Fauna of West Africa

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 71. Chapters: Common Chimpanzee, Giraffe, Bongo, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Senegal Bushbaby, Spotted Hyena, Lycaon pictus, African Bush Elephant, Serval, Olive baboon, Banded Mongoose, Warthog, Python regius, Four-toed Hedgehog, African Clawless Otter, West African Giraffe, African Golden Cat, Oribi, Bushbuck, Tree Pangolin, Kob, Grivet, Dorcas Gazelle, Common Kusimanse, Giant forest hog, Patas Monkey, Side-striped Jackal, Waterbuck, Greater Flamingo, Hartebeest, Marsh Mongoose, Giant Eland, Common Tsessebe, Common Duiker, Slender Mongoose, African Manatee, Striped Polecat, Guinea baboon, Green Monkey, Water Chevrotain, Pale Fox, Sitatunga, Roan Antelope, Blue Duiker, Bohor Reedbuck, African palm civet, Aquatic Genet, Spotted-necked Otter, Yellow-backed Duiker, Red-fronted Gazelle, Zebra Duiker, Rusty-spotted Genet, Apomyrma stygia, Pardine Genet, Haussa Genet. Excerpt: The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save for the Congo Basin. Spotted hyenas live in large matriarchal communities called clans, which can consist of up to 80 individuals. Though often mislabeled as cowardly scavengers, spotted hyenas derive the majority of their nourishment by hunting medium sized ungulates, and frequently clash with lions over food and territory. They are highly intelligent among the carnivora, with studies indicating that their social intelligence is on par with some primate species. The spotted hyena features prominently in African mythology and folklore, where its portrayal varies from being a bringer of light, to a symbol of immorality and depravity. Skull of Crocuta crocuta spelaeaIt is thought that the ancestors of the spotted hyena branched off from the true hyenas (striped and brown hyenas) during the Pliocene era, 5.332 million to 1.806 million years ago. Ancestral spotted hyenas probably developed social behaviours in response to increased pressure from rivals on carcasses, thus forcing them to operate in teams. Spotted hyenas evolved sharp carnassials behind their crushing premolars, therefore they did not need to wait for their prey to die, as is the case for brown and striped hyenas, and thus became pack hunters as well as scavengers. They began forming increasingly larger territories, necessitated by the fact that their prey was often migratory, and long chases in a small territory would have caused them to encroach into another clan's turf. The evolution of pack behaviour in hyenas likely influenced the ancestors of lions into first forming prides, in order to better defend their kills. According to the fossil record, the species first evolved in the Indian Subcont