Once the hyena was dragged up the tree, he no longer stood any chance. Instead of being the one to lock his firm jaws around flesh and bones, he now felt the powerful grip of the Maxabeni 3:2 Young Male Leopard around the back of his neck. Suspended 5 meters up and wailing for assistance from any creature that might hear him, the only other animal that arrived was the Maxabeni 3:3 young Male Leopard. After one too many stolen kills and aggressive encounters, the Maxabeni Leopard Brothers were now exacting their revenge….
It is hard to surmise precisely why this encounter happened as leopards do not typically hunt, let alone eat, hyenas. The obvious conclusion suggests the unsuspecting hyena was in the wrong place at the wrong time; suffering the actions of the two brothers who act more confidently than usual when together. The small, lone hyena stood no chance against the two brutes who opportunistically decided to attack him. He was an unsuspecting victim in the ecosystem. But is there a deeper reason as to this aggressive outburst on the side of the Maxabeni brothers?
The hyena population at Londolozi has increased largely over the last 5 years largely owing to the instability of the lion dynamics as well as the growth of the prey species populations. The increase in competition for food has led to greater conflict than normal between the leopards and hyena. You will remember our post, Hyenas chase Maxabeni Brothers off a Kill. Surely these such encounters only add to the leopards’ motive for acting with such aggression towards hyenas?
Maxabeni Leopards Killing a Hyena
The maturity of these two brothers has also crossed through my mind. Are they at the stage whereby they are now looking to assert themselves dominantly? Is this the beginning of further conflict between these two predators and even between their own species? The brothers are still living underneath their mothers care despite being over 24 months of age. Natural aggressive tendencies and dominant instincts could well be coming forward prominently as they mature each day.
What other reasons do you think contributed to this rare and isolated event between the two brothers and the hyena occurring? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Filmed by: John Caden (Londolozi Guest)
Photographed by: Linda Caden (Londolozi Guest)
I think it is even more amazing that the two brothers are operating together….probably due to the age factor…. I’ve always considered leopards to be almost strictly solitary…. Overall I am not totally surprised at the leopards killing the hyena…. This is not the first time I’ve come across such…. If spotted hyenas were solitary, I think that leopards will rank higher in the predator dominance… On a one on one basis, the leopard is a truly formidable adversry “pound for pound”….
Very true Patrick, it is both amazing that these two brothers are still operating together as it is that true that one on one the leopard is a formidable adversary. I believe that these two leopards are working together as neither of them has been forced out of their mother’s territory. Once this happens, more than likely in the next six months, I am sure these males will split up. They may move together for a while, however ultimately leopards are solitary creatures and it is highly improbable that they will be together.
In Djuma, we have been seeing some very unusual leopard behavior. On several occasions, mom Karula, her two current cubs, their dad, and an older cub who is now independent were all together. We’ve seen an independent young male cub with his dad, with a kill in a tree, and quite content to be there together. Many other instances come to mind. Perhaps, with the increase in prey species, new behaviors are beginning to be seen and the interaction with this hyena and two older brothers is a part of that
.
How much can grow in size leopards after 24 months?
Other reasons that contributed to this rare and isolated event between the two brothers and the hyena occurring could be an escalation in competition between hyenas and these two males leopard.
One day one of them could prey on an adult lone hyena?
A leopard can grow up to around 70 kilograms (if not more) in 24 months. I think that your reasoning for this rare event is correct. The escalation in competition is immense between these predators and the chance the inflict some dominance over a young hyena was too much for these two leopards.
I also think they were asserting themselves as mature leopards. An amazing clip! Thank you very much for sharing this.
Agreed Christa, glad that you enjoyed the clip from John and Linda
So much for the Maxbeni young males “playing nice” with hyena.
http://www.pbase.com/mytmoss/hyena_and_leopard
Here was my encounter in September. Great stuff from both John and Linda.
Mike
Thanks Mike for your pics, I think we are going to see these two young males playing nice less and less as they get older. However they are going to be in for a rude shock when the territorial male starts to assert his dominance…
A question nobody has asked, to my surprise is…how big was the hyena? It wasn’t an adult was it?
Morty, if you read the blog it states that the hyena was small.
Amazing footage…. Thats a baby or a very young Hiena. Pound for pound Hiena wins…
I just found this today by chance and I am truly fascinated!!! Unreal footage and something that I really didn’t expect. The haunting sounds of the hyena are really quite disturbing but I guess that is the nature of the wild – be prepared for the unexpected.
this might sound stupid but i almos feel sorry for the hyeana. the noises he was making
With the change in ecosystems, I assume that the inhabitants of that ecosystem go under a change too. It is one thing to theoretically talk about it and totally another to view it in a video. It is still a surprise for me to come to know about this unique interaction. Thanks for sharing the video and the post.
Certainly appreciated both the dramatic footage along with the interesting background story. My personal reaction is that the two brothers willingly teamed up for this kill since they both were still living as a family group and hadn’t been expelled by their mother as yet. In due time and with separate independence, this would not have occurred. Poor young hyena cries were truly desperate. But such is the wild … one day you win … another day you lose.