Hyenas and a hippo

Hyenas eating dead hippo

Hyenas are pretty ferocious scavengers who also kill animals for food when necessary.  One morning we watched a pack of about 10 hyenas devouring a hippo that had probably not survived a fight with another male hippo (they fight viciously with their huge jaws and mammoth teeth, inflicting awful wounds on one another).  The dead hippo was lying about 100 yards from the pool where he'd presumably been dislodged after suffering fatal injuries.

The hyena hierarchy and eating frenzy was pretty interesting to watch, which we did for nearly an hour.  Two large hyenas, who obviously had been first to eat, patrolled the area on the lookout for adversaries, particularly lions, who might want to deprive them of their feast.  They didn't need to worry--no lions in the area that day.

Hyena watching for predators

One small female was clearly the lowest in the hierarchy.  She kept sneaking in to grab a hunk of the carcass, but was quickly driven back by more important hyenas.  She would cower on the ground as they jumped on her, whining while they growled at her and threatened her with their large fangs, made for ripping apart a carcass.  She was able to get some occasional chunks of flesh, but earned a nasty gash over her eye in the process.

Hyena eating habits are not pretty.  By the time we arrived on the scene, they had eaten much of the hippo's abdomen.  One was completely inside that immense belly, feasting, while others would dive in up to their shoulders to get their share.  Then they'd pop up to look around before burrowing into the carcass for another round.  Not an attractive sight, but certainly effective. 

Hyenas burrowing into hippo

Meanwhile, the surrounding trees were filled with vultures waiting their turn.  They had to wait until even the lowliest hyena in the pack had had her fill before descending on the carcass to get their share.   They would then have to fight off the jackals who also dash in and out, cleaning the remainder of the hippo until only bones and some skin are left.

Black-backed Jackal waiting for his chance

Hyenas look a bit like furry dogs, but with a sloping back leading from their long front legs to their short back ones, making their shoulders very powerful.  Their DNA, however, is cat DNA.

hyena outside den

yearling hyena

They are a capstone species in the wild, cleaning up the dregs of carcasses that might otherwise cause and spread disease throughout the animal populations.  That makes them a critical animal in the ecosystem.