Spotted hyena ‘Malika’ at Altina zoo gives birth to cub through her pseudo-penis

Darlington Point’s Altina Wildlife Park has announced that its imported African spotted hyena ‘Malika’ has given birth to a cub.

“This adorable cub was born, after approximately 110 days of gestation, on the 24 February 2025,” Altina said on Facebook.

“It is nothing like any baby we have seen before. Just hours after being born this cub was walking around its den with its eyes open and chatting.”

The zoo noted an unusual aspect of the occasion – Malika, like all female spotted hyenas, has a phallus-like penile clitoris (sometimes called a pseudo-penis), through which she gave birth.

Hyena experts Laurence Frank and Stephen Glickman explained how female hyenas use their pseudo-penis to both mate and give birth in the book Evolution’s Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People.

“A female spotted hyena mates and gives birth through her penile canal. When mating, a female retracts the penis on itself, ‘much like pushing up a shirtsleeve,’ and creates an opening into which the male inserts his own penis. The female’s penis is located in the same spot as the male’s penis, higher on the belly than the vagina in most mammals,” Frank and Glickman wrote.

“Therefore, the male must slide his rear under the female when mating so that his penis lines up with hers. During birth, the embryo traverses a long and narrow birth canal with a sharp bend in it.”

Malika was clearly both fortunate and well looked after at Altina. Frank and Glickman point out 15 per cent of the females die during their first birth, and they lose more than 60 per cent of their firstborn young.

As both males and female spotted hyena have penises, Altina is yet to determine the sex of the newborn cub.

“They are not hermaphrodites like [was] once believed; the sex the cub is born is the sex they stay,” Altina said.

“This cub will play an important role for the future of hyena in Australasia, bringing some much-needed new genetics to the country.”

Spotted hyena are mammals native to Sub-Saharan Africa. They are not endangered, though numbers are decreasing outside protected areas. There are between 27,000 and 47,000 in the world.

Another unusual feature of the animal is that they are born with a full set of teeth.

Altina says both mum and bub are doing well.

“We often see Mum constantly picking the mischievous cub up and taking it back to the den just for it to run back out again,” Altina said.

“Altina wishes to allow the amazing first-time mum, Malika, time to bond and experience motherhood with as little interference as possible from the Altina team and visitors.

“What Malika learns and practises now will help her in the future if she ever decides to be a mother again.”

The cub may be seen on Altina’s daily tours if Malika allows it and is comfortable to show her baby off.

Entry and tours of Altina Wildlife Park are by appointment only and must be prebooked. Tours can be by horse-drawn or motorised carts. Bookings can be made on its website.