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Home Animals Funny Moment Hyena Passes Out After Mating Display

Funny Moment Hyena Passes Out After Mating Display

How far will a male go to impress a female?

Heather Djunga
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Tauck Travel Tour Director Calden Smith recently witnessed a humorous display when a male hyena went a little over-the-top in trying to show his affections for a female and instead made a complete fool of himself, at the Chobe National Park.

A pair of hyenas appears at the waterhole

Driving through the park, Calden and the travel group spotted two hyenas running in and out of the water by a waterhole.

Says Calden: “I had initially thought that the hyenas were trying to retrieve something from the waterhole, but after about an hour and a half of watching the two run around in and out of the water it became very apparent that the smaller male was keen for something else.”

Hyenas live in matriarchal clans, with the female hyenas calling the shots and holding the highest ranks. They are also larger than the males; one of the ways to distinguish male from female. “At this point, the female hyena eventually stopped her antics and submitted to the male. And so began the laughter.”

Male hyena attempts to mount female

It was now clear what the male hyena had been after all along and it wasn’t just a playful run around the water! Friendly overtures from the male, or following or shadowing a female often proceed mating behaviour in hyenas.

This fellow was acting on instinct and in this moment, his efforts appeared to pay off, as the female stood still to allow him to mount her.

However, in mountain the female, he faced some difficulty. This was because the female was so much bigger than him!

Finally, he succeeded, managing to position himself on her back, though his hind legs barely reached the ground.

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Male hyena experiences some difficulty

Owing to the way the animal becomes vulnerable in the mating position, hyenas usually seek secluded spots for mating. However, this determined male abandoned reason for his moment in his quest to impress the female hyena.

“He attempted to mount the female and struggled to do so. The female is significantly larger than the male, making the act challenging to get right for him. At last, success. He was on her back with his back legs just touching the ground.”

He tippy-toed behind the female, front legs and back legs grappling to maintain balance. If ever there was a determined hyena, this was him!

“The male began mating very eagerly, and we thought he looked extremely awkward and quite hilarious because of the absurd angle he was at.”

The female all the while looked suitable uninterested, almost as though she was humouring the eager male, who continued quite unperturbed, still at an awkward angle, and still on tippy-toes!

“As if it couldn’t get any funnier, when the male reached his climax, the ecstasy became too much and the angle became too tight. He fell over!”

Eager male hyena falls over!

The female turned around to see the male lying on the ground behind her with an expression that said, “Oh bother.”

Says Calden: “The silent, tranquil bush was pierced with the laughter of 10 of my guests . This was just hilarious, to say the least. For us, it was a happy ending. For the male, I’m not sure if you can call it a successful ending, but he continued to try his luck for quite some time.”

Watch the sighting:

YouTube video


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