Kay’s research team includes Dee White, data manager and research assistant three student interns, Ciara Main, Jared Grimmer, and Amy Fontaine research assistant Benson Ole Pion, a local Maasai herdsman and the all-important Kenyan support staff.
In the poop collecting anecdote, the questions include: “Biologically, what drives this odd, rigidly regimented, female-dominated society? What role if any, do natural body chemicals like hormones play? How do the hormone levels of male hyenas differ from females, and how do high-ranking females’ hormones compare with those of low-ranking ones?” Montgomery models what it means to be curious with her emphasis on science as an endeavor characterized by seeking answers to questions that arise in field research. Photo taken by Thomas Fuhrmann, edited by Eva Heaps Image: Hyena in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Hyenas belong to their own family, the Hyenidae. The unfairly maligned hyenas resemble dogs, but are more closely related to the mongoose. Science journalist Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop’s latest addition to the Scientist in the Field series, The Hyena Scientist dispels myths and misunderstandings about the of true nature of the African spotted hyena, profiles the presence of women in science, and tells the story, through anecdotes and examples, of Kay’s decades-long research in the field.
In this case, Ciara, a student headed for graduate study in hyenas’ female-dominated species, collects the sample. to collect it in a plastic bag for later study.” (Montgomery, p. So each time a hyena poops and a researcher sees it, one of the team leaps out of the car. In a way, she has: poop offers an easy way for scientists to see what prey species the hyenas have eaten, discover any parasites that infest their guts, and measure concentrations of many of the hormones that drive or reflect behavior. ‘Great!’ cries Kate, who reacts as if Baez has just offered her a treasure. “Shortly after we move on from the den, we spot a low-ranking female, Baez, who offers us a piece of the puzzle that may help answer these questions: she poops.
“Today is May 16, time 5:35.” Kay Holekamp, hyena researcher extraordinaire, her student research assistant Ciara Main, and guests Sy and Nic head out on an early morning observation. The Hyena Scientist. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018)
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