A leopard loses its lunch to a much larger hyena in some incredible footage captured during a safari.
The leopard can be seen fighting in vain to get back the impala carcass from the large hyena. Watch the incredible tug-of-war:
Hyenas are known for killing as much as 95% of the animals they eat and for driving off leopards or lionesses from their kills; although they have long been regarded as being cowardly scavengers.
Spotted hyenas utilize all of their senses when hunting, most notably sight, hearing and smell. While they do not have a preference for certain prey, more common prey includes wildebeest and and zebra.
When in search of already dead animals, smell is the spotted hyenas most important weapon. They have been known to detect carcasses more then 6 miles away.
Majestic spotted hyena. Photo by Laika ac.
Leopards will often take their meals up into trees, where scavengers like hyenas are unable to reach. Watch the video below to see one such example, where two hyenas can be seen waiting patiently below a leopard as the big cat eats a porcupine.
To say, “We love leopards” here at Roaring Earth would be an understatement. ᴛι̇ɱe and ᴛι̇ɱe again, we have encountered stories, images, and videos that prove leopards are among the most underrated of the big cats, and we always love to give them credit where credit is due. We have featured stories about leopards jumping down on impalas from trees, stealthily ambushing gazelles, and even attacking birds in flight.