Hyena butter

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Hyena butter is a secretion from the anal gland of hyenas used to mark territory and to identify individuals by odor. The gooey substance is spread onto objects within the territory of the hyena by rubbing their posterior against the object they mark.[1][2][3]

African legends state that witches would ride hyenas and use a gourd full of hyena butter as fuel for the torches they carried through the night.[4]

[edit] See also

Dog odor

[edit] References

  1. ^ Livingstone's Africa: Perilous Adventures and Extensive Discoveries in the Interior of Africa By David Livingstone Page 41 published 1872 by Hubbard bros. No ISBN number
  2. ^ With Forks and Hope: An African Notebook By Elspeth Joscelin Grant Huxley Page 84 1964 published by W. Morrow Original from the University of California Digitized Feb 15, 2007. Accessed July 10 2007
  3. ^ Chemical Ecology of Vertebrates By Dietland Müller-Schwarze Page 154 2006 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521363772
  4. ^ Witchcraft and Sorcery in East Africa By Edward Henry Winter, John Middleton, Dr John Beattie Published by Routledge 2004 Page 167 ISBN 0415330734
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