Title: Female Hyena: Queen of the Prairie and the Death of Reproduction
In the African savannah, if you spot a hyena with a handle, it is most likely a female. And the bigger this handle, the higher its status, maybe the hyena queen.
Hyenas are not dogs, they are not related to any canids. Hyenas all over the world belong to the hyena family, and are more closely related to the cat family than to the canine family. Their ancestors are closely related to mongooses and civets. The appearance of hyenas is the result of convergent evolution.
Unlike canids, hyenas have high shoulders and low legs and a downward sloping back. There is no male leader in the hyena's group, and the queen is the leader of the group. The strongest daughter of the queen will inherit the throne and become the next queen, with the other females ranked according to strength. And the bottom of the group is male, even the father of the princess cannot ascend to the throne.
Another difference from canines is that female hyenas are larger than males and also carry handles. To identify the male and female of the hyena from the appearance, you can't just look at who has "Tintin", but also who has "eggs". Hyenas are rare females with external genitalia.
Then Why do female hyenas grow external genitalia? How does this affect them? Strictly speaking, the genitals of females and males are homologous, as is the case in most mammals. This is because in the early stage of embryonic development, there is no gender distinction, only in the later stage there is gender differentiation. Hyenas evolve external genitalia.
Female hyenas have both advantages and disadvantages to developing external genitalia. They have higher levels of testosterone in their bodies, which gives female hyenas more strength. And when selecting successors, offspring with high testosterone levels are more likely to become successors. As a result, the external genitalia of female hyenas are getting bigger and bigger. However, this also creates difficulties in production, as the birth canal is longer and narrower than in ordinary mammals, and female hyenas have a higher rate of dystocia.
However, female hyenas grow "Tintin" plays an important role in the cub stage. Hyenas are matrilineal societies, and they form groups by blood. Only the hyena queen has the right to procreate, and her position passes to her strongest daughter, who is chosen at the time of cub. The size of the cub determines the status of the heir.
Hyenas have lived on the African savannah for a long time, and they have become an integral part of the ecosystem. Hyenas hunt in a unique way, attacking their prey by pulling out their anus. Although looks are not favored by humans, they play an important role in maintaining ecological balance.
However, hyenas face many dilemmas. Due to human activities, the living environment of hyenas has been threatened, and many hyenas have to steal carcasses to eat in order to lack food. They also face the dilemma of being captured by humans as performance animals.
The genitals of hyenas evolved into external genitalia to accommodate the reproductive needs of the population, although it brought production difficulties. This is the hyena's unique evolutionary adaptation strategy, making them a unique species in the African savannah. However, in the face of human threats and existential challenges, hyenas are facing an existential crisis.
The presence of hyenas is not only a part of nature, but also important for ecological balance. We owe it to protect these threatened species so that they continue to thrive on the African savannah and sustain this beautiful landscape.
