This Hyena is Brave Enough To Fight a Nasty Crocodile

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Bravery knows no bounds for animals in the wild. Of course, we think of bravery coming from fierce predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards. However, all animals have to be brave in order to survive in the wild. Brave enough to either face a predator over twice their size or have the skills to outmaneuver and run away from them. Let’s see what happens when a brave hyena faces up to a crocodile. 

Hyena Fights a Crocodile

The YouTube video that can be viewed at the top of this blog post takes us to Kenya, Africa where a crocodile and a hyena get into a fight. The Maasai Sightings YouTube page shared this footage with their 600,000+ subscribers. The most recent videos they share from Africa are of a lion pride, wildebeest, flooding, and buffalo. 

Crocodile Trying to Steal

As the video begins, we see a hyena up on the shore that is fighting off a crocodile close by. According to the description, the hyena has food up on land that he caught. And the crocodile is trying to squeeze in to swipe this kill out from him. 

When we think of hyenas it is easy to think of them as the thieves of Africa. They are known for stealing kills from other animals, such as lions. However, hyenas aren’t the only scavengers of the wild. According to the Public Broadcasting Service, crocodiles “also scavenge meals, stealing other crocodiles’ and other species’ kills, and cooperate in hunting, sharing in the kill.”  

The hyena fiercely defends his meal by charging at the crocodile. At first, the crocodile opens its massive mouth and shows off its 60+ teeth. But that doesn’t scare this hyena. He keeps striking until the crocodile retreats, realizing he doesn’t want this fight. Or that of this hyena group that can have up to 100 members. 

Can A Hyena Kill a Crocodile?

These two predators are bound to come face to face with each other sometime in the wild. And as we can see from the video above this is one of those such instances. One-on-one, no, a hyena would not be able to defeat a crocodile. 

A Nile crocodile weighs anywhere from 500 to 1,650 pounds and can reach over 14 feet long. A hyena weighs between 90-190 pounds and reaches over five feet in length. The other thing to consider is that the Nile crocodile has one of the fiercest bite forces in the world at 5,000 PSI (pounds per square inch). But, the hyena only has about 1,100 PSI.

However, all of that is to say the crocodile is a solitary creature that will hunt and fight alone. And while hyenas can hunt alone, they are often in their packs that can reach dozens of members. And in that case, a gang of hyenas could absolutely kill a crocodile.