Striped hyena（Hyaena hyaena） is a near-threatened large carnivore known to occur in arid and semi-arid landscapes in many parts of the world. Its population is declining globally and ecological information is requir...Striped hyena（Hyaena hyaena） is a near-threatened large carnivore known to occur in arid and semi-arid landscapes in many parts of the world. Its population is declining globally and ecological information is required urgently to meet their conservation needs. We studied the diet pattern of the striped hyena in the semi-arid Gir National Park and Sanctuary（GNPS）, western India. Prey items eaten by the striped hyena were identified from scats. Around 44.4% scats represented single to three mammalian preys while 55.6% of them represented four preys to seven preys. A variety of food items were identified including mammals, birds, insects and vegetable matters. Scats analysis showed that 63.91% diet of striped hyena was contributed by wild prey items, 20.94% by domestic prey and 3.31% by birds, whereas vegetable and insects contributed 9.92% and 1.93%, respectively. Diet diversity of the striped hyena computed by the Shannon-Weiner Index（H） was found to be 2.64. The presence of domestic mammals in the scat remains implied that the striped hyena might frequently visit human habitation in search for food and hence, a potential conflict between human and wildlife might arise. Reducing the dependence of hyena on domestic livestock is a challenge to ensure the survival of striped hyena outside the protected area.展开更多
Understanding the drivers promoting sociality over solitariness in animal species is imperative for predicting future population trends and informing conservation and management.In this study we investigate the social...Understanding the drivers promoting sociality over solitariness in animal species is imperative for predicting future population trends and informing conservation and management.In this study we investigate the social structure of a desert dwelling population of striped hyena Hyaena hyaena.This species is historically regarded as strictly solitary albeit being the least studied of the extant Hyaenids.Accumulating evidence regarding the frequency of social interactions sug-gests a revision of striped hyena social structure is required.We hypothesized that striped hyena has a social structure that is more complex than expected for a strictly solitary species.For that end,we deployed an array of camera-traps in a remote desert region in Israel,and compared observed frequencies of striped hyena co-occurrence against null models to test whether hyena co-occurred more than expected by chance.Seven adults were(re)captured by our camera-traps in 49 different instances over 83 tracking days.Of these,6 exhibited shared space-use around a scarce,isolated perennial water source.Five of them,co-occurred with other hyena(in 3 instan-ces)significantly more frequent than expected by chance(and that timing suggests reproduction is unlikely to be the driving factor).Our findings substantiate evidence of complex social structure in striped hyena,highlight the importance of a scarce resource in space use and sociality,and provide a baseline for future research of striped hyena social structure.We suggest that similar methods be employed to evaluate social structure in other"solitary species"to better under-stand their social dynamics.展开更多
基金Financial support has been provided by the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India
文摘Striped hyena（Hyaena hyaena） is a near-threatened large carnivore known to occur in arid and semi-arid landscapes in many parts of the world. Its population is declining globally and ecological information is required urgently to meet their conservation needs. We studied the diet pattern of the striped hyena in the semi-arid Gir National Park and Sanctuary（GNPS）, western India. Prey items eaten by the striped hyena were identified from scats. Around 44.4% scats represented single to three mammalian preys while 55.6% of them represented four preys to seven preys. A variety of food items were identified including mammals, birds, insects and vegetable matters. Scats analysis showed that 63.91% diet of striped hyena was contributed by wild prey items, 20.94% by domestic prey and 3.31% by birds, whereas vegetable and insects contributed 9.92% and 1.93%, respectively. Diet diversity of the striped hyena computed by the Shannon-Weiner Index（H） was found to be 2.64. The presence of domestic mammals in the scat remains implied that the striped hyena might frequently visit human habitation in search for food and hence, a potential conflict between human and wildlife might arise. Reducing the dependence of hyena on domestic livestock is a challenge to ensure the survival of striped hyena outside the protected area.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41472145)State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy(Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology,CAS)(No.143112)Key Deployment Program of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology,Chinese Academy of Sciences
基金the“Arabian Leopard Project”using funds obtained from a designated Kickstarter crowd funding:https://www.kickstar ter.com/projects/1694685126/save-the-arabianleopard.
文摘Understanding the drivers promoting sociality over solitariness in animal species is imperative for predicting future population trends and informing conservation and management.In this study we investigate the social structure of a desert dwelling population of striped hyena Hyaena hyaena.This species is historically regarded as strictly solitary albeit being the least studied of the extant Hyaenids.Accumulating evidence regarding the frequency of social interactions sug-gests a revision of striped hyena social structure is required.We hypothesized that striped hyena has a social structure that is more complex than expected for a strictly solitary species.For that end,we deployed an array of camera-traps in a remote desert region in Israel,and compared observed frequencies of striped hyena co-occurrence against null models to test whether hyena co-occurred more than expected by chance.Seven adults were(re)captured by our camera-traps in 49 different instances over 83 tracking days.Of these,6 exhibited shared space-use around a scarce,isolated perennial water source.Five of them,co-occurred with other hyena(in 3 instan-ces)significantly more frequent than expected by chance(and that timing suggests reproduction is unlikely to be the driving factor).Our findings substantiate evidence of complex social structure in striped hyena,highlight the importance of a scarce resource in space use and sociality,and provide a baseline for future research of striped hyena social structure.We suggest that similar methods be employed to evaluate social structure in other"solitary species"to better under-stand their social dynamics.
