I've been waiting for this day all month. My article "Predatory Intelligence," which considers the beauty and ugliness of spotted hyenas, is now available for free in the journal Antennae. For some reason it is not listed in the table of contents, but it is in there, sure enough. Just scroll down to page #23. I hope you enjoy it!
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Hey, Brian!
I was all a-tremble to read of your article (big hyena supporter over here; I love walking in the Berkeley hills and hearing them cackle in the misty distance -- plus they eat bones and have really gruesome reproductive behavior so what's not to love?) but when I downloaded the PDF I couldn't find your piece... Is this the right issue?
Sean; It's not listed on the cover or in the ToC. Scroll down to page 23 and it should be there.
Now I didn't know about how the heirarchy worked in hyena clans. (Or that they were called clans...)
Got to say that speaking as an omnivorous member of an industrial society there are no animals on Earth whose predatory habits are even in the running with large-scale animal husbandry for bizarre and disgusting cruelty... (He said as he picked a shred of meat from between his teeth.)
I'd criticize you for the judgmental tone of the article but actually, I've always thought lions were a bunch of stuck-up infanticidal jerks so I don't really have the high ground.
I once read a book (the title escapes me) where the author gave a brief description of his relationship with his pet hyena. It seems that every night the hyena would hide the man's boots and then follow him around the next morning and giggle while the man searched the house... and one of the researchers at the Berkeley hyena colony once described them as "lap junkies." How can you close your heart to that kind of adorably creepy brute?
I will say that the mental image of hyena-as-the-flatulent-Gamera-of-love will haunt me for a while. Damn you, visual imagination!
And you forgot one of my favorite bits of hyena lore -- the idea that they can eat the dead and thus acquire their voices and call out to the family of the corpse in question, luring them into the night...
A solid, well-written article and I learned a few things. Good for you!
Not a big fan of hyenas here, not since a big ugly hyena was stalking my wife at a camp site near the Kruger reserve in SA. The guide in charge had left his gun behind when setting the campfire, and had to resort to chucking shoes and beer cans at the animal. Lovely as they may be to some, they are really a bit creepy with no fence in the way.
Nice piece Brian. I hadn't heard of Antennae before, looks like an interesting rag...
Congrats :) It's a great piece...I really enjoyed reading it!