Hyenas may be on somewhat equal footing with cheetahs, but unless they vastly outnumber lions, the so-called king of the jungle will easily kill them. In this video, a rather bold hyena comes sniffing around two cheetahs lying in the grass.
A cheetah will immediately surrender its kill to a single hyena. Their bodies are so finely tuned, one small niggle could cost them a few km of speed, & they could starve as a result.
Cheetahs are scared of hyenas because cheetahs know how strong the bite of hyenas is. A hyena can easily bite and crush the bones of other animals, including the cheetahs. So the cheetah will not choose to fight against the hyena and rely on its speed to get away from the hyena to avoid severe injury.
Spotted hyenas usually are killed by lions due to battles over prey. Apart from lions, spotted hyenas are also occasionally shot to death by humans hunting game.
Lions, leopards, and hyenas will try to prey upon cheetah, particularly cheetah cubs. Because they are so fast, adult cheetahs are difficult to catch.
“It is inherently risky for a cheetah, especially one with cubs, to interact with larger predators such as spotted hyenas, as spotted hyenas are known to kill both cheetah cubs and adults,” they say in their paper.
A lion would win a fight against a cheetah. Neither creature is likely to ambush the other owing to their incredible senses.
Competition between hyenas and lions for resources leads to infanticide—the practice of killing each other's young. Learn why this behavior makes the two species "mortal enemies."
2. Afraid of Hyenas: Hyenas usually travel in groups while leopards are solitary. But no leopard will stick around to fight even one hyena when it can just go up a tree. There's usually no reason for a leopard to risk injury or death fighting a hyena, which will, more often than not, outweigh it.
Lions are larger, slightly faster, and stronger than hyenas. Hyenas have a more powerful bite and senses that match or slightly surpass lions. Both creatures are predators that can hunt in packs, but lions also hunt solo.
Predators & Threats
Cheetah cubs have many enemies among other predators: lions, leopards, hyenas, wild dogs, or even eagles. However, a healthy adult cheetah has few enemies outside of humans because of their speed.
Vulnerable to food stealing and direct killing, cheetahs are expected to avoid both larger predators; hyenas are expected to avoid lions.
Lions are the main cause of death for hyenas in the Ngorongoro Crater. Male lions are twice the size of a spotted hyena and three to four times as heavy, and one single paw stroke can kill an adult hyena. Lions may stalk hyenas at their resting places and try to surprise hyenas approaching kills.
Hyenas may be on somewhat equal footing with cheetahs, but unless they vastly outnumber lions, the so-called king of the jungle will easily kill them.
maybe 10-15 huge animals in all. The elephants were on a direct path that would take them over the cheetah and the kill. The cheetah would have none of it.
In Africa, lions and packs of hyenas or painted dogs can kill leopards; in Asia, a tiger can do the same.
A leopard would win a fight against a gorilla.
Leopards are one of the few successful predators of gorillas. They are too fast and vicious for a strong gorilla to fight off, especially considering they like to ambush gorillas in their nests.
A hyena would win a fight against a wolf. The hyena is faster, heavier, and stronger than the wolf, and those are the only two appreciable differences between these creatures. They're both similar in stature and speed, but the fight would be determined by which creature can deal fatal damage.
A hyena would win a fight against a wild dog. The reason is simple: hyenas are just too much larger and stronger than wild dogs.
Lions have few predators to fear other than humans. A very young or sickly lion might fall prey to hyenas. Cubs may be attacked and eaten by adult male lions. Lions are most threatened by humans who hunt them and encroach on their habitat.
Can a Cheetah Kill a Giraffe? No. Giraffes are too big and too heavy for a small cheetah. It can't prey on large ostriches and zebras either.
Although their bulk and toothy armoury usually ensure that they do not become victims of nocturnal hunters, even hippos fall prey to lions on occasion.
A lion would almost certainly win in a fight against a gorilla. The reasoning should not be all that surprising. A lion will stalk and ambush a gorilla in the dense vegetation of their natural habitat by waiting until it's dark to have the edge. They have a good chance at ending the fight in seconds.