Pregnant hyena

Did you know female hyenas have masculinized genitalia and it's almost impossible to tell them apart from males, other than by their larger size? I love hyenas, they're too cool.

This lady we met on our first night on the way to the Seronera.

Serengeti
Tanzania, Africa
Aug 2009

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• hyena
• serengeti
• africa
• tanzania

[ctravih]

actually only tanzanian hyeenas have male genitals

[baskinps]

@ctravih

show me a paper that gives any evidence for that, I've read many, many papers and books by famous wildlife scientists that state otherwise. Unless you're refering to a different species of hyena, such as the striped or brown hyena? All female spotted hyenas have masculinized genitals, tanzanian or not.

[baskinps]

@ctravih

show me a paper that gives any evidence for that, I've read many, many papers and books by famous wildlife scientists that state otherwise. Unless you're refering to a different species of hyena, such as the striped or brown hyena? All female spotted hyenas have masculinized genitals, tanzanian or not.

[ctravih]

@baskinps i didnt know what the species of hyena were called so i refered to them a tanzanian hyenas, what i meant was not in all species of hyena, does the female hyenas also posses male genetalia.

[baskinps]

@ctravih oh cool! I didn't know that. I haven't read too much about the striped or brown hyenas, hard to find stuff on them. I'm a devoted Holekamp fan :) lol

[ctravih]

@baskinps alright my bad, all female hyenas have a false penis, although it does not function as an organ of reproduction

[flamedwerewolf]

awesome, dude, you saw a hyena, i'm jealous, i never spot a hyena, or i missed them, but that was cool.