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The response of spotted hyaenas to long-term changes in prey populations: functional response and interspecific kleptoparasitism

  1. Oliver P. Höner1,2,3,*,
  2. Bettina Wachter1,2,3,
  3. Marion L. East1,3,
  4. Heribert Hofer1,3

Article first published online: 19 APR 2002

DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2656.2002.00596.x

Issue

Journal of Animal Ecology

Journal of Animal Ecology

Volume 71, Issue 2, pages 236–246, March 2002

Additional Information

How to Cite

Höner, O. P., Wachter, B., East, M. L. and Hofer, H. (2002), The response of spotted hyaenas to long-term changes in prey populations: functional response and interspecific kleptoparasitism. Journal of Animal Ecology, 71: 236–246. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2656.2002.00596.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensphysiologie, Postfach 1564, D-82305 Seewiesen, Germany;

  2. 2

    Institute of Zoology, University of Berne, Baltzerstr. 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland; and

  3. 3

    Institute of Zoo & Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, D-10315 Berlin, Germany

* Oliver Höner, Institute of Zoo & Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, D-10315 Berlin, Germany, E-mail: hoener@izw-berlin.de, Fax: + + 49-30-5168-735, telephone: + + 49-30-5168-709 or 5168–406

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 19 APR 2002
  2. Article first published online: 19 APR 2002
  3. Received 5 June 2001; revision received 26 October 2000

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Keywords:

  • Crocuta crocuta;
  • lion;
  • predator–prey relationship;
  • preference index;
  • scavenging

Summary

  • 1
    Over the last three decades the main prey species (wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus, zebra Equus burchelli, Thomson’s gazelle Gazella thomsoni, and Grant’s gazelle Gazella granti) of spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, substantially declined in numbers, whereas buffalo Syncerus caffer numbers increased strongly. This provided a ‘natural experiment’ to investigate how a generalist predator such as the spotted hyaena responds to long-term changes in prey populations. Here we compare data on the feeding ecology of Crater hyaenas from the late 1990s (period II) with equivalent data from the late 1960s (period I).
  • 2
    Hyaenas showed strong hunting preferences for wildebeest calves and gazelle fawns during both periods I and II. Adult buffaloes, prey difficult to hunt for hyaenas, were rarely hunted in either period despite a large increase in buffalo numbers from period I to II.
  • 3
    Hyaenas exhibited a functional response to the changes in prey populations by killing more buffalo calves and adult wildebeest during period II, relatively easy prey categories for hyaenas to hunt.
  • 4
    The proportion of carcasses scavenged and acquired by kleptoparasitizing other predators increased from period I to II. This was facilitated by an increase in the relative number of lion kills available to hyaenas during the same period.
  • 5
    Hyaenas defended a similar proportion of their kills against kleptoparasitic attempts by lions during both periods. Since the ratio of kills hyaenas kleptoparasitized from lions in relation to kills lost to lions increased from period I to period II, hyaenas obtained more food resources from lions during period II than I.
  • 6
    The success of hyaenas kleptoparasitizing lions was influenced by the presence of male lions and the ability of hyaenas to recruit sufficient clan members to appropriate carcasses from lions.
  • 7
    This study is the first to demonstrate both a functional response of a predator to changes in the size of prey populations and an associated change in foraging behaviour of the predator.
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