Submitted by :

Syed Mazhar Hussain Shah

Reg.No. 2008-ag-2819
Section
A
SUBMITTED TO:

DR.KHURRAM ASHFAQ

INTRODUCTION
Kingdom: Animalia
phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
order : Carnivora
Genus: Hyaena
Species: Percrocutida

Physical parameters
Temperature

98.6-100.6F

Pulse rate

60-100/MIN

Respiration rate

12-24/MIN

Worldwide distribution
Spotted Hyenas live in Africa
south of the Sahara except in
densely forested areas and at
the southern tip of the
continent. They prefer open
grasslands and savannas.

Nutrition
Spotted hyenas will eat almost anything;
they are efficient scavengers of carrion
and fresh meat. They often follow
migrating herds of large herbivores,
feeding on carcasses if they are
available, and on new-born babies.
When necessary, they hunt in packs,
killing animals as large as zebras.
Extremely strong jaws and teeth allow
them to crack large bones. Bones and
bone marrow form a considerable part of
their diet.

Reproduction and
growth

During courtship and mating periods they

gather in large packs which are quite
noisy. One or two young (rarely three) are
born after a 110 day gestation, in an
underground burrow.
Babies are born with their eyes open and
with canine and incisor teeth already cut.
Nursing mothers often raise their young in
communal nurseries. The young nurse for
about 18 months, and are sexually mature
at two or three years of age. Spotted
hyenas have lived as long as 40 years in
captivity, and 25 years in the wild.

Salient features
Spotted Hyenas (also called Laughing
Hyenas) are the largest of the hyenas. They
have robust bodies with large heads,
powerful jaws, and rounded ears. Their
necks are maned, and their backs slope
downwards to smaller hind quarters. One
hundred eighty pounds is their maximum
weight. Females are larger than males.
The colors of their coats vary but are
usually brown, yellow or gray, with
numerous dark spots. Sometimes the
muzzle and hind legs are black and the footlong tail has a black tuft.

STATUS IN PAKISTAN
Stripped hyena is the major specie of hyena found in
Pakistan. Hyena in Pakistan is known in local dialect as
Charag, Lhagar Bhagar ( Urdu). It is a carnivorous animal.
The length of this stripped hyena found in Pakistan is
about one meter. The shoulder height of the animal is 65
to 80 cm. The weight of this hyena is about 25 to 45 kg.
The hyena of Pakistan or Charag have ears pointed and
long hairs. On its head, stripped hyena has black stripes.
These animals also have their torsos, black muzzles and
legs marked with characteristic black stripes. They are
grayish brown in color. These animals can raise their long
hairs on their mane and can look about 38 percent bigger
than their original size. They do this when they feel that
they are threatened. There is no difference in the average
length and height between the females and the males.
The male hyena is heavier than the female.

REFERANCE

The Mean Hyena: A Folktale f

rom Malawi
by Judy Sierra

Kalahari Hyenas : Comparativ

e Behavioral Ecology of Two
Species
by M. G. L. MillS