Watch This Lone Vicious Lion Battle 14 Angry Hyenas and Flex His Insane Power

Written by Angie Menjivar
Updated: October 18, 2023
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When humans are ‘hangry,’ it can be dangerous. Now imagine interrupting a male lion, blood still dripping from his chin, while he feasts on a fresh kill. These hyenas were empowered by their protective nature as one of their own is overpowered.

Check Out This Incredible Video Below!

Watch this lion fight off a hyena clan with a blood-stained face.

Do Male Lions Hunt Alone?

Typically when you hear of lions hunting, you hear of the females taking the lead in prides. They use their strength in numbers to take down even large prey like buffalos. Male lions are typically perceived as lazy, hanging back and letting the lionesses do all the work. However, male lions do hunt alone.

Lion jump absurdly high

Lions with darker manes have greater testosterone.

©iStock.com/Gunther Fraulob

Since they don’t have the pride backing them when they go off on their solitary journeys, they have to use the element of surprise to take down their prey. Interestingly, the darker a lion’s mane, the more testosterone in the wild animal and the more mature he is. These male lions typically endure fewer injuries.

How Do Hyena Clans Protect Their Cubs?

Hyena Birth - hyena pack

Although protective, there have been instances when hyenas kill their own cubs, crunching through their skulls the way they would kill small prey animals.

©iStock.com/Franz Schallmeiner

Hyena mothers protect their cubs by moving them into communal dens. They are protected in these environments because predators can’t fit through the small openings. Although protective, there have been instances when hyenas kill their own cubs, crunching through their skulls the way they would kill small prey animals. Researchers point to the hierarchical nature of hyena societies as the reason for these killings.

Male Lion vs. Hyena Clan

What do lions eat - lion vs hyena

Hyenas don’t typically approach male lions because of their brute power.

©Mark Sheridan-Johnson/Shutterstock.com

The video was taken at Masai Mara National Reserve located in Kenya. When it starts, there are several safari vehicles lined up on the right side of the screen and you can hear the high-pitched calls of a hyena clan as they rush toward a male lion.

The male lion is feasting on something dead on the floor, which turns out to be a cub from the clan. Hyenas don’t typically approach male lions because of their brute power but in this instance, they were driven by their upset at the loss of their cub.

One brave hyena approaches the distracted lion and bites its behind, trying to distract it. It works, the lion roars and turns around, fighting off the clan. When the lion turns around, one of the hyenas goes over to briefly check on the cub, quickly realizes it’s dead, and heads back to bite the lion.

Several of the hyenas manage to bite at the lion but the lion is much too powerful. Although it gets attacked from every direction, it continues ferociously fighting them all off until they eventually run away, leaving their lifeless cub to be devoured.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © SteffenTravel/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Angie Menjivar is a writer at A-Z-Animals primarily covering pets, wildlife, and the human spirit. She has 14 years of experience, holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology, and continues her studies into human behavior, working as a copywriter in the mental health space. She resides in North Carolina, where she's fallen in love with thunderstorms and uses them as an excuse to get extra cuddles from her three cats.

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