THE HYAENAS AND AARD-WOLF 



81 



Photo by A. S. Rudland &* Sont 



SPOTTED 



The largest of the carrion-feeding animals. 

 species 



A South African 



The hyaenas are carnivorous animals, with the 

 front limbs longer than the hind. The tail is 

 short, the colour spotted or brindled, the teeth and 

 jaws of great strength. 



The BROWN HYAENA, or STRAND-WOLF, is an 

 African species, with very long, coarse hair, reach- 

 ing a length of 10 inches on the back. It is not 

 found north of the Zambesi ; and it is nocturnal, 

 and fond of wandering along the shore, where 

 it picks up crabs and dead fish. Young cattle, 

 sheep, and lambs are also killed by it, and offal of 

 all kinds devoured. 



The SPOTTED HYAENA is a large and massive 

 animal, the head and body being 4 feet 6 inches 

 long without the tail. It is found all over Africa 

 from Abyssinia and Senegal southwards. A few 

 are left in Natal. It is believed to be the same 

 as the cave-hyaena of Europe. By day it lives 

 much in the holes of the aard-vark (ant-bear) ; by 

 night it goes out, sometimes in small bands, to 

 seek food. It has a loud and mournful howl, 



beginning low and ending high. It also utters a horrible maniacal laugh when excited, which 



gives it the name of Laughing-hyaena. " Its appetite," says Mr. W. L. Sclater in his " South 



African Mammals," " is boundless. It is entirely carnivorous, but seems to prefer putrid and 



decaying matter, and never kills an animal unless driven to do so by hunger. Sheep and donkeys 



are generally attacked at the belly, and the bowels torn out by its sharp teeth. Horses are also 



frequent objects of attack ; but in this case shackling is useful, as the horse, unable to escape, 



faces the hyaena, which instantly bolts. It is an excellent scavenger, and it has been known to 



kill and carry off young children, though the least attempt at pursuit will cause it to drop them. 



Many stories are told, too, of its attacking sleeping natives ; in this case it invariably goes for the 



man's face. Drummond states 



that he has seen many men 



who had been thus mutilated, 



wanting noses, or with the 



whole mouth and lips torn 



away. This is confirmed by 



other authors." Drummond 



gives an instance of seven 



cows being mortally injured in 



a single night by two hyaenas, 



which attacked them and bit 



off the udders. Poisoned meat 



is the only means to get rid of 



this abominable animal. 



Sir Samuel Baker says: 



" I can safely assert that the 



bone-cracking power of this 



animal is extraordinary. I 



cannot say that it exceeds the 



lion or tiger in the strength 



Photo by A. S. Rudland &> Sons 



SPOTTED 



The jaivs of the hyaena arc specially made for cracking bone*, 



of a buffalo 



They will smash the thigh-bont 



