Spotted Hyena
Crocuta crocuta
Social Organization

               Image courtesy of Robert Pearson
    The social organization of Spotted Hyenas is fundamentally characterized by female dominance. They live in groups called "clans" which consist of sixty to eighty members and there is a separate dominance hierarchy within each sex. Clan members compete for rank and food and cooperate less than most social carnivores. Cubs are raised in communal dens but are seldom cared for by clan members. Communal dens are shared by up to ten females and are social gathering places for them and their offspring (Frank 1986).

Females: The females are ranked by a linear and stable ordering with their position being determined by its mother's rank. Within lineages, age determines rank. Their social rank determines its priority of access to food and other critical resources (Holekamp, Smale, Szykman 1996) Frank found that dominance status, age, or body size did not significantly alter their reproductive success. He did find that these factors affected the interval between litters. Higher ranking females tend to have shorter birth intervals. Holekamp, Smale, and Szykman further found that high-ranking females start bearing young at an earlier age than lower-ranking females, such that there is a 10 % increase in their overall reproductive lifespan (1996). Competition among females in regard to reproductive success is usually less dramatic than male-male competition; however, competition among females for access to food is unusually intense and the dominant female obviously has the most success in feeding competitions (Holekamp 1996). nd Holekamp fouMales stand no chance in competing with any female over food and even the most dominant male is usually defeated by the subordinant females (Applegate 1999).

Males: There is also a dominance hierarchy in male spotted hyenas. Frank found that males' social status was not correlated with age. He also found a slightly noticeable tendency for higher ranked males to be larger than subordinant males. Immigrant males that come from a different clan will rise in rank the longer in stayed in the clan, and then once he was established in the group, factors other than age and length of residence affected social rank. They only feed when there are no females present and are consequently forced to hunt in areas not frequented by female clans. As for the males' reproductive success, the dominant male fathers the most cubs in the clan during his tenure. This is because the aggressiveness that allows him to maintain his dominance also allows him to fending off subordinant males from trying to mate with any female he is trying to mate with (1986).

This web site was created by Keeley Roles for an undergraduate class, Animal Behavior, at Davidson College Spring Semester 2004. Email keroles@davidson.edu with questions regarding this web page.

Home • Physical Characteristics •  Female Dominance • Food, Predation, and Hunting • Social Spacing • Social Organization • Mating System • Offspring • References