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In hyenas, it is the female who dominates, so much so that one could take her for a male.
(Replay)
This is the only mammal whose female is larger and stronger than the male: the hyena. Feminine name, when we speak of the wolf, the monkey, or the tiger… In Antiquity, it was believed that the animal was hermaphrodite. At the origin of the confusion in females: a huge clitoris, apparent and erectile, which can reach about fifteen centimeters. We would take it for a penis… Which makes coitus complicated, and therefore excludes the risk of rape. Anyway, for mating as for everything else, with hyenas it is the female who decides.
The cause of this unusual genitalia is found in gestation. In the placenta, an enzyme produces testosterone, the male hormone par excellence in which the fetus will bathe until birth; a sort of magic potion of aggression, the hallmark of hyenas.
Dominant from mother to daughter
The hyena also has a bad reputation because it is a scavenger. However, it is very useful for cleaning nature. And two-thirds of its meals are actually live prey. The hyena is primarily a hunter. Formidable. 800 kilos of pressure under the jaw. Hyenas hunt in packs, do not let go and are not afraid of anything, neither zebras, nor wildebeests, nor even lions.
The hyena is a very sociable animal, and a pack can number up to 80 individuals. At the very top of the hierarchy: a dominant female. The males, which eat the last, are often satisfied with the bones. They take all the hits. Their life expectancy would be half that of females. A radical feminist, the dominating hyena passes on her power to her daughter. The hyena is a queen. Girl Power in the Savannah.
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