Competition for vital resources between lions and hyenas has been going on for a long time and will continue as long as both creatures need to eat. Hyena prides are usually much larger than lion prides. However, the size and strength gap between these creatures is so great that just two adult lions can have hyenas scrambling for cover in their presence. This means that even when hyenas kill their prey, they don’t necessarily keep it. If a hungry lion comes, the hyena must leave the food or it may die.
The video begins with a lioness returning from a water source and trying to eat the food she left behind. In her absence, a pack of hyenas began poaching the meal. Hyenas use a bark to communicate encroachment, sending the message that it’s time to start eating faster. The lioness walked right up to the carcass and started eating.
Interestingly, the hyenas haven’t left yet. After all, the lions were not attacking them openly. It just wants to keep eating. In a rather amusing moment, a lion and a hyena have dinner. They focus on eating the food in front of them, not fighting. Many viewers may wonder why they don’t turn on each other. At least, why aren’t they actively posturing? Unfortunately, peace does not mean lasting.
Males emerge, hyenas scramble
©Shawn Levin/Shutterstock.com
The hyena and lioness continued to eat the carcass together. However, a sudden change swept the plain. One of the hyenas uttered a terrified cry, and all the hyenas quickly left the carcass. The lioness, on the other hand, looked back and continued eating.
Panning to the side, we see a male lion approaching a lioness. The time for cooperation is over because the males have come to forage. Instead of starting to eat, the lion walked past the carcass to the nearest hyena.
Lions conduct full patrols of the area, showing each hyena who’s boss. That way, they know to back off when he eats. The hyena did the smart thing and left. The video cuts to another scene where another male lion walks past a pack of eating coyotes. This time, instead of chasing the hyenas away, the lion walked past them indifferently.
The male was clearly full and didn’t bother to eat any more. Still, it showed no sign of fear as it ambled past a dozen or so hyenas. This is an authority that few creatures in the wild possess. After the lion passed away, the hyenas started eating again, fighting each other for the best parts, happy to continue their feast peacefully.
Next up: Hyenas and Lions
- Watch This Lion Ambush Sleeping Hyenas
- Watch These Hyenas Taunt and Steal a Huge Male Lion
- Watch a hyena walk into a pride of lions inadvertently and immediately regret it
- Watch Olobor, fearless lion attack over 20 hyenas
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
