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Food Chain Hazing

Short answer: Lions and spotted hyenas are Africa's two largest carnivores. They eat many of the same prey, so they compete directly for food.

Lions often kill hyenas and their cubs, but they usually don't eat them. The killing removes a competitor rather than providing a meal. In Namibia's Etosha National Park, lions caused 71% of recorded hyena deaths in a one-year study (Trinkel & Kastberger, 2005). The rivalry runs both ways. Spotted hyenas are skilled hunters that kill most of their own food, and in some places they take carcasses from lions, especially when no adult male lions are around. Hyenas also 'mob' lions in groups to drive them away from dens.

VideoWrite-up3 sources
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What should you know about Food Chain Hazing?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. In one Etosha study, 71% of hyena deaths were caused by lions.

    DD-692-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit A (Competitors, not prey)

  2. Spotted hyenas kill most of the food they eat.

    DD-692-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit A (Competitors, not prey)

Video transcript: Food Chain Hazing: Rivals, Not Dinner

DID YOU KNOW? Lions are apex predators that sometimes target hyenas, using their superior strength and coordination to dominate or even cripple rival scavengers. When competing over food or territory, a pride of lions can overpower a hyena, delivering powerful bites to the legs, shoulders, or neck, which can immobilize or severely injure it. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 18.3s Reel ·

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Food Chain Hazing: Rivals, Not Dinner Instagram Reel · · 18.3s

The write-up

Rivals, not dinner. Lions kill hyenas to cut competition, but rarely eat them.

  1. Exhibit A

    Competitors, not prey

    Lions and spotted hyenas overlap heavily in diet. Lions kill hyenas to reduce competition for food, and in some ecosystems they're the main cause of hyena deaths.

  2. Exhibit B

    Not just scavengers

    Spotted hyenas are excellent hunters that feed mainly on hoofed animals they kill themselves. Working together, they can bring down prey as large as a buffalo or giraffe.

  3. Exhibit C

    Theft goes both ways

    Each species steals from the other. In Ngorongoro Crater, hyenas took every lion kill they contested when adult male lions were absent. In Etosha, lions took the carcass in every observed case where hyenas had made the kill.

  4. Exhibit D

    Numbers and males matter

    Who wins depends on the ratio of hyenas to lions at a carcass and on whether adult male lions are present.

  5. Exhibit E

    Mobbing

    Hyenas sometimes gang up on lions even when there's no food involved, which researchers interpret as a way to drive them away from dens and protect cubs.

Questions people ask about Food Chain Hazing

Do lions usually eat the hyenas they kill?

They usually kill hyenas to remove a competitor, not for food.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Competitors, not prey) · Trinkel & Kastberger (2005), Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, African Journal of Ecology

Where does most of a spotted hyena's food come from?

Spotted hyenas are skilled hunters.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Not just scavengers) · Holekamp & Dloniak / Current Biology (2006): Spotted hyenas (quick guide); The Conversation: In defence of hyenas, they're not just scavengers

What share of hyena deaths did lions cause in the Etosha study?

71%.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Competitors, not prey) · Trinkel & Kastberger (2005), Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, African Journal of Ecology

What decides who wins at a carcass?

The hyena-to-lion ratio and whether adult males are present.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Numbers and males matter) · Trinkel & Kastberger (2005), Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, African Journal of Ecology

What is 'mobbing'?

Hyenas confront lions as a group, often near their dens.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Mobbing) · Trinkel & Kastberger (2005), Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, African Journal of Ecology

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. Do lions usually eat the hyenas they kill?

    1. Rarely
    2. Always
    3. Only the cubs
    4. Only in winter
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Rarely They usually kill hyenas to remove a competitor, not for food. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Competitors, not prey) · Trinkel & Kastberger (2005), Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, African Journal of Ecology

  2. Where does most of a spotted hyena's food come from?

    1. Prey it kills itself
    2. Lion leftovers
    3. Plants
    4. Fish
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Prey it kills itself Spotted hyenas are skilled hunters. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Not just scavengers) · Holekamp & Dloniak / Current Biology (2006): Spotted hyenas (quick guide); The Conversation: In defence of hyenas, they're not just scavengers

  3. What share of hyena deaths did lions cause in the Etosha study?

    1. About 10%
    2. About 30%
    3. 71%
    4. 100%
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. 71% 71%. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Competitors, not prey) · Trinkel & Kastberger (2005), Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, African Journal of Ecology

  4. What decides who wins at a carcass?

    1. Group size and adult male lions
    2. Time of day only
    3. Weather
    4. The carcass size only
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Group size and adult male lions The hyena-to-lion ratio and whether adult males are present. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Numbers and males matter) · Trinkel & Kastberger (2005), Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, African Journal of Ecology

  5. What is 'mobbing'?

    1. Hyenas ganging up to drive lions away
    2. Lions hunting in pairs
    3. Vultures circling
    4. Cubs playing
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Hyenas ganging up to drive lions away Hyenas confront lions as a group, often near their dens. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (Mobbing) · Trinkel & Kastberger (2005), Competitive interactions between spotted hyenas and lions in the Etosha National Park, Namibia, African Journal of Ecology

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Food Chain Hazing." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-692, last updated Jan 11, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/food-chain-hazing/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/food-chain-hazing/ · Last updated

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