Hyenas

[JockSporran]

Fascinating creatures and I love their laugh. Wouldn't want to be surrounded by a pack of them in the wild, of course, but I still like them. Who do you support - lions or hyenas?

[LoftyLottie]

Well both have their place Jock, so I would support both. However, I must admit I would love to cuddle a lion but hyenas don't bring out that urge in me.

[joggerjayne]

Hyenas are gross and revolting.

End of debate.

The female hyena has a penis (seriously ... Google it).

You can't get much more unappealing than a female wild scavenging dog with a willy.

So I'm with the lions.

[LoftyLottie]

But sometimes ugliness in itself can endear you to someone, or something Jayne.

[joggerjayne]

No.

No.

No no no no no ...

[andy-hughes]

I think hyenas have a bad rep.

For reason of which I am unaware, they are perceived as cowardly and sly - an image which is reinforced in cartoons like The Lion King.

The common myth is that hyemas will wait until a lion or what ever has killed its prey, then chase the lion off and eat the kill - too lazy to kill for themselves. I did see a wildlife film where the eaxct opposite was the case - a hyena pack brought down prey, and a lion chased them off and took it.

I think therefore they are misrepresented, but I find lions more aesthetically pleasing.

[LoftyLottie]

Poor old hyenas. They can't help how they look. Anyway, obviously they must seem attractive to other hyenas. They probably think we look pretty ugly too!;o)

[mandimoo]

whats the best? hyena or lion? theres only one way to find out........fight, fight, fight

[garner]

I find them both interesting but would point out that 9 out of ten kills made by lions are pretty quick but the hyenas do not kill outright which can be pretty grusome to watch, but both have a place and a reason for being here.

[smudge]

There are two animals I really don't like & they are hyena's & bats.

Hyenas for the reason Andy gives in his first para & bats because they scare the living daylights out of me!

[wildwood]

I greatly repect the Hyena as it is one of the few animals that are 'regulators' in the ecology of their habitat. Their interesting breeding habits ensure that there are enough to be supported by the available game in any year.
They also have the greatest jaw pressure of all animals. The long front legs arrangement is unique in that they can loop along for ages at a fair clip. Their scent is not really unpleasant.

Lions are lazy animals and sleep 20 hours of the day and, as anyone who has visited a zoo in the days when the cats where brought inside during the winter, they stink to high heaven.

Every wild animal has it's place in the ecology and it's appeal to humans is right on the bottom of their priorities.

btw Jayne, Hyenas are not dogs, they are closer related to mongoose and indeed cats.

[shazam74]

I know Hyenas have their place in nature to scavenge the p;ains of Africa, but when I watched the programme about lions, the sight of hyena`s eating living animals makes me want to shoot every one of them.