Study: Scientists have found a hyena's laugh carries important information to both friends and rivals about its place in the family hierarchyTheir high-pitched menacing cackle is nothing to boast about.
But it seems that is exactly what the hyena is doing when its distinctive laugh echoes across the savannah.
Scientists have found a hyena's laugh carries important information to both friends and rivals about its place in the family hierarchy.
They recorded the calls of a colony of 26 hyenas living in captivity in the U.S., comparing each animal's sound with its age and status.
It soon became apparent that the pitch and timbre of the hyena's laugh was a clue to its social standing.
The researchers found that the pitch reveals a hyena's age. Variation in the frequency of notes indicates whether an animal is dominant or subordinate.
Younger hyenas tend to have high-pitched 'giggles' while the dominant females of the group make a narrower range of sounds.
The cackles are usually produced when hyenas are squabbling over food. But the scientists say they may also be a sign of frustration or used to summon help. 'The hyena's laugh gives receivers cues to assess the social rank of the emitting individual,' said Dr Frederic Theunissen, who led the study at the University of California.
'This may allow hyenas to establish feeding rights and organise their food gathering activities.'
He said the laugh could also help hyenas fend off lions who often muscle in on their kills.
'A solitary hyena has no chance when confronted by a lion, whereas a hyena group often can "mob" one or two lions and get their food back,' he said.
source: dailymail
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