Current page: 30 (total book has 40 pages) [accessible reading excerpt: 27 pages]
The dog will heal you
If you are unwell, seek help from a four-legged friend, and he will definitely help you. According to the French Association for the Protection of Animals, the risk of a heart attack in people who have a dog at home is reduced by almost three times. And all because daily communication with our smaller brothers relieves stress, brings positive emotions.
Animals in the house, one might say, a panacea for all ills. Even just stroking a dog or cat and playing with them improves mood and lowers blood pressure. A group of American scientists who examined 6,000 pet owners came to the conclusion that communication with them has a positive effect on the well-being of their owners. It turned out that they have normal blood pressure and low blood cholesterol, although they eat meat and sweets more than people who do not have, for example, dogs. In addition, pet owners are very optimistic.
The presence of animals creates a special psychological atmosphere in the house, which has a great effect on children and sick people. Owners of dogs and cats visit doctors much less often than those who do not have furry pets.
Cynologists have found out that an ordinary mongrel, cherished in affection, plays a significant role in the upbringing of its owner. Scientists believe that a person who trains a dog develops such qualities as observation, endurance, perseverance. Another thing has been noticed: communication with a dog relieves stress.
Those who have animals in the house usually feel better, live longer and remain active and interested in the world around them in old age. Sluggish, apathetic old people in nursing homes, caring for a cat or dog, which are often found near such institutions, become more energetic and cheerful.
Animals are of particular benefit to lonely, mentally ill and homeless people. In some cities, social assistance even pays for food for cats and dogs for lonely old people. Experts recommend that those who are left alone or feel unwell get a Japanese Chin or Pug. Dogs of this breed are always cheerful, energetic, mobile and affectionate with the owner, besides, they do not need regular walking.
The dog is man's true friend
Taking care of your neighbor is the key to your own health and longevity. The American psychologist R. Ornstein came to this conclusion. Speaking in the British capital with a lecture, he said that people who have pets recover much faster from heart attacks than those who live alone. The scientist considers incorrect the assumption that the healing effect is primarily provided by walks in the fresh air, which dog owners are forced to regularly make. R. Ornstein emphasized that most of the patients examined by him do not keep dogs, but other animals that do not need to be walked. “Obviously, the main role is played by a sense of responsibility for the well-being of your pet,” he said. “The concern for their fate gives these people an additional incentive to live.”
The French municipal authorities consider a dog or other domestic animal to be a psychological relief factor for people who work hard and hard. The French love their pets, some do not part with them even during working hours. In Paris, no one is surprised if a dog peeps out of the doors of a shop, shop, pharmacy or cafe, studying everything that happens around. The dog comes to work with the owner in the morning and sits at the "work" place all day, and in the evening the man and his four-legged friend return home.
But on the islands of New Guinea, the love for dogs is so great that the islanders carry puppies and older dogs in their arms or in a shoulder bag. True, the dogs there are mostly not very large, so the owners do not cause any particular inconvenience.
Doctors have long known about the amazing properties of dog saliva containing lysozyme, an antiseptic, thanks to which “everything heals like on a dog.” Lysozyme kills pathogens, and by licking the wound, the dog sterilizes it. There is a known case when a bull terrier ran up to an injured woman, began to massage her breasts with his paws, lick her face and neck, and the woman felt better. It turns out that this was not the first "medical practice" in the dog's life.
And in the US state of Connecticut, the boy Donnie Tomei, who was in a deep coma, was taken to the hospital. All attempts to bring him back to consciousness were unsuccessful. But 10 days later, Donnie was found in the hospital by his dog named Rusty. On some whim, the nurse on duty, instead of chasing Rusty away, let her go to the motionless child. The dog began to lick the boy's face, and he suddenly smiled. This "therapy" began to be used regularly, and after the fourth visit of the furry "doctor" Donnie began to eat on his own. In such an unusual way, the dog saved the life of his little master.
The Brazilian psychotherapist Jose Pereira, who has devoted many years to studying the problems of cynology, in one of his books claims that the character of a dog corresponds to the character of its owner.
According to the psychologist, poodle owners are stingy people, shepherd dog owners have no sense of humor, those who keep dachshunds are generous, mastiffs are courageous ... The owners of fox terriers have the best characters. After reading the book by Jose Pereira, one shepherd dog owner sued the doctor for “insulting”, and the psychologist defended himself: “Here, you see for yourself ...”
Take a closer look at the dogs and their owners on the street. They really very often look alike, especially for older people and older animals.
Research has shown that walking the dog can help a single owner meet a life partner. True, this applies to owners of purebred dogs of a pleasant appearance. A man with an aggressive dog, such as, for example, a pit bull terrier, has a minimal chance of meeting a representative of the weaker sex.
The women were shown photographs of the same young man with a Rottweiler, an Irish Setter, and no dog at all. Approximately three-quarters of the ladies surveyed said that he looks especially attractive with an Irish setter - elegant and homely. Among others, there was such an answer: “The setter, as it were, says that a man is soft and sensitive.” Only two women preferred a man without a dog, but even they emphasized that in establishing close relationships, a four-legged friend is still not the third wheel.
Who do you think suffers the most when a family breaks up: he, she, their children or parents? The South African scientist Roger Mugford has his own opinion on this matter. He claims that the consequences of divorce are most experienced by ... a dog. He was convinced of this from his own experience. His setter, named Sam, went through divorce proceedings with his owner. Dogs, according to the scientist, painfully react to the slightest changes in life. The dog can develop serious nervous diseases, eczema, indigestion, because he experiences the same way as a person, only he does not say anything. Here, for example, the Scottish Shepherd is a domestic peacemaker. She can not stand not only family scandals, but even minor quarrels and insults. The collie will establish peace in the family so persistently and loudly that you will soon come to the conclusion: it is better not to heat up the atmosphere in the family so as not to listen to complaints from the neighbors. All their feelings - joy, grief, indignation, requests - collies express extremely loudly.
Ferdinand Bruner, a veterinarian from Vienna, a leading specialist in animal psychology, believes that pets, primarily dogs and cats, suffer from the same mental disorders as humans.
And here is another curious example of amazing dog fidelity. After the autopsy of the dead dogs, which were kicked out of the house, it turned out that the cause of their death was not cold, hunger or infections, but ... a heart attack. They could not survive the betrayal of a man who was once their friend.
Marsupial Devil
Marsupials, as everyone knows, live in Australia, New Guinea and the surrounding islands. The exception is American opossums. Marsupials are closer to primitive animals that fed their offspring in bags on their stomachs. In the process of the struggle for existence, mammals with full intrauterine development won, since they were born stronger, developed better and surpassed in their vitality those who stayed a short time in the womb and fed milk in her bag for a long time. Better adapted mammals have supplanted marsupials on every continent except Australia. Why they were preserved there and why it happened - no one has yet been able to convincingly explain.
One of these curiosities is the marsupial, or Tasmanian, devil (and this is a scientific name, not a nickname). This is a small bear-like predator with a body about 70 cm long. It has an unusually large head, a broad bulldog muzzle and large ears, covered with hair on the outside, but completely naked inside, the pink skin of which contrasts with the black hair. He also has a naked nose, lips, and an almost bare tip of the muzzle. Its tail is similar to a large carrot: thick at the base, with a sharp end.
Tasmanian marsupial devil
A white collar and two white spots stand out on the chest of the beast.
Such is the portrait of the Tasmanian devil, which got its name not because of its scary appearance, but because it is considered the most rabid and aggressive creature in the world. He most likely owes such a reputation to the testimonies of hunters, struck by the wild fury with which this clumsy-looking beast defends itself. And since it is rare, such a characteristic was subsequently simply retold or reprinted many times.
The reputation of the poor devil stuck to him firmly. And only in the thirties of the last century, when the first copies of these marsupials appeared in zoos, it became clear that it was built on random and incorrect observations. These devils are tamed no worse than other animals, even if they fall into captivity as adults.
But upon closer acquaintance with them, it turns out that a very unpleasant smell emanates from them. By habits, the marsupial devil resembles a hyena - it feeds on carrion. All this repels from him a person who involuntarily ascribes all sins to an unpleasant creature indiscriminately.
It should be said that the devil's food is not only carrion, he eats everything: frogs, insects, and even poisonous snakes. His hunting passion manifested itself in one amusing case: when a male devil ran into the open doors of the house and tried to drag away a cat dozing on the fireplace.
Another reason why hunters dislike him is his ability to ruin snares. With his strong teeth, he is able to gnaw through even iron bars.
The Tasmanian devil is nocturnal, but at the same time it behaves very noisily: the animal lapping water can be heard from 25 meters away. Just as loudly, forgetting about all caution, male devils yell during fights, their wild cries are carried far in the stillness of the night.
As for the offspring, the name "devil" seems to be the most appropriate here, because males happen to eat their cubs, and even at the moment when they, completely helpless, emerge from the mother's pouch. Devilish, frankly, concern. However, we must remember that such a phenomenon as eating offspring is not so rare in the animal world, for example, in domestic pigs.
But at the moment when the marsupial devil arranges a "family nest", the male works on a par with the female. In pits from uprooted trees, in hollows of fallen trunks, future parents line the bottom with bark, grass and leaves. The number of cubs that will appear in late May - early June reaches four, and the same number of nipples in the mother's bag.
For the first time, the offspring of the marsupial devil was obtained in captivity in the 40s of the last century. At the beginning of June, in the pouch of the female, which was kept together with the male, four small pink, naked and blind creatures, barely one and a half centimeters long, appeared. After seven weeks, they had grown to eight centimeters, were already moving their legs and giving voice. At a month and a half they were overgrown with black fur, but only at the age of fifteen weeks did they finally break away from their mother's nipples, which until then they had been holding on to continuously. They opened their eyes and at the eighteenth week they began to crawl out of the bag and show interest in games. At the slightest danger, however, they clung to their mother, trying to climb into the bag on their own.
As further observations showed, these animals do not live long in captivity - at most seven years.
But why does the marsupial devil live not in Australia, like all marsupials, but on a small island south of this continent? As shown by fossil remains, he used to live in Australia, like the second marsupial predator - the marsupial wolf, but was forced out of there in ancient times. It is not known who brought to Tasmania, he survived only on this relatively small piece of land.
The secret life of the hyena
For a long time no one could find a kind word for hyenas. They are treacherous and cowardly; they greedily torment carrion, laugh like demons, and they also know how to change sex, becoming either females or males.
Ernest Hemingway, who traveled a lot in Africa and was well versed in the habits of animals, knew about hyenas only that they are "hermaphrodites that defile the dead."
From ancient times to the present day, the same chilling stories have been told about hyenas. They were copied from book to book, but no one bothered to check them. Hyenas have not really interested anyone for a long time.
Only in 1984, at the University of Berkeley (California), a center for the study of individuals was opened. Now there lives a colony of forty spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), the most misunderstood animals in the world.
Who eats a lion for dinner?Indeed, spotted hyenas are very different from other predatory animals. For example, only in hyenas, females are larger and more massive than males. Their constitution determines the life of the pack: matriarchy reigns here. In this feminist world, it makes no sense for males to bicker: life partners are much stronger and angrier than them, but you can’t call them insidious at the same time.
Spotted hyenas bear little resemblance to other predatory animals
“Hyenas are the most caring mothers among predators,” says Professor Stephen Glickman, who initiated the study of hyenas at Berkeley. Unlike lionesses, hyenas drive males away from their prey, allowing only babies to approach it at first. In addition, these quivering mothers feed their cubs with milk for almost 20 months.
Many myths will be dispelled by impartial observation of hyenas. Have the Death Eaters fallen? Just not - enterprising hunters, driving large prey with the whole flock. They eat carrion only when they are hungry. Cowardly? Among predators, only hyenas are ready to fight back the "king of beasts". With devilish laughter, they attack the lions if they are going to take their prey from them, for example, a defeated zebra, which the pack did not get easily.
Hyenas themselves attack old lions, finishing with them in a matter of minutes. A coward dares to attack only a hare.
As for their hermaphrodism, this is one of the most common ridiculous myths. Hyenas are bisexual, although it is really difficult to determine their gender. This is due to the fact that the genitals of females outwardly almost do not differ from male ones. Their labia form a sac-like fold resembling the scrotum, the clitoris is similar in size to the penis, only by examining its structure, one can understand that this is a female organ.
Why are hyenas so unusual? First, Glickman and his colleagues suggested that the blood of females is very high in testosterone, a male sex hormone that helps form muscle and hair in males, and also encourages them to aggressive behavior. However, with this hormone in hyenas, everything was normal. But in pregnant females, its content suddenly increased.
The reason for the unusual structure of the hyena (the size of females and morphological and sexual similarity with males) turned out to be a hormone called androstenedione, which, under the influence of enzymes, is able to turn into a female hormone - estrogen - or testosterone - a male hormone. As Glickman found, in pregnant hyenas, androstenedione, penetrating the placenta, is converted into testosterone. In all other mammals, including humans, on the contrary, in estrogen. A special enzyme stimulates the appearance of estrogen, which is not very active in the body of hyenas. Thus, so much testosterone is produced in the placenta that the fetus is formed with pronounced masculine (male) characteristics and females with unusual sexual characteristics, regardless of gender.
bloodthirsty kidsBecause of their strange anatomy, childbirth in hyenas is very difficult and often ends in the death of the cub. At Berkeley, out of every seven cubs, only three survive; the rest die from lack of oxygen. In the wild, the mother herself often does not survive. Female hyenas most often die because lions attack them during childbirth.
Two, and sometimes more babies are born, weighing up to two kilograms. The appearance of the crumbs is charming: button eyes and black fluffy fur. But more furious little ones are hard to imagine. A few minutes after their birth, tiny hyenas are already rushing at each other, trying to kill their brothers. “These are the only mammals that are born with sharp fangs and incisors,” says Glickman. “In addition, unlike cats, hyenas are born sighted - and immediately see only enemies around them.”
They bite, dodge, gnaw and tear each other's backs. Their contractions are not at all like the hustle and bustle of kittens trying to get to their mother's nipples first. Hyena cubs want to be not the first, but the only ones, and the struggle between them is not for life, but for death. About a quarter of the cubs die as soon as they are born.
But the passion for murderous fights gradually disappears from them. In the first weeks of life, the content of testosterone in the blood of young animals is steadily declining. The survivors of these feuds reconcile with each other. It is curious that all their lives female hyenas behave more aggressively than males. Why did nature turn these spotted beauties into some kind of "superman"?
Lawrence Frank proposed a hypothesis. Throughout their history - and it has 25 million years - hyenas have learned to eat prey together - the whole flock. For kids, such a division of carcasses is discrimination. While the adults, pushing them back, tormented the meat, the little hyenas were left with only leftovers, mostly gnawed bones.
From such a meager diet, they starved and soon died. Nature favored those females who, throwing themselves at other hyenas, cleared a place near the prey for their babies. The more aggressive the hyena behaved, the more chances her offspring had to survive. Warlike hyena cubs could eat meat along with adults.
The ancient world of hyenasIn ancient times, two types of hyenas were known: striped and spotted, and the first, an inhabitant of North Africa and Western Asia, was, of course, more familiar to people than the spotted one living south of the Sahara. However, ancient writers did not distinguish between types of hyenas. So, Aristotle, as well as Arnobius and Cassius Felix, Latin writers, natives of Africa, mention the hyena without touching on its species differences.
Since ancient times, people have been amazed by the dexterity and perseverance with which hyenas tore up graves, so they were afraid of them, like evil demons. They were considered werewolves. A hyena seen in a dream meant a witch. In various parts of Africa, it was believed that sorcerers turn into hyenas at night. Until recently, the Arabs buried the head of a killed hyena, fearing it.
In Egypt, hyenas were hated and persecuted. This devourer fell to the depths of her soul insulted the inhabitants of the Nile valley, who were accustomed to honor the bodies of the dead. On Theban frescoes you can see scenes of hunting with dogs for animals that lived in the surrounding deserts: gazelles, hares, hyenas.
The Talmud described the outflow of an evil spirit from a hyena as follows: “When the male hyena is seven years old, he takes on the appearance of a bat; after another seven years, it turns into another bat, called arpad; after another seven years, it sprouts nettles; after another seven years - a thorn, and, finally, an evil spirit appears from it.
One of the church fathers, Jerome, who lived in Palestine for a long time, writes about it with obvious hostility, recalling how hyenas and jackals scurry in hordes on the ruins of ancient cities, instilling fear in the souls of random travelers.
Since time immemorial, many different legends have been composed about hyenas. As already mentioned, they were credited with hermaphrodism and the ability to change their gender. It was said with a shudder that the hyena, imitating the voice of a person, lures children out and then tears them apart. It was said that the hyena exterminates dogs. The Libyans put prickly collars on dogs to protect them from hyenas.
Pliny wrote that the hyena looks like a cross between a dog and a wolf and will gnaw through any object with its teeth, and immediately digest the swallowed food in the womb. In addition, Pliny gave an extensive one - a whole page! - a list of potions that can be prepared from the skin, liver, brain and other organs of the hyena. So, the liver helped with eye diseases. Galen, Caelius, Oribasius, Alexander of Trallsky, Theodore Prisk also wrote about this.
Hyena skin has long been credited with magical properties. Going to sow, the peasants often wrapped a basket of seeds with a piece of this skin. It was believed that this protects the crop from hail.
Elian, the author of Motley Tales and On the Nature of Animals, reported that at night hyenas strangle sleeping people and devour dogs: “At the full moon, the hyena turns its back to the light, so that its shadow falls on the dogs. Bewitched by the shadow, they become numb, unable to utter a sound; the hyenas carry them off and devour them.” The special dislike of hyenas for dogs was noted by Aristotle and Pliny. Many authors also assured that any person, whether a child, a woman or a man, easily becomes the prey of a hyena if she manages to catch him sleeping.
There is a place in Africa where it is especially interesting to watch hyenas. This is the city of Harar in Ethiopia. At night, hyenas walk right along its medieval streets. We knew about this and yet experienced some strange feeling when we first saw hyenas near the houses. They collected kitchen waste and bones. Sometimes hyenas accepted handouts even from the hands of people. On one of the streets, Jane nudged me with her elbow. There was a sleeping woman on the sidewalk.
She wouldn't be so careless among the hyenas of the Serengeti.
People and hyenas get along well in this city. True, one has to appease predators all year round and toss them gifts such as the carcasses of the dead. But the hyenas keep the streets of Harar clean, and in the conditions of the African heat, this is very important.
Yet most Africans dislike hyenas, and with good reason. Too often newspapers report about attacks of predators on villages, about death of people.
To make it easier to study the life of hyenas, we marked them. From a special gun, a dart with a drug flew at the hyena, and the animal could not move for some time. Approaching the motionless hyena, we attached small triangles to its ears, clearly visible from a distance. In total, we tagged fifty animals, which helped us a lot in our work.
As it turned out, at the bottom of the crater, whose area is 250 square kilometers, there are about 420 adult hyenas, united in several groups. These groups, which we have called clans, divided the crater into eight hunting zones, the boundaries of which were strictly guarded by their inhabitants. And the hyenas were not at all embarrassed that the conditional line sometimes passed through completely flat terrain.
On one of the moonlit nights, having entered a flock of hyenas on an all-terrain vehicle, we spied how the animals guard their territory from the encroachments of neighboring clans. Our path started from rocky ledges where zebras often come to rub their sides on them. We named this place the Rubbing Zebra Rock Clan. Here the hyenas attacked the antelope, but only a kilometer and a half later they managed to knock it to the ground. We were surprised to hear suddenly the alarming cry of one of the hyenas. All the beasts of the Rubbing Zebra Rock Clan jumped away from their prey and stared into the darkness. The aliens were rapidly approaching them. At first there were only four, then five, six. The tails of the hyenas were belligerently raised up, the nape bristled menacingly. The carcass of the killed antelope was no longer of interest to anyone.
A fierce fight broke out. The hyenas circled our all-terrain vehicle like some kind of monstrous wheel. It was a real hurricane. From everywhere rushed a growl, a howl. Fangs flashed with fire. I hurriedly switched the buttons of the tape recorder, trying to record the report of the clan battle on video. But he soon abandoned his intention: it is useless to try to describe this picture ...
Now there were already about thirty animals at the scene of the fight. In each clan, the hyenas huddled close together, and as before, their tails stuck out militantly.
Look look! - I was delighted, pointing to one of the hyenas of the alien clan. She has our mark.
Jane clicked her camera and hurriedly leafed through her notebook.
“This is an old female,” she said, “of the Lakeside clan.
So here's the thing! The Rock Hyenas of the Rubbing Zebra Clan started out hunting in their own territory, but got carried away chasing the antelope and overtook the prey in the Lakeland Hyena hunting grounds. The owners did not tolerate the violation of the unwritten law of their ancestors and fell upon the unlucky hunters.
The conflict lasted fifteen minutes. At first, the advantage was on the side of the Rubbing Zebra Rock Clan, but gradually the owners pressed the uninvited guests more and more, and, finally, the violators of the laws of the prairies, licking their wounds on the go, disappeared in the cold light of the moon.
We managed to learn a lot of interesting things about hyenas. It turned out that females play a predominant role in their clans. This is extremely rare in predators. Females, as a rule, remain in the territory of their clan forever. Males are not so loyal to their clan and sometimes move to neighboring ones. One of the males we marked even belonged to two clans at the same time!
The cubs live in one common heap, but each female takes care of only her own babies. The dens for hyenas are large burrows in the open plain. Sometimes the animals dig them themselves, sometimes they occupy the holes of other animals. In one of these shelters, the females drag their cubs, carefully watching so that none of the males dares to approach them. The dramatic incident with little Solomon was for us a living reminder of the frequent cases of cannibalism - hyena mothers are forced to protect their offspring from the fangs of their father.
Everything we have written about hyenas applies to hyenas in Ngorongoro, but I'm not sure if this is true for hyenas in general. For example, in the Serengeti, herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles roam continuously, passing hundreds of kilometers. In addition, in some areas these animals, which serve as a source of subsistence for hyenas, accumulate in masses, in others they are not shown at all for a long time. Many questions remain unanswered.
Hyenas have a very bad reputation. According to the prevailing opinion, the hyena is cowardly, insidious, clumsy, eats carrion and leftovers, and does not differ in appearance.
As for appearance, of course, if you rely on human criteria for beauty, you can say that hyenas are not particularly beautiful. But if we keep in mind expediency, then, you see, the hyena is unusually perfect. She is the only one of all animals capable of crushing the bones of all kinds of animals with her strong jaws and teeth, except for elephants. The powerful muscles of the forelimbs and chest allow the hyena to carry very heavy prey over long distances. She is not at all as clumsy as she might seem. It is capable of chasing a wildebeest, zebra or gazelle for a distance of five kilometers at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour, which exceeds the capabilities of lions or leopards. The digestive organs of hyenas are among the most advanced among all predators, which allows them to eat carrion, as well as everything that moves, from termites, snakes and fish to buffaloes. And it would be unfair not to love hyenas because they eat carrion, because, along with vultures, they play the role of orderlies and prevent the occurrence and spread of dangerous diseases.
But even more unfair for hyenas are allegations that they are hangers-on and eat the remains of food taken by a lion or leopard. Many, probably, will be surprised by the fact that most of all food, that is, up to 93%, is obtained by hyenas by hunting.
Dr. Hans Kruk, while conducting a study of the life of hyenas in the Serengati People's Park and in the Ngorongoro Crater, found out that lions very often take prey from hyenas. This somehow does not fit with the generally accepted opinion that hyenas eat up the meat of animals killed by lions. It turns out that from the prey eaten jointly by lions and hyenas, 84% of the food was obtained by hyenas, 6% by lions, while the origin of the remaining 10% of prey has not been accurately established. So who then can be called a hanger-on: a hyena or a lion?
By the way, many, judging by the appearance of hyenas, believe that they are close in the zoological system to dogs, while in fact hyenas are rather closer to cats.
And a few more words in defense of the moral image of hyenas: the family life of hyenas with care for the babies of Obraztsov is exemplary.
"Encyclopedia of our delusions"
FACTS AND MYTHS ABOUT HYENAS
For a long time no one could find a kind word for hyenas. They are treacherous and cowardly; they greedily torment carrion, laugh like demons, and they also know how to change sex, becoming either females or males.
Ernest Hemingway, who traveled a lot in Africa and was well versed in the habits of animals, knew about hyenas only that they are "hermaphrodites that defile the dead."
From ancient times to the present day, the same chilling stories have been told about hyenas. They were copied from book to book, but no one bothered to check them. Hyenas have not really interested anyone for a long time.
Only in 1984, at the University of Berkeley (California), a center for the study of individuals was opened. Now there lives a colony of forty spotted hyenas(Crocuta crocuta), - the most misunderstood animals in the world.
Who eats a lion for dinner?
Indeed, spotted hyenas are very different from other predatory animals. For example, only in hyenas, females are larger and more massive than males. Their constitution determines the life of the pack: matriarchy reigns here. In this feminist world, it makes no sense for males to bicker, life partners are much stronger and angrier than them, but you can’t call them insidious at the same time.
“Hyenas are the most caring mothers among predators,” says Professor Stephen Glickman, who initiated the study of hyenas at Berkeley.
Unlike lionesses, hyenas drive males away from their prey, allowing only babies to approach it at first. In addition, these quivering mothers feed their cubs with milk for almost 20 months.
Many myths will be dispelled by impartial observation of hyenas. Have the Death Eaters fallen? Just not enterprising hunters, driving large prey with the whole flock. They eat carrion only when they are hungry.
Cowardly? Among predators, only hyenas are ready to fight back the "king of beasts". With devilish laughter, they attack the lions if they are going to take their prey from them, for example, a defeated zebra, which the pack did not get easily.
Hyenas themselves attack old lions, finishing with them in a matter of minutes. A coward dares to attack only a hare.
As for their hermaphrodism, this is one of the most common ridiculous myths. Hyenas are bisexual, although it is really difficult to determine their gender. This is due to the fact that the genitals of females outwardly almost do not differ from male ones. Their labia form a sac-like fold resembling a scrotum, the clitoris is similar in size to the penis, only by examining its structure, one can understand that this is a female organ.
Why are hyenas so unusual? At first, Glickman and his colleagues suggested that the blood of females is very high in testosterone, a male sex hormone that helps form muscles and hair in males, and also encourages them to aggressive behavior. However, with this hormone in hyenas, everything was normal. But in pregnant females, its content suddenly increased.
The reason for the unusual structure of the hyena (the size of females and morphological and sexual similarity with males) turned out to be a hormone called androstenedione, which, under the influence of an enzyme, is able to turn into a female hormone - estrogen - or testosterone, a male hormone.
As Glickman found, in pregnant hyenas, androstenedione, penetrating the placenta, is converted into testosterone. In all other mammals, including humans, on the contrary, in estrogen.
A special enzyme stimulates the appearance of estrogen, which is not very active in the body of hyenas. Thus, so much testosterone is produced in the placenta that the fetus is formed with pronounced masculine (male) characteristics, regardless of gender.
bloodthirsty kids
Because of their strange anatomy, childbirth in hyenas is very difficult and often ends in the death of the cubs. At the University of Berkeley, out of every seven cubs, only three survive; the rest die from lack of oxygen. In the wild, the mother herself often does not survive. Female hyenas most often die because lions attack them during childbirth.
striped hyena
Two, and sometimes more babies are born, weighing up to two kilograms. The appearance of the crumbs is charming: button eyes and black fluffy fur. But more furious little ones are hard to imagine. A few minutes after their birth, tiny hyenas are already rushing at each other, trying to kill their brothers.
“These are the only mammals that are born with sharp fangs and incisors,” notes Glickman. “In addition, unlike cats, hyenas are born sighted - and immediately see only enemies around them.”
They bite, dodge, gnaw and tear each other's backs. Their contractions are not at all like the hustle and bustle of kittens trying to get to their mother's nipples first. Hyena cubs want to be not the first, but the only ones, and the struggle between them is not for life, but for death. About a quarter of the cubs die as soon as they are born.
But the passion for murderous fights gradually disappears from them. In the first weeks of life, the content of testosterone in the blood of young animals is steadily declining. The survivors of these feuds reconcile with each other. It is curious that all their lives female hyenas behave more aggressively than males. Why did nature turn these spotted beauties into some kind of "superman"?
Lawrence Frank proposed a hypothesis. Throughout their history - and it has 25 million years - hyenas have learned to eat prey together - the whole flock. For kids, such a division of carcasses is discrimination. While the adults, pushing them back, tormented the meat, the little hyenas were left with only leftovers, mostly gnawed bones.
From such a meager diet, they starved and soon died. Nature favored those females who, throwing themselves at other hyenas, cleared a place near the prey for their babies. The more aggressive the hyena behaved, the more chances her offspring had to survive. Warlike hyena cubs could eat meat along with adults.
The ancient world of hyenas
In ancient times, two types of hyenas were known: striped and spotted, and the first, an inhabitant of North Africa and Western Asia, was, of course, more familiar to people than the spotted one living south of the Sahara. However, ancient writers did not distinguish between types of hyenas. So, Aristotle, as well as Arnobius and Cassius Felix, Latin writers, natives of Africa, mention the hyena without touching on its species differences.
Since ancient times, people have been amazed by the dexterity and perseverance with which hyenas tore up graves, so they were afraid of them, like evil demons. They were considered werewolves. A hyena seen in a dream meant a witch. In various parts of Africa, it was believed that sorcerers turn into hyenas at night. Until recently, the Arabs buried the head of a killed hyena, fearing it.
In Egypt, hyenas were hated and persecuted. This "devourer of carrion" to the depths of her soul insulted the inhabitants of the Nile valley, who were accustomed to honoring the bodies of the dead. On the Theban frescoes you can see scenes of hunting with dogs for animals that lived in the wastewater treatment deserts: gazelles, hares, hyenas.
The Talmud described the outflow of an evil spirit from a hyena as follows: “When the male hyena is seven years old, he takes on the appearance of a bat; after another seven years, it turns into another bat called arpad; after another seven years, it sprouts nettles; after another seven years, thorns, and, finally, an evil spirit emerges from it.
One of the church fathers, Jerome, who lived in Palestine for a long time, writes about it with obvious hostility, recalling how hyenas and jackals scurry in hordes on the ruins of ancient cities, instilling fear in the souls of random travelers.
Since time immemorial, many different legends have been composed about hyenas. As already mentioned, they were credited with hermaphrodism and the ability to change their gender. It was said with a shudder that the hyena, imitating the voice of a person, lures children out and then tears them apart. It was said that the hyena exterminates dogs. The Libyans put prickly collars on dogs to protect them from hyenas.
In Africa, the hyena can be a common pet like a dog
Pliny wrote that the hyena looks like a cross between a dog and a wolf and will gnaw through any object with its teeth, and immediately digest the swallowed food in the womb. In addition, Pliny cited an extensive one - a whole page! - a list of potions that can be prepared from the skin, liver, brain and other organs of the hyena. So, the liver helped with eye diseases. Galen, Caelius, Oribasius, Alexander of Trallsky, Theodore Prisk also wrote about this.
Hyena skin has long been credited with magical properties. Going to sow, the peasants often wrapped a basket of seeds with a piece of this skin. It was believed that this protects the crop from hail.
“At the full moon, the hyena turns its back to the light, so that its shadow falls on the dogs. Bewitched by the shadow, they become numb, unable to utter a sound; the hyenas carry them off and devour them.”
The special dislike of hyenas for dogs was noted by Aristotle and Pliny. Many authors also assured that any person, whether a child, a woman or a man, easily becomes the prey of a hyena if she manages to catch him sleeping.
THE SECRET LIFE OF THE HYENA
For a long time no one could find a kind word for hyenas. They are treacherous and cowardly; they greedily torment carrion, laugh like demons, and they also know how to change sex, becoming either females or males.
Ernest Hemingway, who traveled a lot in Africa and was well versed in the habits of animals, knew about hyenas only that they are "hermaphrodites that defile the dead."
From ancient times to the present day, the same chilling stories have been told about hyenas. They were copied from book to book, but no one bothered to check them. Hyenas have not really interested anyone for a long time.
Only in 1984, at the University of Berkeley (California), a center for the study of individuals was opened. Now there lives a colony of forty spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta), the most misunderstood animals in the world.
Who eats a lion for dinner?
Indeed, spotted hyenas are very different from other predatory animals. For example, only in hyenas, females are larger and more massive than males. Their constitution determines the life of the pack; matriarchy reigns here. In this feminist world, it makes no sense for males to bicker, life partners are much stronger and angrier than them, but you can’t call them insidious at the same time.
“Hyenas are the most caring mothers among predators,” says Professor Stephen Glickman, who initiated the study of hyenas at Berkeley. Unlike lionesses, hyenas drive males away from their prey, allowing only babies to approach it at first. In addition, these quivering mothers breastfeed their cubs for almost 20 months.
Many myths will be dispelled by impartial observation of hyenas. Have the Death Eaters fallen? Just not - enterprising hunters, driving large prey with the whole flock. They eat carrion only when they are hungry. Cowardly? Among predators, only hyenas are ready to fight back the "king of beasts". With devilish laughter, they attack the lions if they are going to take their prey from them, for example, a defeated zebra, which the pack did not get easily.
Hyenas themselves attack old lions, finishing with them in a matter of minutes. A coward dares to attack only a hare.
As for their hermaphrodism, this is one of the most common ridiculous myths. Hyenas are bisexual, although it is really difficult to determine their gender. This is due to the fact that the genitals of females look almost the same as male ones. Their labia form a sac-like fold resembling a scrotum, the clitoris is similar in size to the penis, only by examining its structure, one can understand that this is a female organ.
Why are hyenas so unusual? At first, Glickman and his colleagues suggested that the blood of females is very high in testosterone, a male sex hormone that helps form muscles and hair in males, and also encourages them to aggressive behavior. However, with this hormone in hyenas, everything was normal. But in pregnant females, its content suddenly increased.
The reason for the unusual structure of the hyena (the size of females and morphological and sexual similarity with males) turned out to be a hormone called androstenedione, which, under the influence of enzymes, is able to turn into a female hormone - estrogen - or testosterone - a male hormone. As Glickman found, in pregnant hyenas, androstenedione, penetrating the placenta, is converted into testosterone. In all other mammals, including humans, on the contrary, in estrogen. A special enzyme stimulates the appearance of estrogen, which is not very active in the body of hyenas. Thus, so much testosterone is produced in the placenta that the fetus is formed with pronounced masculine (male) characteristics and females with unusual sexual characteristics, regardless of gender.
bloodthirsty kids
Because of their strange anatomy, childbirth in hyenas is very difficult and often ends in the death of the cub. At Berkeley, out of every seven cubs, only three survive; the rest die from lack of oxygen. In the wild, the mother herself often does not survive. Female hyenas most often die because lions attack them during childbirth.
Two, and sometimes more babies are born, weighing up to two kilograms. The appearance of the crumbs is charming: button eyes and black fluffy fur. But more furious little ones are hard to imagine. A few minutes after their birth, tiny hyenas are already rushing at each other, trying to kill their brothers. “These are the only mammals that are born with sharp fangs and incisors,” notes Glickman. “In addition, unlike cats, hyenas are born sighted - and immediately see only enemies around them.”
They bite, dodge, gnaw and tear each other's backs. Their contractions are not at all like the hustle and bustle of kittens trying to get to their mother's nipples first. Hyena cubs want to be not the first, but the only ones, and the struggle between them is not for life, but for death. About a quarter of the cubs die as soon as they are born.
But the passion for murderous fights gradually disappears from them. In the first weeks of life, the content of testosterone in the blood of young animals is steadily declining. The survivors of these feuds reconcile with each other. It is curious that all their lives female hyenas behave more aggressively than males. Why did nature turn these spotted beauties into some kind of "superman"?
Lawrence Frank proposed a hypothesis. Throughout their history - and it has 25 million years - hyenas have learned to eat prey together - the whole flock. For kids, such a division of carcasses is discrimination. While the adults, pushing them back, tormented the meat, the little hyenas were left with only leftovers, mostly gnawed bones.
From such a meager diet, they starved and soon died. Nature favored those females who, throwing themselves at other hyenas, cleared a place near the prey for their babies. The more aggressive the hyena behaved, the more chances her offspring had to survive. Warlike hyena cubs could eat meat along with adults.
The ancient world of hyenas
In ancient times, two types of hyenas were known: striped and spotted, and the first, an inhabitant of North Africa and Western Asia, was, of course, more familiar to people than the spotted one living south of the Sahara. However, ancient writers did not distinguish between types of hyenas. So, Aristotle, as well as Arnobius and Cassius Felix, Latin writers, natives of Africa, mention the hyena without touching on its species differences.
Since ancient times, people have been amazed by the dexterity and perseverance with which hyenas tore up graves, so they were afraid of them, like evil demons. They were considered werewolves. A hyena seen in a dream meant a witch. In various parts of Africa, it was believed that sorcerers turn into hyenas at night. Until recently, the Arabs buried the head of a killed hyena, fearing it.
In Egypt, hyenas were hated and persecuted. This devourer fell to the depths of her soul insulted the inhabitants of the Nile valley, who were accustomed to honor the bodies of the dead. On Theban frescoes you can see scenes of hunting with dogs for animals that lived in the surrounding deserts: gazelles, hares, hyenas.
The Talmud described the outflow of an evil spirit from a hyena as follows: “When the male hyena is seven years old, he takes on the appearance of a bat; after another seven years, it turns into another bat, called arpad; after another seven years, it sprouts nettles; after another seven years - a thorn, and, finally, an evil spirit appears from it.
One of the church fathers, Jerome, who lived in Palestine for a long time, writes about it with obvious hostility, recalling how hyenas and jackals scurry in hordes on the ruins of ancient cities, instilling fear in the souls of random travelers.
Since time immemorial, many different legends have been composed about hyenas. As already mentioned, they were credited with hermaphrodism and the ability to change their gender. It was said with a shudder that the hyena, imitating the voice of a person, lures children out and then tears them apart. It was said that the hyena exterminates dogs. The Libyans put prickly collars on dogs to protect them from hyenas.
Pliny wrote that the hyena looks like a cross between a dog and a wolf and will gnaw through any object with its teeth, and immediately digest the swallowed food in the womb. In addition, Pliny cited an extensive one - a whole page! - a list of potions that can be prepared from the skin, liver, brain and other organs of the hyena. So, the liver helped with eye diseases. Galen, Caelius, Oribasius, Alexander of Trallsky, Theodore Prisk also wrote about this.
Hyena skin has long been credited with magical properties. Going to sow, the peasants often wrapped a basket of seeds with a piece of this skin. It was believed that this protects the crop from hail.
Elian, the author of Motley Tales and On the Nature of Animals, reported that at night hyenas strangle sleeping people and devour dogs. “At the full moon, the hyena turns its back to the light, so that its shadow falls on the dogs. Bewitched by the shadow, they become numb, unable to utter a sound; the hyenas carry them off and devour them.” The special dislike of hyenas for dogs was noted by Aristotle and Pliny. Many authors also assured that any person, whether a child, a woman or a man, easily becomes the prey of a hyena if she manages to catch him sleeping.
hyena gladiator
The hyena rarely appeared in the circus arena. In the time of Antoninus Pius (II century AD), she was once released along with other outlandish animals. In 202, during the reign of Septimius Severus, 700 bison, ostriches, bears, lions, spotted hyenas and other animals were killed at games that lasted a whole week. Finally, on the days of the famous celebrations in honor of the millennium of Rome, Emperor Philip the Arab ordered ten hyenas to be released into the arena.
Will a hyena help a woman?
Only in recent years has the physiology of hyenas become clear. Their hormonal mechanism is unusual for mammals. It was he who interested the physicians. After all, some women's diseases make us remember hyenas. For example, "polycystic ovarian syndrome". With this disease, a woman's body produces large doses of androgens - male sex hormones. This often leads to infertility. “Perhaps the troubles of these women began even before birth,” notes the American physician Ned Place, “when they, like the embryos of hyenas, took testosterone baths in their mothers.”
A similar picture is observed in women suffering from an excess of an enzyme that converts cholesterol into cortisone. This leads to an excess of testosterone, and the girls stop developing breasts; they are in danger of infertility. "Interestingly, female hyenas also circulate higher amounts of male hormones, but they don't have any problems," Plas says.
The researchers believe that unraveling the mysteries of the hyena's body will open up new possibilities in medicine, in particular, in the treatment of infertility.
From the book Encyclopedic Dictionary (G-D) author Brockhaus F. A.Hyenas Hyenas - form a special family (Hyaeuidae), a detachment of predatory mammals. Their characteristic features are: a short, thick head with a short, thick or pointed snout; their hind legs are shorter than their front legs, which is why the back is sloping, from the shoulder region to
From the book Great Soviet Encyclopedia (GI) of the author TSB From the book Great Soviet Encyclopedia (TA) of the author TSB From the book Criminals and Crimes. Laws of the underworld. Customs, language, tattoos author Kuchinsky Alexander Vladimirovich From the book All About Everything. Volume 5 the author Likum Arkady From the book of the Special Services of the Russian Empire [Unique Encyclopedia] author Kolpakidi Alexander IvanovichSecret surgery Camp bridgemen To avoid a stage or work, convicts often have to feign illness. For this, there are special recipes that the criminal fraternity developed and tested back in the days of hard labor. These tricks began to be used in
From the book The Complete Encyclopedia of Our Delusions authorDo hyenas laugh? There is a species of spotted hyena called the laughing hyena. She is the largest representative of this family. When the spotted hyena hunts for prey or is annoyed by something, it emits a growl that inspires superstitious fear, reminiscent of a giggle.
From the book The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Our Delusions [with illustrations] author Mazurkevich Sergey Alexandrovich From The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Our Delusions [with transparent pictures] author Mazurkevich Sergey Alexandrovich From the book 100 famous mysteries of nature author Syadro Vladimir VladimirovichHyenas Hyenas have a very bad reputation. According to the prevailing opinion, the hyena is cowardly, insidious, clumsy, eats carrion and leftovers, and does not differ in appearance. As for appearance, of course, if you rely on human beauty criteria, you can
From the book The Author's Encyclopedia of Films. Volume I author Lurcelle JacquesHyenas Hyenas have a very bad reputation. According to the prevailing opinion, the hyena is cowardly, insidious, clumsy, eats carrion and leftovers, and does not differ in appearance. As for appearance, of course, if you rely on human beauty criteria, you can
From the book Masterpieces of Russian Artists author Evstratova Elena Nikolaevna From the book Animal World author Sitnikov Vitaly PavlovichLa escondida Secret mistress 1956 - Mexico (103 min) Prod. Alia Films Dir. ROBERTO GAVALDON Scene. Jose Revueltas, Roberto Gavaldon, Günter Guerso based on the novel by Michel N. Lyra Oper. Gabriel Figueroa (Eastmancolor) Music Raul Lavista Starring Maria Felix (Gabriela), Pedro Armendariz
From the book Lisbon: nine circles of hell, the Flying Portuguese and ... port wine author Rosenberg Alexander N.The Last Supper 1863. State Russian Museum, St. PetersburgThe artist rethought the gospel story in historical and moral terms. Before us appears the scene of the meal of Christ and his disciples. After the words of Jesus, "one of you will betray me," the betrayer Judas already
From the author's bookWhy are hyenas laughing? In those places where the hyena lives, people try to stay away from it. And not only because it is an extremely ferocious predator. Everyone considers the hyena to be a cowardly and vile animal. Hyenas rarely attack the strong and openly. Most often they act
The most disgusting character trait in a person is reminiscent of the habits of a hyena: find someone to pursue, it is desirable that the prey be larger, measure your capabilities, and begin a constant, methodical pursuit of the prey, waiting for an opportunity when you can run up and bite harder, and , at the same time, people with the habits of a hyena always have a sugary-poisonous grin. What is especially characteristic is that people with the habits of a hyena never hunt alone. Running away, they join their flock or, without fail, find a partner for themselves, with whom they can attack periodically, or simultaneously, from different sides, studying your weak points...
Do not hope to get rid of them, because a character trait is the very beast that sits in a person. And, this very trait of character, elevates a person to a certain status - to always be with his tail up. When you encounter a person in whom the trait of a hyena sits, he will certainly express it with a disgusting smell of obsession and lack of a sense of proportion. He (she), with his smell, will begin to mark your personal territory, showing you his whole essence *. The best thing you can do is to avoid associating with people who have a pronounced characteristic of the hyena ...
*
In nature, all animals are just innocent copies of human desires, instincts, characteristics - the entire animal world - "each creature in pairs"!
Therefore, when communicating with someone, do not forget to pay attention to his characteristic features, which are perfectly manifested at a critical moment. The nature of a material person is rich in that it contains a huge physical world.
But there are many noble animals on earth ...
*
“In its way of life, it is similar to other hyenas, but in its size and strength it is more dangerous than them. The howl of the spotted hyena is similar to laughter. The tail shows social status: the tail lifted up means a high social position, lowered - low. The smell of hyenas is caused mainly by the secretion of glands that serve for communication. *Exposing the genitals serves to reduce aggressiveness.”
So, people with the habits of a hyena demonstrate "tolerance" :))))
***
Probably, each of you has come across clans of anti-Soviet hyenas and Russophobes?
"but the most interesting thing is the hind legs of the hyenas, because, even in the straightened state, they seem to be bent, as if the animal crouched down from fright..." -
Here, too, on their "half-bent" NATO troops in hyena-colored uniforms are advancing towards our borders and are already running in separate flocks across the territory of our Fatherland (in Ukraine), provoking and imposing a war.
Howl! Well!
And we are all digging in our dung heaps ...
Reviews
hyena is a phenomenal creature... it seems to be molded from parts of several
some animals: she has a dog nose and dog paws (front), a mane, like a horse,
the ears are shaped like rats, the mouth is like a shark, the neck is like a giraffe,
the belly sags like a boar, the tail is tassel like that of a lion or a donkey...
but the most interesting thing is the hind legs, because even in a straightened state
they seem to be bent, as if the animal crouched down from fright ... vidok, of course,
she has an unpleasant, but I don’t even know if she is worse than other predators and more noble
whether they are her ... large felines, of course, look much better, more beautiful,
more regal ... but they act no better, simply because they want to eat ...
but in general, the article is interesting, gives food for thought
warmly
The daily audience of the Potihi.ru portal is about 200 thousand visitors, who in total view more than two million pages according to the traffic counter, which is located to the right of this text. Each column contains two numbers: the number of views and the number of visitors.
