zwierzęta: Spotted hyena

Evidence: 100 • authority: 72

The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus Crocuta, native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUCN due to its widespread range and large numbers estimated between 27,000 and 47,000 individuals. The species is, however, experiencing declines outside of protected areas due to habitat loss and poaching. Populations of Crocuta, usually considered a subspecies of Crocuta crocuta, known as cave hyenas, roamed across Eurasia for at least one million years until the end of the Late Pleistocene. The spotted hyena is the largest extant member of the Hyaenidae, and…

Evidence: 87 • authority: 72

The clitoris ( or ; pl.: clitorises or clitorides) is a female sex organ ancestrally present in amniotes, being found in living mammals and most reptiles, though it has not been unambiguously found in adult birds or snakes (though it is present in birds during early development). Although the clitoris exists in all mammal species, most studies deal with the human clitoris - few detailed studies of the anatomy of the clitoris in non-humans exist. The clitoris is especially developed in fossas, apes, lemurs, moles, and, like the penis in many non-human placental mammals, often contains a small bone. In females, this bone is known as the os clitoridis. The clitoris exists in turtles, ratites,…

Evidence: 61 • authority: 92

Development of the external genitalia: perspectives from the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta).. This review/research paper summarizes data on development of the external genitalia of the spotted hyena, a fascinating mammal noted for extreme masculinization of the female external genitalia. The female spotted hyena is the only extant mammal that mates and gives birth through a pendulous penis-like clitoris. Our studies indicate that early formation of the phallus in both males and females is independent of androgens; indeed the phallus forms before the fetal testes or ovaries are capable of synthesizing androgens. Likewise, pre- and postnatal growth in length of the penis and clitoris is mini…

Evidence: 47 • authority: 92

Exposure to naturally circulating androgens during foetal life incurs direct reproductive costs in female spotted hyenas, but is prerequisite for male mating.. Among all extant mammals, only the female spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) mates and gives birth through the tip of a peniform clitoris. Clitoral morphology is modulated by foetal exposure to endogenous, maternal androgens. First births through this organ are prolonged and remarkably difficult, often causing death in neonates. Additionally, mating poses a mechanical challenge for males, as they must reach an anterior position on the female's abdomen and then achieve entry at the site of the retracted clitoris. Here, we report that int…

Evidence: 47 • authority: 72

In many animals, a penis (; pl.: penises or penes) is the male sexual organ used to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in both vertebrates and invertebrates, but males do not bear a penis in every animal species. Furthermore, penises are not necessarily homologous. The term penis applies to many intromittent organs, but not to all. As an example, the intromittent organ of most Cephalopoda is the hectocotylus, a specialized arm, and male spiders use their pedipalps. Even within the Vertebrata, there are morphological variants with specific terminology, such as hemipenes. In most species of animals in which there is an organ that might be described as…

Evidence: 39 • authority: 88

What do Spotted Hyena eat?. Although often considered scavengers, Spotted hyenas are efficient and flexible hunters. They prefer prey within a body mass range of 56–182 kg (with a mode of 102 kg), a dietary niche breadth similar, but not identical, to that of the Lion.

Evidence: 39 • authority: 80

The female external genitalia of the spotted hyena [by] D. Dwight Davis and H. Elizabeth Story.