20/04/2024
"Laughs With Hyenas"
16" x 20" acrylic on canvas
Hyenas, if trained properly, make amazing pets.
They have a lifespan of 40 years and usually have little issues
in way of genetic defects.
Seriously, they also have been known to attack (and kill) humans who are too close to their territory (or their offspring).
As to behavior, hyenas treat humans like any other prey:
They target the very young and elderly as they are the easiest prey.
Some have even broken into houses to kill humans
and drag them out of their beds.
The four extant species are the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena),
the brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea),
the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta),
and the aardwolf (Proteles cristata).
The aardwolf can trace its lineage directly back to
15 million years ago, with an extinct genus of terrestrial carnivore
of the family Hyaenidae, known as Plioviverrops,
The aardwolf is the only survivor of the dog-like hyena lineage.
All species can and do attack healthy adult males on occasion.
The spotted hyena is the more dangerous of the four species, being larger,
more predatory, and more aggressive than the striped hyena.
The “laughter” vocalization for which the spotted hyena are known is a
high-pitched series of short giggle-like sounds.
These sounds, rather than being associated with hyenas having a good time, are generally made when they are threatened or under attack.
A hyena may also produce a laughter-like sound when it is frustrated.
Hyenas live in territorial social groups called clans.
This painting portrays me with my clan.
We called ourselves the Laughing Legends.
Female hyenas possess similar looking reproductive organs to males therefore accurate sexing can be difficult.
Once ranging across Africa, Asia and Europe, hyenas are mostly limited to the African Savannah today, with the exception of the
striped hyena inhabiting the jungles of India and western Asia.
Hyenas live in savannas, grasslands, forests, and sub-deserts.
The hyena is more closely related to mongoose and cats,
rather than dogs.