Spotted hyena

Hofer, H., East, M., Sammang, I. and Dehnhard, M. (2001) Analysis of volatile compounds in scent-marks of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) and their possible function in olfactory communication. In A.Marchlewska-Koj, D. Muller-Schwarze and J. Lepri (Eds.), Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 9. Plenum Press, New York, pp. 141-148. 

Do Spotted Hyena Scent Marks Code for Clan Membership ... 

Fig. 16.1 Gas-chromatograph mass spectrometer profile of scent from the anal scent gland of three adult female spotted hyenas from the same social group...

Fig. 16.2 A multidimensional scaling (MDS) plot in three dimensions for scent profiles of individuals from three spotted hyena clans (o Isiaka clan, N = 8 Pool clan, N = 14 A Mamba clan, N = 23). Similarities between samples were calculated with the Bray-Curtis coefficient. MDS Stress 0.08... 

Our behavioural observations suggested that spotted hyenas actively acquired scent from other clan members when they pasted over stalks of vegetation that held scent deposited by another clan member. During this process the scent of other clan members may be taken into the protruded scent gland as well as being rubbed onto the pasting individual s fur. As clan membership is not static over time, there is probably a need for clan members to continuously anoint themselves with the scent of other clan members to retain the current clan odour. 

East, M.L., Hofer, H. and Wickler, W. (1993) The erect penis is a flag of submission in a female-dominated society greetings in Serengeti spotted hyenas. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 33, 355-370. 

East, M.L. and Hofer H. (2001) Male spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) queue for status in social groups dominated by females. Behav. Ecol. 12, 558-568. 

Honer, O.P., Wachter, B., East, M.L., Runyoro, V.A. and Hofer, H. (2005) The effect of prey abundance and foraging tactics on the population dynamics of a social, territorial carnivore, the spotted hyena. Oikos 108, 544-554. 

Kruuk, H. (1972) The Spotted Hyena. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 

The Ontogeny of Pasting Behavior in Free-living Spotted Hyenas, Crocuta crocuta... 

Fig. 17.2 Pasting rates of male and female spotted hyenas by age. Male cubs pasted more frequently than female cubs (Mann-Whitney U test, U = 42, P = 0.03), however, no sex difference was apparent when the hyenas were subadults (U = 76, P = 0.71)...

Fig. 17.3 Proportion of spotted hyena pastings that were overmarks by age and sex. Males increased their overmarking activity with age (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, S = 32.5, P = 0.04), however, females did not (cub vs. subadult S = — 15.5, P = 0.24 across subadult periods N = 6, Friedman ANOVA x2 = 3.5, P = 0.17). Although male and female cubs did not differ in their frequency of overmarking (Mann-Whitney U test, U = 75, P = 0.67), a sex difference was apparent among subadults (U = 37, P = 0.02)...

Boydston, E.E., Morelli, T.L. and Holekamp, K.E. (2001) Sex differences in territorial behavior exhibited by the spotted hyena. Ethology 107, 369-385. 

Woodmansee, K.B., Zabel, C.J., Glickman, S.E., Frank, L.G. and Keppel, G. (1991) Scent marking (pasting) in a colony of immature spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) A developmental study. J. Comp. Psychol. 105, 10-14. 

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