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SUMMARY
A comparative life-history analysis of the hyaenid genera (Crocuta, Hyaena and Proteles) reveals some unusual patterns for eutherian mammals. Developmental phases are not all positively related, suggesting a trade-off among variables. A gradient in lifestyles from early reproduction with few young per year (iteroparity) to late reproduction with many young per year (semelaparity) is apparent. In the genera Crocuta and Proteles an iteroparous lifestyle is associated with a relatively short gestation period and extensive postnatal investment in cubs, perhaps in response to potentially excessive juvenile mortality. Their major life-history features seem to form an adaptive complex serving to spread reproductive effort. These include: a reduced gestation period, precocial young and an early age at first reproduction. Furthermore, females of Crocuta sp. can conceive while lactating and display a relatively fast post-natal growth rate. These features collectively form a life-history strategy sharing much in common with that of many marsupials.