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Jason Joubert caught this amazing display of stealth and thievery on camera at the Kruger National Park, as a hyena showed why they have a reputation as kleptoparasites.
As Jason told Latest Sightings, he first saw the hyena “with his nose right to the ground, searching an open area”, and then he saw that the hyena’s nose was leading it to an African Rock Python. The immense snake was coiled around what appeared to be a fresh kill.
Sneaky Hyena
The hyena didn’t make any attempt to attack the python directly, which was probably a smart decision, as this is one of the largest snakes in Africa, and in the entire world.
Instead, once the hyena had located the python and its prey, it kept its distance for a little while, looking at the problem from every angle and working out a plan.
Once it had that plan, the hyena wasted no time in moving in and slipping the impala right out of the grip of the enormous snake.
Famous Kleptoparasites
Kleptoparasitism is the name for the behavior of stealing food from other predators. The benefits of this are clear, the animal gets a full meal without having to expend the energy necessary to hunt.
Many predators engage in kleptoparasitism to some degree, lions and hyenas both, and even humans. Despite others stealing kills from other predators, it’s hyenas that are famous for it, as their penchant for scavenging gives them a reputation for thievery.
This sighting shows just how good at it hyenas are though, as the snake didn’t even have time to react before it found its food stolen.
One Of The Largest Snakes In The World
African rock pythons are so large that they are even capable of killing and consuming the cubs of big cat species. This takes considerable effort on their part though, as the adults are capable of dealing with them easily.
Their immense size plays into their hunting strategy, as they kill their prey by constricting them, wrapping their bodies around them and tightening, as this one was doing to the impala.
Perhaps it was this focus on constricting its prey that allowed the hyena to get close enough to steal it, resulting in Jason saying he “was just bummed that the python lost its kill after a lot of hard work”.
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A Hungry Snake And A Happy Hyena
African rock pythons have an extremely diverse diet, one that even includes crocodiles, but impalas are large enough that they make for a rare meal. It’s unlikely that this one will be going hungry for long, but it still had to watch as the hyena carried away its meal.
The hyena, for its part, was shameless as it carried away the meal that it had done nothing to earn. This is just another day in the wild, and although this kind of thievery has affected the hyena’s reputation, it’s the most efficient way of getting food.
Kleptoparasites aren’t about to change their feeding behaviors anytime soon, and there’s no real reason for them to do so for as long as it works. It’s up to the predators to defend their kills, in any way they can.