Phylogenetic Analysis of Striped Hyaena (Hyaena hyaena: Hyaenidae, Carnivora) in Hatay Province in Turkey

Striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena) is one of the species in danger of extinction and categorized globally as “Under Threatened Organism”. From time to time, different tissue samples and carcasses of the striped hyena are reported in different regions of Anatolia. In this study, 571 bp length of Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit II (COX 2) of mitochondiral DNA from hair, ears, nails and teeth specimens from six striped hyaenas were amplified and sequenced to determined phylogenetic relationships between close and distant species related to hyaena. Tissue samples using in this study were found randomly at different times in Hatay province, Turkey. According to our results, all colected samples located in Hatay region are the members of H. hyaena species. Moreover, this research is the first molecular research using COX2 gene region for phylogenetic analysis in Turkey. Further investigation can be performed on studies that suggest determining phylogenetic status of striped hyaenas.