Hyenas and lions are the most well-known examples of natural competition. Aside from their antagonism, they have a shared goal: survival.
These animals are opportunistic predators, meaning they will eat anything available. Hyena populations are expanding in some African regions as human encroachment makes their prey scarce.
Daily survival in the woods, as is finding enough food, is extremely challenging. You may be wondering if hyenas eat lions.
Yes, hyenas eat lions. The Hyena clan has immense power. If a lion is left alone, hyenas will try to kill and consume it. On the other hand, Hyenas prefer to target frail lionesses and young lions rather than mature males.
Despite being the jungle’s monarchs, lions see hyenas as their most formidable adversary. Being larger and stronger isn’t usually the most crucial factor in wild games.
This article will discuss all I have learned about the interactions between hyenas and lions.
The Diet of a Hyena: Scavenging vs. Hunting
The idea has become popular that hyenas are scavengers, but this is not entirely true since, although some manage to consume a significant amount of carrion without any problem, others are animals capable of chasing, attacking, and killing a species. First, they hunt down their prey and then consume it.
In this way, their diet can also be based on the live prey they hunt. In any case, they use their keen senses of smell and sight to obtain food.
Hyenas are opportunistic and generalist animals; they adapt their diet depending on the prey available in their habitat. However, depending on the species, we can indicate some particular prey or foods in each case.
One of the most surprising characteristics of hyenas is their ability to consume bones and other animal remains, allowing them to make the most of all the nutrients in their prey.
Furthermore, hyenas have a varied diet and can feed on many animals, from small rodents to large herbivores such as zebras and wildebeests.
Lastly, although hyenas are known for being aggressive and violent animals, they are very social and often hunt in groups, allowing them to capture larger prey and share food equally.
Read Also: Can Lions Be Tamed As Pets?
Do Hyenas Hunt Lions?
Hyenas do hunt lions because they want to find food after killing an animal. They might even try to steal food from lions if they see two of them together, but this doesn’t happen very often.
A lot of the time, male lions kill hyena cubs. Also, lions often go after adult hyenas to show their strength. Lions cause 60% of hyena deaths.
Do Hyenas Eat Lions?
Hyenas and lions have a close ecological relationship since the first hyenas in certain regions tend to prowl the first to take advantage of the animal remains that these big cats may leave behind because lions hunt larger prey.
That’s how good its hearing and smell are. It can hear a mouse squeak from more than 100 meters away and smell blood from up to 10 kilometers away.
Hyenas can not only find food but also run very fast. Their fastest speed is about 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). For them, this means they can run for hours without stopping.
Although adult lions are stronger and larger than hyenas, the latter, if grouped, could attack a lion that is alone and is not large, as in the case of females or young individuals. Also, a sick or injured lion could hardly defend itself against a pack of hyenas.
In this sense, let us remember that hyenas are carnivores and scavengers, so if they have the opportunity to eat a lion, they will not hesitate to do so.
Do hyenas eat lion cubs?
Hyenas eat lion babies. If given the chance, they will kill and eat the cubs. From the time they are born, lion babies rely on their mother for everything.
Also, hyenas will jump at the chance to eat weak cubs. It’s not for food that hyenas hunt pups; they do it to get rid of competitors.
The hyenas come in large groups when they attack the lion pride. Most hyenas would run away from adult lions, but only a few would steal babies. The way they try to grab their food is similar. Lion babies die a lot because they are easy prey for hyenas.
Do hyenas eat dead lions?
They eat dead lions. Hyenas eat dead animals, even lions’ bodies. They are commonly known as scavengers. But hyenas are also hunters, catching about 80% of their food. That’s why they catch most of their food.
Hyenas avoid grown lions but readily consume those that have died naturally, been injured, or been killed by other lions. Because they are bigger, spotted hyenas are more likely to eat dead lions than striped hyenas.
They also use dead animals that they didn’t kill for personal gain. Sometimes, groups of lions fight, and several lions are killed. If they had the chance, the hyenas would be happy to eat the dead lions.
Can Hyenas Kill Lions?
Yes, and no. Sometimes the number of hyenas is so large that the lion alone can’t defend them. Acting in numbers, hyenas are masters at exploiting chaos.
When they detect an injured or sick lion, the hyenas circle the big cat, attack it, and bite it from behind. The ultimate goal is to try to take down the lion and rip out its belly.
They can also kill an old or weak lion, making it difficult for it to fight back and win. A young male lion will fight back. A young male lion will fight back.
Depending on the gender, it would take approximately ten hyenas to take down a single lioness. On the other hand, an adult male’s hyena number must be around 20 to dominate a lion.
But most of the time, hyenas always avoid male lions because they are dangerous.
How Do Hyenas Kill Lions?
While not a common occurrence, hyenas can kill lions under certain circumstances. Spotted hyenas are the most likely to attack lions.
Hyena moms often have twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplets, sextuplets, or even octuplets. In other words, they need to share their food.
They will fight and kill bigger animals, like lions, as a group, then. They don’t go after bigger animals or ones that aren’t as fast and strong as the king of the wild.
Their thick neck muscles and powerful jaws allow them to inflict severe bite wounds. Lone lions or lioness’s defending cubs are most vulnerable to coordinated hyena clan attacks.
However, healthy adult male lions rarely fall prey to hyenas unless they are elderly or severely outnumbered. Clashes typically occur over territorial disputes or when hyenas attempt to scavenge lion kills.
Can a single hyena kill a lion?
One hyena probably won’t be able to kill a lion, but it’s not impossible either. Lions are bigger and stronger than hyenas, and an adult lion’s dangerous claws and jaws would make a hyena much less likely to survive if it were alone.
A very big and strong hyena might kill a lion by following it around, attacking from behind while the lion is distracted.
A hyena by itself might be more likely to kill a lion cub that has been split from its pack.
A healthy adult lion that isn’t caught off guard can typically overpower and kill a lone hyena. Lions are hard to beat for hyenas because their clan has so many members.
Why do lions hate hyenas?
Lions and hyenas fight because they want the same space and food. Hyenas bother lions because they steal their prey when not paying attention.
Hyena clans can attack large numbers of lions that they cannot eat. If there is an opportunity, hyenas will also eat lion cubs. However, hyenas are very dangerous to tigers, who kill them to prevent them from eating and protect their young.
The lions become even more angry and hate these animals that keep invading their territory due to hyena calls, bad words, fierce competition, and fights over dead animals. The need to survive causes discontent.
Conclusion
Even though lions are the top hunters, hyenas are their biggest enemy. These two wild animals are very mean to each other. Hyenas and lions often fight over territory and food, often resulting in major injuries or deaths.
The short answer is that hyenas can hurt lions but not kill them. If you see a lioness with cubs, you should stay away because you never know when a group of hyenas will be nearby looking for their next meal.
