Hyenas resemble wolves and dogs, but these carnivorous mammals are actually more closely related to felines than to canines. Contrary to popular belief, hyenas are highly skilled hunters who can take down prey that is larger than they are, such as wildebeests, antelopes, and sometimes even lions. Continue reading to explore the foods that hyenas eat and how they thrive in the wild.
Hyena: Overview
Native to Africa, the aardwolf is the smallest species of hyena.
©iStock.com/Catherine Withers-Clarke
Hyenas belong to their own family, Hyaenidae, which consists of four different species: the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), the brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea), the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), and the aardwolf (Proteles cristatus). They are distributed throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The largest species, the spotted hyena, weighs between 75 and 190 pounds. Their shoulder height is between 2.5 and 3 feet, and their body length is 4 to 5 feet, with females typically being larger than males. Striped hyenas weigh between 60-120 pounds and are approximately 4 feet, while brown hyenas can weigh up to 100 pounds and reach a maximum length approaching 5 feet. The aardwolf is the smallest species, weighing 20 to 25 pounds, with a maximum length of 2.5 feet.
Though the four species of hyenas vary in appearance, they all have strong jaws, powerful teeth suited for crushing bones, and a sloping body shape with their forelegs longer than their hind legs.
What Do Hyenas Eat?
Spotted Hyenas Kenya East Africa with the carcass of a much larger land mammal.
©Sean Clee/Shutterstock.com
Hyenas are one of the most misunderstood mammals in the wild. They are often depicted as dim-witted scavengers who feast only on the carcasses left over by other predators. However, hyenas are incredibly skilled and intelligent hunters that frequently kill their own prey, sometimes taking down animals many times their size. They are resilient carnivores who are both opportunistic scavengers and formidable predators, and studies show they kill the majority of the food they eat.
Hyenas eat a diet that consists of other animals such as zebras, gazelles, giraffes, birds, rabbits, warthogs, snakes, wildebeests, antelopes, wild dogs, and others. They are also known scavengers that feed on the leftover carcasses from other predators.
Hyenas are not choosy when it comes to food and are known to have large appetites. Hyenas are clean eaters. A pack of hyenas can eat the entire body of their prey, including the skeleton, bones, teeth, and horns, savoring every last bite.
A Complete List of Food Hyenas Eat
Striped Hyenas are nocturnal but may appear around dusk and dawn.
©iStock.com/Meet Poddar
Hyenas are voracious eaters, and they hunt a wide and diverse array of animals, ranging from small mammals and insects to animals bigger than themselves. Below is a complete list of animals that hyenas often include in their diet.
- Antelope
- Wildebeest
- Lions (isolated, weak, or cubs)
- Zebra
- Gazelle
- Giraffe
- Impala
- Elephants (young or sick individuals)
- Hippo calves
Smaller animals:
- Birds
- Warthogs
- Rabbits
- Goats
- Cattle
- Sheep
- Monkeys
- Donkeys
- Wild dogs
- Wild boars
- Porcupines
- Springhare
- Lizards
- Jackals
- Fish
- Snakes
- Foxes
- Tortoises
- Insects
- Termites
As well as preying on live animals, hyenas are scavengers who eat carrion, edible remains left by larger predators. In times of extreme food scarcity, hyenas will dig through garbage, ravage crops, and even eat grass and grasshoppers.
What Do the Different Species of Hyenas Eat?
Hyenas have strong teeth and jaws.
©J.NATAYO/Shutterstock.com
Different species of hyenas have different preferences when it comes to diet.
Striped and brown hyenas, on the other hand, will eat the carcasses of other animals’ kills, extracting decaying bones and bone marrow from the carrion. Their powerful teeth and jaws are strong enough to crush tortoises and wild boars.
The aardwolf is an insectivore whose diet consists exclusively of insects, such as termites. The aardwolf has a flat, sticky tongue that it uses to lap up termites from the ground without destroying the mounds. This specialized tongue can collect thousands of insects, with one aardwolf consuming up to 300,000 termites in a single night.
Spotted hyenas hunt small to average-sized animals for their food and are always on the lookout for easier ways to take down their prey, feeding on calves, cubs, and other young mammals, as these require less effort to subdue. Spotted hyenas are estimated to eat up to 35 pounds of meat in a meal. Spotted hyenas that have been forced to live in urban settings may also prey on domestic animals such as cats and dogs.
How Do Hyenas Hunt for Food?
Hyenas typically hunt in packs, and their clans can consist of up to 100 individuals.
©Johan Swanepoel/Shutterstock.com
Hyenas typically hunt in packs, which makes them powerful predators. They live in clans, led by an alpha female, that generally consist of 20 to 30 hyenas, though they can have up to 130 individuals.
Hyenas also target weakened or isolated members of animal herds. They use this strategy to easily kill their prey without the need to fight the herd. Hyenas also eat in social packs. They will attack the prey and drag it down, after which all clan members will encircle the victim and feast on it.
