Mel Sunquist writes in his book; “Wild Cats of the World”, cheetahs lose 10 – 13% of their hard-won kills to predators like lions or hyenas. Known for being the world’s fastest land animal, the cheetah is a large feline that can run up to 75 miles per hour in short bursts to cover distances up to 1,600 feet and accelerate to over 60 miles per hour within just three seconds! It is important to note that lions don’t kill hyenas to eat them. Cheetahs in the Serengeti National Park adopt different strategies while eating to deal with threats from top predators such as lions or hyenas. Usually, lions ignore hyenas, if they behave non-aggressively. Moments later hyenas showed up and snatched the quarry from big cats. Cheetahs do not feed on a wide variety of prey. Sometimes hyenas eat food with lions.
Do Cheetahs Eat Giraffes? Do Cheetahs Eat Hyenas. Lions end up killing hyenas to cut down the competition for food. Lions see hyenas and other apex predators as a threat to their territory and life which explains why lions kill them.
They are strong, muscular with powerful jaws and persistence for what they want.
Yes, it is true that lions eat hyenas but it isn’t a common thing. Often, the diet of these two species is the same. A conflict of Cheetah and a Hyena will result in injuries for Cheetah most probably on its legs.
But lions and hyenas can also be aggressive towards each other and in the absence of prey.
Do lions kill and eat hyenas?
No Cheetahs do not eat Hyenas. Cheetahs typically avoid their competitors such as lions, leopards, and hyenas as these intruders can easily snatch prey from cheetah’s mouth and sometimes may even kill adult cheetahs. Hyenas weigh almost the same as a cheetah.
In places where the habitat of lions and spotted hyenas coincide, there is direct competition between them.