"The Pack"

[escritoireazul]

Quick question about pack structure and BtVS.



Hey, question. In "The Pack" (BtVS season one), why, in the power walk scene, are the guys up front? Aren't hyena packs led by a female? The guys are the ones in charge throughout this episode, and it drives me nuts.

Yes, I have these thoughts a lot, okay? Humans as animals was one of my favorite things to study--the whole dodgeball scene in here cracked me up, because I'd been doing theories of humans acting like animals in gym throughout school. My comparison at one point was young lions not quite confident in all their strengths but feeling pretty indestructible.

Also, that pig was too cute. I'm terribly sad they ate him, and now I want a pet pig. And a pet hyena. Except obviously not in the same place.

Comments

cont'd

[carlyinrome.livejournal.com]

It is also common to see that some hyena clans actually have specialized in hunting certain types of prey. One clan may have specialized in hunting wildebeest, whilst another has specialized in hunting zebras. For instance, the “wildebeest hunters” often hunt in small groups (often 2–7 hyenas). When they approach the wildebeest herd, one of them runs into the herd and causes confusion. Then, it picks out a certain animal (usually the oldest, youngest or one that is wounded or weak) it begins to hunt down. The other hyenas then join it, scaring all other wildebeest away and concentrating on the unfortunate chosen one. Such a hunt can go for a couple of kilometres, with a speed up to 64 km/h. When the prey is down, the hyenas share the food without any fights worthy to mention. In spite of the fact that they are equally hungry, they are tolerant and respect each others’ ranks. The more is usually the better, since the prey can be effectively defended against other predators, such as lions.

The hunt of zebras is slightly different, however, since the social structure of wildebeest and zebra are different. The zebras huddle together when they spot the hyenas, and run away close to each other. A group of hyenas that are after zebras will find this hunt difficult, because the leading stallion fiercely defends his herd with kicks and bites. Again, one single fast and brave hyena must run up in front and distract the stallion, while another picks out an animal. As soon as this hyena bites, the others will join in, while two hyenas constantly distract the stallion, until it gives up.

An average number of 11 hyenas is often required for such a hunt, but the number doubles up when it is feeding time. There is most often 6 hyenas hunting a wildebeest, but the number on feeding time is the same as with zebras.

The difference in numbers when hunting is connected to how well the prey is able to defend itself. Hyenas have no illusions about their power, and only hunt the prey they are able to at the specific time (four hyenas, for example, wouldn‘t even try hunting down a zebra). The size and behaviour of the hunting parties is therefore directly connected to the size and behaviour of the prey animals.

Wikipedia (http://wikipedia.org/) owns me.