Sanctuary Asia - April 2018

The Hyaena Man

'Superhuman’ Starfish

Sanctuary | Natural History

Falcons are genetically more closely related to parrots than fellow birds of prey!

Did You Know?

Hyaenas have a villainous reputation, thanks to their eerie

appearance and ‘maniacal laughs’. But on the outskirts of the

Ethiopia’s ancient walled city of Harar, hyaenas have been freely

roaming the streets each night, and the locals are unafraid. This is

because of an animal-loving family – the Yusufs – who have taken

it on themselves to feed these wild animals that live in caves on the

outskirts of the city. Here, hyaenas even give birth in ditches within

the city’s precincts! Twenty-four-year-old Abbas Yusuf, more

famously known as the ‘hyaena man’, took over the responsibility

of feeding the wild animals from his father, who had been caring

for them for over 45 years. Ever since the feeding of hyaenas

began, it is said that no human in the city has been attacked. Abbas

is trying hard to change the impression people have of this largely

misunderstood species.

Be that as it may, it is Sanctuary’s position that feeding wild

animals and habituating them to humans beyond the point of return

could be detrimental to both humans and wildlife.

Being still and doing nothing are two very different things.

And the starfi sh astoundingly exemplifi es the art of stillness

whilst performing miraculous natural feats that most of

us hitherto weren’t aware of. For starters, this class

of multi-armed invertebrates has the ability to

see clearly in the darkest depths of the ocean,

using their highly-sensitive compound

eyes, made up of simple eyes or lenses called ommatidia. Some

deep-sea starfi sh species are also bioluminescent and they are believed to

woo potential mates using light fl ashes. In case of a predator attack, where

the starfi sh loses a limb or two, it will coolly regenerate new ones. Their

movements are not muscle controlled. Instead, they are induced by water

pressure voluntarily created within the body. The sea water it draws

in through a porous opening called a madreporite

located on top if its body is passed on to its arms,

which are then able to extend or retract. Their arms

are fi tted with hundreds of tiny suction cups that

act like feet and help the animals attach to and move

across surfaces. Their superpowers only get more bizarre.

These formidable hunters are capable of ejecting their

stomachs out to feed on their prey such as bivalves, snails,

and sponges if the shells or exterior protective covering of

the prey animal come in the way. The shells are held apart

in a powerful grip and the stomach is inserted through the

opening for consuming the soft, edible tissues within!

Owing to its appearance and misplaced traditional beliefs,

the hyaena is a largely-misunderstood species.

Various species of starfi sh boast of incredible

feats – from seeing clearly in the darkest

depths of the oceans to ejecting out the

stomach to feed!

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