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The aardwolf (Proteles cristatus [3]) is an insectivorous hyaenid species, native to East and Southern Africa.Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch. [4] [5] It is also called the maanhaar-jackal [6] [7] (Afrikaans for "mane-jackal"), termite-eating hyena [8] and civet hyena, based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet.
Hyenas are known to have preyed on humans in prehistory: human hair has been found in fossilized hyena dung dating back 195,000 to 257,000 years. [70] Some paleontologists believe that competition and predation by cave hyenas ( Crocuta crocuta spelaea ) in Siberia was a significant factor in delaying human colonization of Alaska .
Hyenas are large, powerful animals, up to 80 kg (176 lb) and represent one of the most prolific large carnivorans on the planet. The aardwolf is much smaller and is a specialised feeder, eating mainly harvester termites. Family Herpestidae (mongooses, kusimanses, and the meerkat) has 32 species. Previously, these were placed in the family ...
It is a means for comparison, not an indicator of absolute bite force. In short, if an animal or species has a high BFQ this indicates that it bites hard for its size after controlling for allometry. Hite et al., [ 3 ] who include data from the widest range of living mammals of any bite force regression to date, produce from their regression ...
Proteles is a genus of distinctive hyenas which contain the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus) and its close fossil relatives. [1] It is the only extant genus of the subfamily Protelinae.
The remains — buried in layers of soil in the collapsed cave — contained the genetic material of cave bears, hyenas and 13 bones of early humans who died some 45,000 years ago.
Territories are marked by 'pasting', [23] during which the hyena deposits secretions from its large anal gland, which is located below the base of the tail and produces a black and white paste, on vegetation and boulders. [14] Brown hyenas maintain a stable clan hierarchy through ritualized aggressive displays and mock fights.
On rare occasions, striped hyenas have preyed on humans. In the 1880s, a hyena was reported to have attacked humans, especially sleeping children, over a three-year period in the Erivan Governorate, with 25 children and 3 adults being wounded in one year. The attacks provoked local authorities into announcing a reward of 100 rubles for every ...