioral Strategies

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Strategies of Carnivorous Mammalian Predators

Part of the book series: Fascinating Life Sciences ((FLS))

  • 622 Accesses

Abstract

Once considered mere scavengers, it is now widely recognized that hunting is more important than scavenging in the feeding ecology of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). In this chapter, we outline the extraordinary morphological and behavioral adaptations possessed by these bone-cracking hyenas for efficient hunting and foraging within the context of their complex social organization. These social carnivores live in female-dominated societies structured by fission-fusion dynamics in which individuals hunt alone or in small groups to avoid feeding competition but join forces in large-scale cooperation with kin and non-kin group-mates to defend food from African lions (Panthera leo) and members of neighboring groups of hyenas. We discuss how social rank and age influence every aspect of their hunting behavior and consider the inevitable trade-offs faced regarding cooperative hunting of ephemeral prey. Finally, we evaluate what is known about the cognitive demands and conservation implications associated with the behavioral flexibility possessed by these efficient hunters.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 89.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Change history

  • 03 November 2023

    A correction has been published.

References

  • Abay, G. Y., Bauer, H., Gebrihiwot, K., & Deckers, J. (2011). Peri-urban spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) in northern Ethiopia: diet, economic impact, and abundance. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 57(4), 759–765.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersson, K. I., & Werdelin, L. (2003). The evolution of cursorial carnivores in the Tertiary: implications of elbow-joint morphology. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, 270(suppl_2), S163–S165.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Aureli, F., Schaffner, C. M., Boesch, C., Bearder, S. K., Call, J., Chapman, C. A., Connor, R., Di Fiore, A., Dunbar, R. I. M., Henzi, S. P., Korstjens, A. H., Layton, R., Lee, P., Lehmann, J., Manson, J. H., Ramos-Fernandez, G., Strier, K. B., van Schaik, C. P., & Holekamp, K. (2008). Fission-fusion dynamics: new research frameworks. Current Anthropology, 49(4), 627–654.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, H. (2007). Status of large carnivores in Bouba Ndjida National Park, Cameroon. African Journal of Ecology, 45(3), 448.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, H., Nowell, K., & Packer, C. (2015). Panthera leo. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 9, 2015-4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bearder, S. K. (1977). Feeding habits of spotted hyaenas in a woodland habitat. African Journal of Ecology, 15(4), 263–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benson-Amram, S., & Holekamp, K. E. (2012). Innovative problem solving by wild spotted hyenas. Proceedings of the Royal Society of B-Biological Sciences, 279, 4087–4095.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boesch, C. (2002). Cooperative hunting roles among Tai chimpanzees. Human Nature, 13(1), 27–46.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bohm, T. (2012). Population ecology and conservation genetics of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of the Congo—First results from camera trapping, acoustic, genetic and diet analysis. Final Report to Congolere park authority.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boydston, E. E., Morelli, T. L., & Holekamp, K. E. (2001). Sex differences in territorial behavior exhibited by the spotted hyena (Hyaenidae, Crocuta crocuta). Ethology, 107(5), 369–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calderone, J. B., Reese, B. E., & Jacobs, G. H. (2003). Topography of photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 62(4), 182–192.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chapais, B. (1992). The role of alliances in the social inheritance of rank among female primates. In A. H. Harcourt & F. B. M. de Waal (Eds.), Coalitions and alliances in humans and other animals (pp. 29–60). Oxford Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheney, D. L. (1977). The acquisition of rank and the development of reciprocal alliances among free-ranging immature baboons. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2(3), 303–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H. (2009). Cooperation between non-kin in animal societies. Nature, 462, 51–57.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, S. M. (1990). The hunting behaviour of spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) in a region containing both sedentary and migratory populations of herbivores. African Journal of Ecology, 28(2), 131–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cozzi, G., Broekhuis, F., McNutt, J. W., & Schmid, B. (2013). Density and habitat use of lions and spotted hyenas in northern Botswana and the influence of survey and ecological variables on call-in survey estimation. Biodiversity and Conservation, 22, 2937–2956.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creel, S. (1997). Cooperative hunting and group size: assumptions and currencies. Animal Behaviour, 54, 1319–1324.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Creel, S., & Creel, N. M. (1991). Energetics, reproductive suppression and obligate communal breeding in carnivores. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 28, 263–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creel, S., & Creel, N. M. (1995). Communal hunting and pack size in African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus. Animal Behaviour, 50, 1325–1339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creel, S., & Creel, N. M. (2002). The Africa wild dog: Behavior, ecology, & conservation. Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Creel, S., & Macdonald, D. (1995). Sociality, group size, and reproductive suppression among carnivores. Advances in the Study of Behavior, 24, 203–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crosmary, W. G., Ikanda, D., Ligate, F. A., Sandini, P., Mkasanga, I., Mkuburo, L., Lyamuya, R., Ngongolo, K., & Chardonnet, P. (2018). Lion densities in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania. African Journal of Wildlife Research, 48(1), 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, D. H. S. (1964). Ecological studies in Southern Africa. W. Junk.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dloniak, S. M., French, J. A., & Holekamp, K. E. (2006). Rank-related maternal effects of androgens on behaviour in wild spotted hyaenas. Nature, 440, 1190–1193.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Drea, C. M., & Carter, A. N. (2009). Cooperative problem solving in a social carnivore. Animal Behaviour, 78(4), 967–977.

    Google Scholar 

  • East, M. L., Burke, T., Wilhelm, K., Greig, C., & Hofer, H. (2003). Sexual conflicts in spotted hyenas: male and female mating tactics and their reproductive outcome with respect to age, social status and tenure. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 270(1521), 1247–1254.

    Google Scholar 

  • East, M. L., & Hofer, H. (1991). Loud calling in a female-dominated mammalian society: I and II. Animal Behaviour, 42, 637–669.

    Google Scholar 

  • East, M. L., & Hofer, H. (2001). Male spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) queue for status in social groups dominated by females. Behavioral Ecology, 12(5), 558–568.

    Google Scholar 

  • East, M. L., Hofer, H., & Wickler, W. (1993). The erect ‘penis’ as a flag of submission in a female-dominated society: Greetings in Serengeti spotted hyenas. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 33, 355–370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eloff, F. (1964). On the predatory habits of lions and hyaenas. Koedoe, 7(1), 105–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engh, A. L., Esch, K., Smale, L., & Holekamp, K. E. (2000). Mechanisms of maternal rank ‘inheritance’ in the spotted hyaena, Crocuta crocuta. Animal Behaviour, 60(3), 323–332.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Finarelli, J. A., & Flynn, J. J. (2009). Brain-size evolution and sociality in Carnivora. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 106, 9345–9349.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Flies, A. S., Mansfield, L. S., Flies, E. J., Grant, C. K., & Holekamp, K. E. (2016). Socioecological predictors of immune defences in wild spotted hyenas. Functional Ecology, 30(9), 1549–1557.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frank, L. G. (1986). Social organization of the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta): I and II. Animal Behaviour, 34, 1500–1527.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, L. G., Holekamp, K. E., & Smale, L. (1995). Dominance, demography, and reproductive success of female spotted hyenas. In A. R. E. Sinclair & P. Arcese (Eds.), Serengeti II: Dynamics, management, and conservation of an ecosystem (pp. 364–384). University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gasaway, W. C., Mossestad, K. T., & Stander, P. E. (1991). Food acquisition by spotted hyaenas in Etosha National Park, Namibia: predation versus scavenging. African Journal of Ecology, 29, 64–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gazda, S. K., Connor, R. C., Edgar, R. K., & Cox, F. (2005). A division of labour with role specialization in group–hunting bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off Cedar Key, Florida. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 272(1559), 135–140.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gersick, A. S., Cheney, D. L., Schneider, J. M., Seyfarth, R. M., & Holekamp, K. E. (2015). Long-distance communication facilitates cooperation among wild spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta. Animal Behaviour, 103, 107–116.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Graf, J. A., Somers, M. J., Gunther, M. S., & Slotow, R. (2009). Heterogeneity in the density of spotted hyaenas in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa. Acta Theriologica, 54, 333–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, D. S., Farr, M. T., Holekamp, K. E., Strauss, E. D., & Zipkin, E. F. (2019). Can hyena behaviour provide information on population trends of sympatric carnivores? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 374(1781), 20180052.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, D. S., Johnson-Ulrich, L., Couraud, H. E., & Holekamp, K. E. (2018). Anthropogenic disturbance induces opposing population trends in spotted hyenas and African lions. Biodiversity and Conservation, 27, 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, J. R., & Holekamp, K. E. (2017). Human disturbance affects personality development in a wild carnivore. Animal Behaviour, 132, 303–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guggisberg, C. A. W. (1962). Simba. Bailey Brothers and Swinfen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayward, M. W. (2006). Prey preferences of the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) and degree of dietary overlap with the lion (Panthera leo). Journal of Zoology, 270(4), 606–614.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heinsohn, R., & Packer, C. (1995). Complex cooperative strategies in group-territorial African lions. Science, 269(5228), 1260–1262.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Henschel, J. R. (1986). The socio-ecology of a spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta clan in the Kruger National Park. Doctoral dissertation, University of Pretoria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henschel, J. R., & Skinner, J. D. (1990). The diet of the spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta in Kruger National Park. African Journal of Ecology, 28(1), 69–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henschel, J. R., & Tilson, R. L. (1988). How much does a spotted hyaena eat? Perspective from the Namib Desert. African Journal of Ecology, 26(4), 247–255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henschel, P., Coad, L., Burton, C., Chataigner, B., Dunn, A., MacDonald, D., Saidu, Y., & Hunter, L. T. (2014). The lion in West Africa is critically endangered. PLoS One, 9(1), e83500.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, K. (1982). Hunting and human evolution. Journal of Human Evolution, 11, 521–544.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofer, H., & East, M. L. (1993). The commuting system of Serengeti spotted hyaenas: How a predator copes with migratory prey. I, II, and III. Animal Behaviour, 46(3), 547–589.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofer, H., & East, M. L. (2003). Behavioral processes and costs of coexistence in female spotted hyenas: a life history perspective. Evolutionary Ecology, 17, 315–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann, C. F., & Montgomery, R. A. (2022). Implications of taxonomic bias for human-carnivore conflict mitigation. Oryx, 56(6), 917–926. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/implications-of-taxonomic-bias-for-humancarnivore-conflictmitigation/47388314EEDE98C90E0C1DDB16523952

    Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., Boydston, E. E., & Smale, L. (2000). Group travel in social carnivores. In S. Boinski & P. A. Garber (Eds.), On the move: How and why animals travel in groups (pp. 587–627). University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., Danzter, B., Stricker, G., Yoshida, K. C. S., & Benson-Amram, S. (2015). Brains, brawn and sociality: A hyaena’s tale. Animal Behaviour, 103, 237–248.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., & Dloniak, S. M. (2010). Intraspecific variation in the behavioral ecology of a tropical carnivore, the spotted hyena. Advances in the Study of Behavior, 42, 189–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., Ogutu, J. O., Dublin, H. T., Frank, L. G., & Smale, L. (1993). Fission of a spotted hyena clan: consequences of prolonged female absenteeism and causes of female emigration. Ethology, 93(4), 285–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., Sakai, S. T., & Lundrigan, B. L. (2007). Social intelligence in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 362(1480), 523–538.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., & Smale, L. (1991). Dominance acquisition during mammalian social development: the “inheritance” of maternal rank. American Zoologist, 31, 306–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., & Smale, L. (1993). Ontogeny of dominance in free-living spotted hyaenas: juvenile rank relations with other immature individuals. Animal Behaviour, 46, 451–466.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., Smale, L., Berg, R., & Cooper, S. M. (1997). Hunting rates and hunting success in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Journal of Zoology, 242(1), 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., Smale, L., & Szykman, M. (1996). Rank and reproduction in the female spotted hyaena. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility, 108(2), 229–237.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., Smith, J. E., Strelioff, C. C., Van Horn, R. C., & Watts, H. E. (2012). Society, demography and genetic structure in the spotted hyena. Molecular Ecology, 21(3), 613–632.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holekamp, K. E., Swanson, E. M., & Van Meter, P. E. (2013). Developmental constraints on behavioural flexibility. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 368(1618), 20120350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Höner, O. P., Wachter, B., & East, M. L. (2002). The response of spotted hyaenas to long-term changes in prey populations: functional response and interspecific kleptoparasitism. Journal of Animal Ecology, 71, 236–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horrocks, J., & Hunte, W. (1983). Maternal rank and offspring rank in vervet monkeys: an appraisal of the mechanisms of rank acquisition. Animal Behaviour, 31(3), 772–782.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H., & Hill, K. (1985). Food sharing among Ache foragers: Tests of explanatory hypotheses. Current Anthropology, 26, 223–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirsten, I., Bakker, C. E., Trujilo, L. L., Bour, P., Niomogh, N., Bauer, H., & De Iongh, H. H. (2017). Lion (Panthera leo) and Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) abundance in Bouba Ndjida National Park, Cameroon, trends between 2005 and 2014. African Journal of Ecology, 56(2), 1–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kissui, B. M. (2008). Livestock predation by lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, and their vulnerability to retaliatory killing in the Maasai steppe, Tanzania. Animal Conservation, 11(5), 422–432.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolowski, J. M., & Holekamp, K. E. (2006). Spatial, temporal, and physical characteristics of livestock depredations by large carnivores along a Kenyan reserve border. Biological Conservation, 128(4), 529–541.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolowski, J. M., Katan, D., Theis, K. R., & Holekamp, K. E. (2007). Daily patterns of activity in the spotted hyena. Journal of Mammalogy, 88(4), 1017–1028.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krützen, M., Mann, J., Heithaus, M. R., Connor, R. C., Bejder, L., & Sherwin, W. B. (2005). Cultural transmission of tool use in bottlenose dolphins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 102(25), 8939–8943.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruuk, H. (1966). Clan-system and feeding habits of spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta). Nature, 209, 1257–1258.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruuk, H. (1972). The spotted hyena: A study of the predation and social behavior. University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werdelin, L., & Solounias, N. (1991). The Hyaenidae: taxonomy, systematics, and evolution. Fossils and Strata, 30, 1–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loveridge, A. J., Valeix, M., Chapron, G., Davidson, Z., Mtare, G., & Macdonald, D. W. (2016). Conservation of large predator populations: Demographic and spatial responses of African lions to the intensity of trophy hunting. Biological Conservation, 204, 247–254.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, S. L., & Holekamp, K. E. (2022). Aggressiveness and submissiveness in spotted hyenas: One trait or two? Animal Behavior, 186, 179–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCormick, S. K., Holekamp, K. E., Smale, L., Weldele, M. L., Glickman, S. E., & Place, N. J. (2021). Sex differences in spotted hyenas. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology. https://doi.org/10.1101/cshperspect.a039180

  • Mech, L. D. (1970). The wolf: The behavior and ecology of an endangered species. Natural History Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, K. L., & Harris, N. C. (2020). Humans disrupt access to prey for large African carnivores. Elife, 9, e60690.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, M. G. L. (1990). Kalahari hyaenas: The behavioral ecology of two species. Unwin Hyman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, M. G. L., Juritz, J. M., & Zucchini, W. (2006). Estimating the size of spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta populations through playback recordings allowing for non-response. Animal Conservation, 4, 335–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, M. G. L., & Harvey, M. (2001). African predators. Struik.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, M. G. L., & Mills, M. (2017). Kalahari cheetahs: Adaptations to an arid region. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • M’soka, J., Creel, S., Becker, M. S., & Droge, E. (2016). Spotted hyaena survival and density in a lion depleted ecosystem: The effects of prey availability, humans and competition between large carnivores in African savannahs. Biological Conservation, 201, 348–355.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukeka, J. M., Ogutu, J. O., Kanga, E., & Røskaft, E. (2019). Human-wildlife conflicts and their correlates in Narok County, Kenya. Global Ecology and Conservation, 18, e00620.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newton-Fisher, N. E. (2007). Chimpanzee hunting behavior. In W. Henke & I. Tattersall (Eds.), Handbook of paleoanthropology. Springer. 26 pages.

    Google Scholar 

  • Packer, C., Pusey, A. E., & Eberly, L. E. (2001). Egalitarianism in female African lions. Science, 293, 690–693.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Packer, C., Scheel, D., & Pusey, A. E. (1990). Why lions form groups: food is not enough. The American Naturalist, 136(1), 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Périquet, S., Fritz, H., & Revilla, E. (2015). The lion king and the hyena queen: large carnivore interactions and coexistence. Biological Reviews, 90, 1197–1214.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peters, R., & Mech, L. D. (1975). Behavioral and intellectual adaptations of selected mammalian predators to the problem of hunting large animals. In R. H. Tuttle (Ed.), Socioecology and psychology of primates (pp. 279–300). De Gruyter Mouton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Purchase, G. K. (2004). Factors affecting the ratio of lions to spotted hyaenas in protected areas of Africa: Competition and/or available prey. University of Aberdeen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reisinger, R. R., Beukes, C., Hoelzel, A. R., & de Bruyn, P. N. (2017). Kinship and association in a highly social apex predator population, killer whales at Marion Island. Behavioral Ecology, 28(3), 750–759.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ripple, W. J., Estes, J. A., Beschta, R. L., Wilmers, C. C., Ritchie, E. G., Hebblewhite, M., Berger, J., Elmhagen, B., Letnic, M., Nelson, M. P., Schmitz, O. J., Smith, D. W., Wallach, A. D., & Wirsing, A. J. (2014). Status and ecological effects of the world’s largest carnivores. Science, 343(6167), 1241484.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salnicki, J., Teichmann, M., Wilson, V., & Murindagomo, F. (2001). Spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta, prey on new-born elephant calves in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Koedoe, 44(2), 79–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schaller, G. B., & Lowther, G. R. (1969). Relevance of carnivore behavior to study of early hominids. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology, 25, 307–341.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smale, L., Frank, L. G., & Holekamp, K. E. (1993). Ontogeny of dominance in free-living spotted hyaenas: Juvenile rank relations with adult females and immigrant males. Animal Behaviour, 46, 467–477.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Estrada, J. R., Richards, H. C., Dawes, S. E., Mitsos, K., & Holekamp, K. E. (2015). Collective movements, leadership and consensus costs at reunions in spotted hyaenas. Animal Behaviour, 105, 187–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Gavrilets, S., Mulder, M. B., Hooper, P. L., El Mouden, C., Nettle, D., Hauert, C., Hill, K., Perry, S., Pusey, A. E., van Vugt, M., & Smith, E. A. (2016). Leadership in mammalian societies: Emergence, distribution, power, and payoff. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 31(1), 54–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Kolowski, J. M., Graham, K. E., Dawes, S. E., & Holekamp, K. E. (2008). Social and ecological determinants of fission-fusion dynamics in the spotted hyaena. Animal Behaviour, 76, 619–636.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Lehmann, K. D. S., Montgomery, T. M., Strauss, E. D., & Holekamp, K. E. (2017). Insights from long-term field studies of mammalian carnivores. Journal of Mammalogy, 98, 631–641.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Memenis, S. K., & Holekamp, K. E. (2007). Rank-related partner choice in the fission-fusion society of the spotted hyena. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 61(5), 753–765.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Ortiz, C. A., Buhbe, M. T., & van Vugt, M. (2020). Obstacles and opportunities for female leadership in mammalian societies: A comparative perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 31(2), 101267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Powning, K. S., Dawes, S. E., Estrada, J. R., Hopper, A. L., Piotrowski, S. L., & Holekamp, K. E. (2011). Greetings promote cooperation and reinforce social bonds among spotted hyaenas. Animal Behaviour, 81, 401–415.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Swanson, E. M., Reed, D., & Holekamp, K. E. (2012). Evolution of cooperation among mammalian carnivores and its relevance to hominin evolution. Current Anthropology, 53(S6), S436–S452.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., Van Horn, R. C., Powning, K. S., Cole, A. R., Graham, K. E., Memenis, S. K., & Holekamp, K. E. (2010). Evolutionary forces favoring intragroup coalitions among spotted hyenas and other animals. Behavioral Ecology, 21(2), 284–303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. E., & van Vugt, M. (2020). Leadership and status in mammalian societies: Context matters. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(4), 263–264.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Smuts, G. L. (1976). Population characteristics and recent history of lions in two parts of the Kruger National Park. Koedoe, 19(1), 153–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smuts, G. L. (1979). Diet of lions and spotted hyaenas assessed from stomach contents. South African Journal of Wildlife Research, 9(1), 19–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spoor, C., & Badoux, D. (1989). Descriptive and functional morphology of the locomotory apparatus of the spotted hyaena. Anatomischer Anzeiger, 168, 261–266.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stander, P. E. (1992). Cooperative hunting in lions: the role of the individual. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 29(6), 445–454.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, E. D., & Holekamp, K. E. (2019). Social alliances improve rank and fitness in convention-based societies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(18), 8919–8924.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, E. D., Skizuka, D., & Holekamp, K. E. (2020). Juvenile rank acquisition is associated with fitness independent of adult rank. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 287, 20192969.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swanson, E. M., Dworkin, I., & Holekamp, K. E. (2011). Lifetime selection on a hypoallometric size trait in the spotted hyena. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 278(1722), 3277–3285.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Szykman, M., Van Horn, R., Engh, A., Boydston, E., & Holekamp, K. (2007). Courtship and mating in free-living spotted hyenas. Behaviour, 144(7), 815–846.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tanner, J. B., Dumont, E. R., Sakai, S. T., Lundrigan, B. L., & Holekamp, K. E. (2008). Of arcs and vaults: the biomechanics of bone-cracking in spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 95(2), 246–255.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilson, R. L., & Hamilton, W. J., III. (1984). Social dominance and feeding patterns of spotted hyaenas. Animal Behaviour, 32(3), 715–724.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilson, R. L., & Henschel, J. R. (1984). Spotted hyaenas in the central Namib Desert. South African Journal of Science, 80(4), 185–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilson, R. L., Von Blottnitz, F., & Henschel, J. R. (1980). Prey selection by spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) in the Namib Desert. Madoqua, 1, 41–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trinkel, M. (2003). Population ecology of the spotted hyena, Crocuta crocuta, in the Etosha National Park, Namibia. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Graz, Austria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, J. W., LaFleur, R. M., Richardson, A. T., & Holekamp, K. E. (2020). Risk-taking in free-living spotted hyenas is associated with anthropogenic disturbance, predicts survivorship, and is consistent across experimental contexts. Ethology, 126(1), 97–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Horn, R. C., Engh, A. L., Scribner, K. T., Funk, S. M., & Holekamp, K. E. (2004). Behavioural structuring of relatedness in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) suggests direct fitness benefits of clan level cooperation. Molecular Ecology, 13(2), 449–458.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Van Meter, P. E., French, J. A., Dloniak, S. M., Watts, H. E., Kolowski, J. M., & Holekamp, K. E. (2009). Fecal glucocorticoids reflect socio-ecological and anthropogenic stressors in the lives of wild spotted hyenas. Hormones and Behavior, 55(2), 329–337.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wahaj, S. A., Guse, K. R., & Holekamp, K. E. (2001). Reconciliation in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Ethology, 107, 1057–1074.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahaj, S. A., Van Horn, R. C., Van Horn, T. L., Dreyer, R., Hilgris, R., Schwarz, J., & Holekamp, K. E. (2004). Kin discrimination in the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta): nepotism among siblings. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 56(3), 237–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walters, J. (1980). Interventions and the development of dominance relationships in female baboons. Folia Primatologica, 34(1-2), 61–89.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watts, H. E., & Holekamp, K. E. (2009). Ecological determinants of survival and reproduction in the spotted hyena. Journal of Mammalogy, 90(2), 461–471.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watts, H. E., Tanner, J. B., Lundrigan, B. L., & Holekamp, K. E. (2009). Post-weaning maternal effects and the evolution of female dominance in the spotted hyena. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 276(1665), 2291–2298.

    Google Scholar 

  • Werdelin, L., & Solounias, N. (1991). The Hyaenidae: Taxonomy, systematics, and evolution. Fossils and Strata, 30, 1–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D. E. M., & Russell, A. (2009). Handbook of the mammals of the world. Lynx Editions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodroffe, R., & Ginsberg, J. R. (1998). Edge effects and the extinction of populations inside protected areas. Science, 280(5372), 2126–2128.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yirga, G., De Iongh, H. H., Leirs, H., Gebrihiwot, K., Deckers, J., & Bauer, H. (2012). Adaptability of large carnivores to changing anthropogenic food sources: Diet change of spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) during Christian fasting period in Northern Ethiopia. Journal of Animal Ecology, 81(5), 1052–1055.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yirga, G., Ersino, W., De Iongh, H. H., Leirs, H., Gebrehiwot, K., Deckers, J., & Bauer, H. (2013). Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) coexisting at high density with people in Wukro district, northern Ethiopia. Mammalian Biology, 78(3), 193–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yirga, G., Leirs, H., De Iongh, H. H., Asmelash, T., Gebrehiwot, K., Vos, M., & Bauer, H. (2017). Densities of spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) and African golden wolf (Canis anthus) increase with increasing anthropogenic influence. Mammalian Biology, 85(1), 60–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshida, K. C. S., Van Meter, P. E., & Holekamp, K. E. (2016). Variation among free-living spotted hyenas in three personality traits. Behaviour, 153(13-14), 1665–1722.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zabel, C. J., Glickman, S. E., Frank, L. G., Woodmansee, K. B., & Keppel, G. (1992). Coalition formation in a colony of prepubertal spotted hyenas. In A. H. Harcourt & F. B. M. de Waal (Eds.), Coalitions and alliances in humans and other animals (pp. 112–135). Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Narok County Government, and the Kenyan National Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation, the Naboisho Conservancy, the Mara Conservancy, the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, and Brian Heath for permissions to study spotted hyenas in Kenya. Thanks to many current and former members of the Mara Hyena Project for detailed data collection. We extend our gratitude to the editors, Mridula Srinivasan and Bernd Wursig, for the invitation to contribute to this book and for their useful edits at every stage of the writing process. We would also like to extend special thanks to Todd K. Fuller, Gus Mills, and Julie C. Jarvey for offering useful comments that helped to improve an earlier version of this chapter. This work was supported by NSF grants OISE1853934, IOS1755089 and IOS1949911 to KEH.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA

    Jennifer E. Smith

  2. Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Kay E. Holekamp

  3. Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Kay E. Holekamp

  4. Mara Hyena Project, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Kay E. Holekamp

  5. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Talek, Kenya

    Kay E. Holekamp

Authors
  1. Jennifer E. Smith
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kay E. Holekamp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer E. Smith .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Miami, FL, USA

    Mridula Srinivasan

  2. Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA

    Bernd Würsig

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 This is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Smith, J.E., Holekamp, K.E. (2023). Hunting Success in the Spotted Hyena: Morphological Adaptations and Behavioral Strategies. In: Srinivasan, M., Würsig, B. (eds) Social Strategies of Carnivorous Mammalian Predators. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-29803-5_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation