Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Helping behaviour in brown hyenas

Nature volume 308, pages 843–845 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

The degree of relatedness between individuals is one of the primary factors influencing nonparental aid or ‘helping behaviour’1. However, in the field it is often difficult to determine precisely the familial relationships between helpers and recipients, and thus to assess the relative benefits of helping. Here we describe the results of a 7-yr study of brown hyenas in which most kinships were known, and report asymmetries in helping among clan members according to sex and relatedness. Natal males emigrate more often than females and provision cubs less frequently. Females provision young as distantly related as second cousins, while males provision half sibs, but not cousins. Such discrimination in nonparental aid between relatives has not been previously reported in large mammals other than primates2.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hamilton, W. D. J. theor. Biol. 7, 1–52 (1964).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Holmes, W. G. & Sherman, P. W. Am. Scient. 71, 46–55 (1983).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Owens, M. & Owens, D. E. Afr. Wildl. J. 16, 113–136 (1978).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Owens, D. & Owens, M. J. Mammal. 60, 405–408 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Macdonald, D. W. Nature 282, 69–71 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Frame, L. H., Malcolm, J. R., Frame, G. W. & van Lawick, H. Z. Tierpsychol. 50, 225–249 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Malcolm, J. R. & Marten, K. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 10, 1–13 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Mech, L. D. The Wolf (Natural History Press, New York, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Rood, J. P. Z. Tierpsychol. 48, 277–287 (1978).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Owens, D. & Owens, M. Afr. J. Ecol. 17, 35–44 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Mills, M. G. L. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 10, 131–136 (1982).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Maynard Smith, J. Nature 201, 1145–1147 (1964).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Environmental Studies, University of California, Davis, California, 95616, USA

    Delia D. Owens & Mark J. Owens

Authors
  1. Delia D. Owens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mark J. Owens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Owens, D., Owens, M. Helping behaviour in brown hyenas. Nature 308, 843–845 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/308843a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/308843a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing