A HOT MIDDAY AND A COOL BATH

 It's midday. The heat is uncomfortable. The temperature peaks at 38C. Our campsite at Mata Mata has been packed up, the tent folded up and placed on the car roof rack. Stretchers, chairs and tables have been folded up and stored on top of the roof rack, too. Now, we are in the car, travelling down the Auob to Twee Rivieren. We do not hope to see much, as the animals gather under the shade of the few trees in the riverbed. The soft, early morning light has been replaced by a harsh glare. To do photography in this light is not ideal, as the photos tend to look over-exposed.

The water-hole.

We slow down at the water-holes and scan for any animals. The hot sand shimmers in the heat, but we do not see anything coming to drink. Then, Noel stops suddenly, "look," he says, "there's something in the water !" I look, and then I see the head. Submerged in the depths of the water trough, with just its head protruding, is a Spotted Hyena, taking a bath.

After a good wallow, the hyena starts to climb out.

Feeling refreshed, the hyena ambles off.

 The Spotted Hyena stands nearly a metre high at the shoulder, and can weigh up to eighty kilograms.  The genitals of the male and female hyena look similar, and therefore it is difficult to tell the sex of a hyena. "That does not matter, all that matters is that they know the difference," says Noel with a chuckle. What I like about the Spotted Hyena, is that they live in clans, with a matriarch in charge. All the female members are dominant to the males. Communication with the clan members is done by  whoops, cackles, growls and grunts, with these eerie vocal noises being heard in the night. The Brown Hyena leads a more solitary and silent existence, and does not hunt big prey like the Spotted Hyena. Both the Brown Hyena and the Spotted are territorial, and use scent marking to establish their territories.
  

A Brown Hyena scent marking.

It is often thought that the Spotted Hyena is a cowardly scavenger, but they are also tenacious hunters. In the Kalahari, the Spotted Hyena will often prey on Gemsbok ( Oryx ) calves, by running into the herd and separating a young one from the adults. They are also fearless, and will chase lions away from a kill. They are able to eat one-third of their weight in one sitting. Generally, the only time one will see hyenas during the middle of the day, is when they are bathing.

For more information about hyenas: www.hyaenidae.org