Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology Volume 8 Article 8 2016 A Striped Hyena Scavenging Event: Implications for Oldowan Hominin Behavior David E. Leslie University of Connecticut-Storrs Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/fieldnotes Recommended Citation Leslie, David E. (2016) "A Striped Hyena Scavenging Event: Implications for Oldowan Hominin Behavior," Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology: Vol. 8 , Article 8. Available at: https://dc.uwm.edu/fieldnotes/vol8/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Field Notes: A Journal of Collegiate Anthropology by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. A Striped Hyena Scavenging Event: Implications for Oldowan Hominin Behavior David E. Leslie University of Connecticut–Storrs, CT, USA Abstract: The spotted (Crocuta crocuta), brown (Hyaena brunnea), and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are well documented collectors of faunal remains. Ac- tualistic studies of spotted and brown hyenas used as analogs for hominin be- havior abound, while the striped hyena has received relatively little attention. Ultimately, the composition of hyena scavenging and den assemblages and their taphonomic histories are of interest to paleoanthropologists, archaeolo- gists, and paleontologists because they may help elucidate questions about ear- ly hominin behavior. Striped hyenas are the most prodigious bone collector among extant hyenas, and their small body size, omnivorous diet, and deferen- tial behavior are all applicable to previously hypothesized foraging behaviors of Oldowan hominins. In 2009, near Mount Olorgesailie, in the Kaijado Dis- trict of Kenya, an adult eland (Taurotragus oryx) was presumably killed by a lion (Panthera leo), and subsequently scavenged by striped hyenas.