Coalition of Young Male Lions Attacked and Surrounded By an Absolutely Massive Hyena Clan

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Food and territory are hard-won on the African savannah. When a group of young male lions encroaches on the territory of a group of hyenas, the smaller carnivores aren’t about to let it slide.

The video below shows a group of male lions called a coalition. Adult males go off on their own and establish a pride, which includes multiple female lions and any resulting cubs. But when they are young, male lions often work together to establish themselves in a particular area.

In this video, the coalition comes up against a group of hyenas. A group of hyenas is called a pack, clan, or cackle. The clan surrounds a few of the lions as they get closer. But the lions aren’t too worried. Hyenas seldom go after lions as prey. Most of the time, their aggression comes from competition over food or territory. The lions are likely aware that all they have to do to avoid the hyenas is head to a different area.

The clan seems happy to just annoy the lions. Neither the clan nor the coalition really gets into any real fighting. One of the lions eventually moves away and marks the territory as his. That seems to settle the matter and the video ends with the hyenas running off.

This footage shows lions and hyenas in Masai Mara National Park. This park is 580 square miles and is right next to Serengeti National Park. Both are home to amazing wildlife, such as these lions and hyenas. Other species that live in this area include elephants, giraffes, zebras, and gazelles.

Is It Normal Behavior For Lions to Be Aggressive and Territorial?

The short answer here is, a big yes! Lions are extremely territorial animals and will occupy the same home range for generations or as long as the natural resources are available to them. Female lions are active defenders from other female lions and hyenas, whereas males will help protect their pride from other coalitions.

Furthermore, while males tend to be aggressive during certain times including mating, female lions are actually the ones who initiate the mating process. Furthermore, females may also display aggressive behavior during this time due to hormones.

Do Lions and Hyenas Fight?

Typically, adult lions and adult hyenas don’t fight unless they need to. They will target the young of the other species since they are more vulnerable. But lions have the edge when it comes to power and size. Hyenas have a stronger bite force and tend to work together more than lions. So as adults, the two species know it’s best to leave the other alone. Wild animals are wild, however, and even typical behavior can change occasionally.

The two species compete over the same food. Both are carnivores at the top of the food chain in Africa. Hyenas tend to scavenge more than lions but both animals are happy to eat a fresh kill, even if they didn’t take it down.