Hyenas have always had a reputation of being strange animals. They are one of the few mammal species which have a matriarchal society, in which the females possess genitals which resemble those of a male. In addition to this, their social hierarchy and greetings are unlike many other mammals. A few days ago, whilst on game drive, we witnessed some rather strange behaviour from a hyena that I had not seen before.
Hyenas have always been misunderstood and only recently have we started to discover how complex they really are. However, there is still a lot we don’t know. Photograph by James Tyrrell
Whilst out on foot, one of the trackers had come across a dead African rock python that appeared to have been killed by a leopard. When we drove a vehicle closer to investigate, we were hit by the most putrid smell from the python’s carcass and had no choice but to back off and look at it through binoculars. Watching from a distance, and contemplating the length of the snake, I noticed a hyena approach it. I immediately assumed that the hyena, attracted by the smell, would drag the python away and start to feed on it. However, it did not. Rather, it proceeded to lie down on top of the dead python and roll around on the carcass. After doing this several times, the hyena got up and walked off, without eating any of the meat. This struck me as strange and is something that I have not witnessed before. Elmon Mhlongo on the other hand, has seen this several times and stated that he has never seen the hyenas actually eat a python. One reason for this may be the extremely acidic stomach juices of pythons which can reportedly taint the meat once the stomach has been pierced. Leopards have been seen feeding off python kills a few times here but have been observed leaving them quite early on, quite possibly for that exact reason.
Although this was not the leopard that killed this python, it was most likely a similar culprit. In this image the Vomba female attacks a python that ventured too close to her cubs.
It is common to see some animals roll around in the dung of other animals. Leopards and lions will often roll around in buffalo dung, but rolling around over a carcass is not often seen. What intrigued me was why a hyena would do this, and I certainly do not profess to know the answer. There are several theories as to why animals will cover themselves with the scent of the dung of other animals. Some ethologists suggest that rolling around in dung or carcasses may be out of curiosity, to lay claim to a kill or to communicate to the rest of the clan what they have found. The majority suggest that rolling around in other animal dung or carcasses could disguise the smell of predators and assist them in hunting. Although I have seen leopards do this on several occasions with buffalo dung, this theory doesn’t really explain this hyena’s behaviour. It seems unlikely that covering itself with the smell of the carcass would assist it in hunting as it may only smell even more and be even more detectable. Furthermore, the fact that the hyena would have rolled around in a perfectly good meal to go and look for another also seems unlikely.
Some ethologists suggest that carnivores like this leopard roll around in buffalo or other herbivore dung to mask their own scent. However, this probably doesn’t explain why the hyena was rolling around on the python carcass.
Often things out in nature are very complex and we need to be careful to assign simple explanations to them. Why hyenas do this remains unclear. However, it is an interesting sighting worth noting and is something that is not seen very often at Londolozi.
Sounds like something my dogs would love to roll in whilst on a walk! Perhaps its a similar sort of behaviour. All I know is they have to have a bath afterwards because the smell is absolutely revolting…………………………………..
Those of us who walk our dogs in the often find them rolling in dead animal remains and fox poo. I am sure it is an act from before they were domesticated. They then have to be put under a tap or plunged into a stream or pool and scrubbed to remove the stench!
Not sure why they do this but our dog, a Siberian Husky, would roll over and over in cattle dung and even on a dead seal carcass on the beach. Interesting that this behavior occurs with predators and scavengers in Africa as well.
Very interesting, Shaun. My two Whippets used to rub themselves in dead worms whenever they’d find them in the grass (and I didn’t get to them in time to intervene). The smell would be awful and was followed by a trip into the bath. I could never understand that either but was told the same, that it was instinctive behaviour to hide their scent from prey.
Interesting encounter Shaun. I too can relate to the stench. My now deceased angel would roll over a very dead carcass and come back covered in disgusting stuff along with maggots. Guess they think they smell terrific. Heartening to know that wild animals do the same. Thanks for the enlightening article.
I’ve always wondered about this and never felt the “smell masking for hunting” to sufficiently explain why animals do this… I wonder if rolling in foul smelling poop & dead animal carcasses could be a way of warding off certain types of disease carrying insects? Certainly wouldn’t keep the flies away, but curious if may be effective on insects like ticks & mosquitoes that are naturally attracted to living hosts for blood? Or maybe it has something to do with the fecal/ bacteria enzymes in poop & decaying carcass? Like many of natures mysteries, eventually we just may discover there’s more to why animals roll in the nasty smelling things then we initially thought… or maybe it simply is that they really just love the smell of Eau de dead python…?