The influence of food source on the behavioural ecology of brown hyaenas Hyaena Brunnea in the Namib desert

Abstract

On the central Namib Desert coast, in the vicinity of the town of Luderitz, radio-collared hyaenas were found to be living almost exclusively off seal pups. The maintenance of an excessively large territory containing an abundant and highly concentrated food source appears to be the result of an evolutionary lag in a changing environment, in which inland food sources have recently become unproductive. When the behavioural ecology of these animals is compared with that of brown hyaenas in other areas, the species can be seen to exhibit substantial flexibility. This makes the brown hyaena well adapted to meet the demands of unusual, hostile and rapidly changing environments.