Costs and strategies of communal den use vary by rank for spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta

Spotted hyaenas house cubs in communal dens during much of the early development period. This practice facilitates social integration of young into the clan's dominance hierarchy. For Crocuta, however, use of communal dens entails costs. Within a clan, social rank is correlated with individual privilege. If costs of denning communally likewise vary with rank, then breeding females may be forced to adopt different denning strategies accordingly. I quantified three costs (den access, visitor aggression, disruption to nursing bouts) in relation to maternal rank for 27 females within one clan. I examined denning strategies that may reduce costs (cub age when transferred to a communal den, social correlates of den selection, daily attendance pattern) to determine whether they varied predictably in relation to mother's rank. Although conflicts among mothers were infrequent, low-ranking females were more likely to be denied access to the communal den entrance and, possibly in response, more often attended their cubs when other mothers were absent. High-ranking mothers were visited more often, but treated less aggressively than were mid- or low-ranking mothers. In efforts to socialize with mothers and cubs, visitors often disrupted nursing bouts. Cub responses to nursing disruptions were correlated with cub survival. Mothers showed rank-related differences in den selection; high-ranking females occasionally chose dens with fewer occupants, while all other mothers chose dens containing the highest number of animals. Mid- and low-ranking mothers were attracted to dens containing high-ranking mothers and cubs. The potential benefits of affiliating with high-ranking individuals are discussed.