Watch a Male Lion Shrug Off a Pack of Taunting Hyenas

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One of the largest wildlife reserves in Africa is Kruger National Park, located in northeastern South Africa. The Big Five — lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalos — as well as other wild creatures, are abundant there. 

Along with several bird species including vultures, eagles, and storks, there are hundreds of other creatures that call this place home. The terrain includes mountains, shrub plains, and tropical trees.

Male lions are known as kings of the jungle and can take on almost any other wild animal. One of these apex predators was enjoying a fresh kill when a clan of hyenas approaches him. While hyenas are completely capable of hunting on their own, they often steal food when a moment presents itself. 

In the video, in an attempt to take what rightfully belongs to the big cat, the hyenas surround the lion. Although hyenas do generate loud howling noises that resemble cackle laughter, they are not delighted by anything when they do so. The “laughing” of a hyena is essentially a method of communication that is used to express anger, enthusiasm, or fear.

As these animals have the lion surrounded, he truly couldn’t care less. This cat knows he can easily outwit this clan if needed. These large cats can kill giraffes, elephants, and even bison. Compared to other big cats, lions are significantly stronger. Lions’ bites are four times more powerful than humans when it comes to power. They can lift 10 times as much weight as an ordinary person.

A Bit of a Size Difference

If anything, it appears that this lion is merely annoyed by the hyenas, as he eventually gets up with his fresh kill and walks away. Male lions can reach lengths of 10 feet and have a tail that is 2 to 3 feet long. In pounds, they range from 330 to 550. 

The largest species of hyena is the spotted hyena, which reaches lengths of 4 to 5.9 feet and heights of 2.5 to 2.6 feet from paw to shoulder. It ranges from 88 to 190 pounds. It’s safe to say there’s a slight size difference between these two animals. 

Is it Normal for Hyenas to Attack Lions?

Hyenas and lions are mortal enemies due to competition for food. Researchers have recorded lions and hyenas preying on each other’s young and sometimes waging all-out attacks on each other. A large group of hyenas would absolutely attack a lion — even a large male — if they thought they had a chance. Hyenas attack in extremely large packs and can defeat lions if the numbers are in their favor, despite the lion’s superior individual size and strength.

A Popular Animal Pairing

One comment on the video reads “These are my favorite videos of all. Hyenas intimidate lions with a big range of cries, growls, and howls. This big boy could handle all the sounds and moves they threw at him.”

Another person writes, “I just love the cacophony of sounds the hyenas make around a male lion. One of the craziest sounds in the animal kingdom if you ask me.”

Other Amazing Animal Videos You Might Like to Watch

Wandering around in the wild without any awareness of your surroundings can result in rather serious consequences as this hyena finds out. Two lionesses spot it before it spots them and crouch, lying in wait while their arch-enemy draws even closer. The hyena notices them and flees. The lionesses give chase. Worse still for the scavenger, it turns out that it has not just two, but a total of five, on its heels. Thankfully, it manages to outrun them, meaning it’s likely to live to tell the tale of the high-speed chase.