Alloparenting by Helpers in Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Helpers are important to help breeding females raise their young in secure and safe surroundings. The helpers are usually young from a previous litter/brood, i.e., the siblings of the cubs being reared. However, grandmothers who are past the breeding stage also help their daughters raise their grandchildren. Here, we present the first ever observations in the wild of helpers in context of the striped hyena. The helpers play, feed, and protect the cubs at the maternal den. The cubs play with the helpers and learn social and other skills which will help them survive as adults. ABSTRACT: In an ongoing study of the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), we observed that in the nine different females, alloparenting by the daughters of a previous litter was not uncommon and occurred on fifteen different occasions, twice with two helpers. Alloparenting persisted from when the cubs are approximately a month old until they reach the age when they go out foraging with their mothers at 10–12 months. Helpers perform most maternal duties, except suckling, even in the mother’s presence. Helpers accrued indirect fitness and practiced parenting before reaching sexual maturity. Future studies must study the reproductive biology of the striped hyena in the wild throughout its geographic range to elucidate additional breeding properties that have not yet been identified. The continued persecution of striped hyenas and the lack of information about their breeding rituals and capabilities in the wild mean that this study of their different reproduction strategies, focusing on surrogate mothers, is of great conservation importance. The fact that we have found cooperative breeding in this solitary species suggests that there is much more to uncover of the enigmatic striped hyena in the wild.