Hyenas hold a unique position within the African ecosystem, playing a role as both skilled predators and efficient scavengers. These adaptable carnivores contribute significantly to maintaining the health and balance of their habitats. Their feeding habits extend beyond common perceptions, revealing a complex and varied approach to securing food.
Beyond Scavengers: The Truth About Hyena Hunting
A common misconception portrays hyenas as mere scavengers, primarily relying on the leftovers of other predators. However, spotted hyenas are highly capable hunters who acquire the majority of their food through active pursuit. Studies indicate that spotted hyenas hunt for 60% to 95% of their diet. This makes them efficient predators, often rivaling or exceeding the hunting success of other large carnivores in their environment.
Diverse Diets of Hyena Species
The diet of hyenas varies considerably among the four distinct species, reflecting their specialized adaptations and ecological niches.
Spotted hyenas primarily hunt medium to large ungulates, such as wildebeest, zebra, impala, and various antelope species. They often target younger or older animals within herds, but they are also capable of bringing down healthy adults. When hunting alone, a spotted hyena may prey on smaller animals like hares, jackals, birds, and even fish.
Brown hyenas, in contrast, are largely scavengers, consuming carrion that they locate using their acute sense of smell. Despite their scavenging habits, they also hunt small mammals, birds, and insects, supplementing their diet with fruits, vegetables, and eggs.
Striped hyenas also primarily feed on carrion and human refuse. They are known to hunt small to medium-sized prey, including rodents, reptiles, birds, and even livestock such as sheep or goats. These hyenas also consume fruits, insects, and vegetation, and possess jaws strong enough to crush and eat tortoises.
The aardwolf, the smallest hyena species, has a highly specialized diet consisting almost exclusively of termites. An aardwolf can consume between 250,000 and 300,000 termites in a single night using its long, sticky tongue.
Coordinated Hunting Tactics
Spotted hyenas employ sophisticated hunting strategies, often working in coordinated groups or “clans” to maximize success. They use teamwork to isolate and surround larger prey, such as wildebeest or zebra, before initiating a chase. Hyenas possess considerable stamina and speed, capable of chasing prey for several kilometers at speeds up to 60 kilometers per hour (37 mph) to exhaust their target.
Communication through various vocalizations, including whoops and grunts, plays an important role in coordinating their movements during a hunt. Their powerful jaws, capable of crushing bones, allow them to efficiently consume nearly every part of their prey. Cooperative hunting significantly increases success rates, with studies showing a 25-35% improvement in capturing large ungulates when two or more hyenas hunt together.