The hyena hadn’t expected the lioness’ presence, making the sighting all the more memorable.
‘She’s stalking him’
The terrain of the Pretoriuskop region is fairly dense. Bushes are close together and with the long grass, it can be hard to see what is directly ahead of you.
Animals rely on scent to assess the environment, however, many times they too can be fooled.
This hyena walked alone through the bushveld surrounds. While it wasn’t yet aware of a lioness’ presence, it was about to be woken up to the imminent threat.
Janka’s clipping is filled with the excitement of the moment. Someone can heard saying, ‘She’s stalking him… she’s stalking him…’ The words referred to the presence of a lioness nearby. The cunning predator was slowly moving towards the hyena, and waiting for the perfect moment to make her presence known.
Lioness launches surprise ambush
When the moment for her ‘great reveal’ came, the lioness pulled out all of the stops. She charged towards the hyena, bolting forward as fast as lightening.
She exploded through the bushes and the hyena’s surprise was visible.
Still, the creature was not a sitting duck. It reacted with surprising swiftness, turning to flee as the lioness bounded towards it.
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Alarmed hyena does its best to flee the scene
She was on top of the hyena in a flash, and the hyena did what appeared to be a turn in the air, before pressing forward with a sprint.
Hyenas are built for endurance and can maintain speed over long distances. Their sloped backs and powerful shoulders help them accelerate quickly during retreats or pursuits.
As the lioness closed in, a yelp of pain rang out, and a whirlwind of commotion ensued as both lioness and hyena disappeared beyond view.
It wasn’t easy to see exactly what happened behind the veil of bushes beyond this moment. The sounds of a skirmish could be heard, and more lions could be seen, charging towards where the confrontation was underway.
The poor hyena hadn’t known what hit it, and the bushes concealed its fate.
A memorable encounter of two formidable predator species
A lone spotted hyena will often retreat quickly if a lioness charges directly at it. This is especially true if the hyena is outnumbered or caught away from the support of its clan.
Although spotted hyenas are powerful predators and scavengers, lionesses are generally larger and stronger in direct combat. An adult lioness can weigh between 120 to 180kg, while spotted hyenas usually range from about 45 to 80kg, though large females can be heavier.
Lionesses frequently attempt to dominate hyenas through aggression and intimidation, while hyenas rely heavily on clan cooperation. A single hyena facing a determined lioness may flee to avoid severe injury or death.
Despite these confrontations, hyenas can also overpower lions under certain circumstances.
Janka won’t easily forget this confrontation of teeth, claws and fury and the ‘surprise element’ remains one of the bushveld elite’s greatest strategies.