Hyena Studies

Did you know that female hyenas have big ol' pseudo-penises?? I did, and I wanted to focus my studies on that a bit.  I thought it would be particularly interesting, since Gwen is intersex, to have her finish the transformation with both sets of genitalia.  So I wanted to make sure I got an idea of how the two sets differ from eachother.  

Hyenas are wayyy more interesting than they have any right to be!  Here are some fun facts:

• I mentioned this in an earlier post, but hyenas are more closely related to cats than they are to dogs.  They aren't cats per se, but they are derived from the feliform tree of evolution, as opposed to caniform.  Their similarity to dogs is an example of convergent evolution, and they do indeed possess more dog-like traits both morphologically and behaviorally.   
• Socially, they behave more like primates, which is also considered an example of convergent evolution.
• The clitoris of the female Hyena has evolved into a pseudo-penis, and their vaginal opening has actually fused to form a pseudo-scrotum.  As you can imagine, this makes reproduction extremely awkward.
• Even after reading a description, I still don't really understand how copulation works.  But apparently it's very difficult, and the males will typically need to practice for several months before successfully inseminating a female.
• Horrifyingly, they do in fact give birth through their urethra.  It permanently stretches their pseudo-penis, and their first-born cubs only have a 40% chance of surviving.  The mother also has a 15% chance of dying.  
• Despite this, they are one of the most populous carnivores of their size in the area.  
• The development of the pseudo-penis requires a significant amount of male hormones during fetile development, and because of this, the gender roles are essentially reversed.  Females are significantly larger and always dominant.  An erection is usually a sign of submission.  
• Females with larger penises are more dominant, however the higher levels of androgen required makes it harder for them to conceive.  
• Hyenas lick each other's penises as a greeting or a sign of submission.  But a female will never lick a male's penis.  
• They're promiscuous, but older females prefer to mate with males they have a long-standing, friendly relationship with.