Tumaren

Theresa Siskind St Petersburg FL, on 29 Apr 2008

Awesome pictures…what cute little devils they are! Really is good news, as well, hope this family stays safe. I bet Wim would be willing to crawl into their den!

Theresa Siskind St Petersburg FL, on 29 Apr 2008

Oh James, I can just see it now, of course you’ll be following close behind him. Just think of it as an initiation rite into The Hyena Appreciation Society! As for me, I’ll watch from a safe distance, kept company with my pals the potato bandit and the camera shy Zorilla!

Wim, on 30 Apr 2008

I was taking bets on that happening - no takers. Could have made a fortune.
Oh mock me do Theresa and James, actually I’m Hyaena catnip me, plagued by the buggers I’ve been.
I was camping in Kenya’s Loita Hills once and, being serenaded by the locals, I responded with my (actually rather good) Hyaena impersonation until it occurred to me that it might be a mating call and I pictured myself, covered in scratches, sharing a post-coital cigarette with a rather charming if fluffy thing called Hermione (God knows I’ve done worse). Anyway, I was awakened in my tent by the sound of a schizophrenic giant Parrot with emphysema and they were actually brushing the tent walls for ages. I don’t think I will ever be as terrified again in my life, much worse even than a Lion (well, maybe not.)
She never writes that Hermione, the fickle minx…

Wim, on 01 May 2008

Well there must be some explanation but I’m a Malarone Man myself… What on earth do you all take when you actualy live there or is Tumaren non malarial?
My sources tell me that wild litters vary from one to four, throughout the year, after a gestation of ninety days. they’re born blind, with closed ear tubes. Eyes open after eight days, teeth erupt at twenty-one days and they begin to eat at thirty days (unlike their spotted cousins who emerge with open eyes and fully erupted teeth and may, in the case of twins, commit siblicide, but otherwise engage in aggressive behaviour to establish dominance within minutes of birth), weaning at approximately five to ten months. You can see the crest/mane on the lead Hyaena in the first three photos. Do you think they thought the camera may have been a tortoise? I’ve found a reference which says the call is an “unearthly moan or shriek” but that could apply to the spotted (although the Aardwolf is said to be prone to “roaring” when fighting).

Wim, on 01 May 2008

I am sorry to hear that, is it not a permanent recurring condition once acquired? Must be awful. How do you deal with it?
I suppose that there’s less of a social aspect to the striped and thus less evolutionary pressure. The spotted seem to have a hugely complicated and hierarchical matriachal society, anything that gives them an edge is a plus, add a few million years and natural selection and Bob’s yer Uncle (or given their uniquely odd unsiex genitalia; Bob’s yer Aunt!)