No…
But why? you may be asking yourself. If they could, they definitely would, as it opens up a whole realm of opportunity. Think of all the leopards kills that they could reach!
As much as it looks like this hyena is climbing the tree, it is actually just trying its best to jump as high as possible, using the tree trunk for stability. The leopard had pre-empted the possibility of hyena coming into the area to steal her kill, thus had already pulled the impala into the tree before the hyena had arrived.
Spotted hyenas are formidable predators, known for chasing down their prey for miles and miles before eventually catching the exhausted animal and finishing it off. However, they are also cunning scavengers and are known to steal a large proportion of all kills that leopards make, simply chasing the leopard off. It is because of this risk of leopards losing their kills to hyenas that the spotted cats have taken to hoisting carcasses into trees, out of the reach of hungry hyenas.
In areas of low hyena density, leopards will feed on the ground most of the time.
Proper planning can prevent poor performance. The leopard didn’t pull the kill high enough into this tree, hence this hyena was able to reach the spinal column with a great leap.
The hyena density at Londolozi and throughout the Sabi Sand Reserve is high, thus most leopards’ kills are hoisted into trees, if they can get them there before a hyena manages to rob them. Getting back to the original question though – what allows leopard to climb trees that hyena don’t have? Take a look at the images below for a better understanding.
When viewed from this angle, one can clearly see the claws of a hyena, which are not retracted into a sheath but are permanently out. Note how blunt the claws are. Image from: http://res.cloudinary.com/angama/.
A leopard’s foot at rest. One can see no evidence of claws here as they are retracted into a sheath when not in use, just as in lions.
Here a lion is pushing out its claws, either to sharpen or clean them. One can see how razor-sharp these claws are, in comparison to the hyena’s claws as shown in the picture further above.
As can be seen above, hyena do not have retractable claws like lions and leopards do. This is probably the main morphological trait that has limited the hyenas’ lifestyle to terra firma only. Lion and leopard are able to push their claws out only when necessary, such as when they need to grip onto the trunk of a tree while ascending or descending a tree or when gripping onto prey during a hunt. What this also means is that their claws remain well-kept and sharp, enabling excellent traction when in use. In contrast, hyena do not have the luxury of retracting their claws at their liberty, thus they cannot grip onto tree trunks to climb, nor can they grip onto prey with their claws during a hunt. This may be the reason that they simply begin feeding immediately when they catch their prey (like wild dogs that also do not have retractable claws) as the grip is maintained with the jaw rather than the claws.
Wild dogs pull down an impala ewe.
The front limbs of leopards are free from their collarbone, attached mainly with ligament and muscle, and are allowed a much greater range of motion; a hyena lacks these adaptations, so even if it did have the required claws, it probably wouldn’t be able to rotate its legs to exert enough force into the trunk to grip properly anyway.
Cheetahs are an outlier in this discussion as their body shape is more similar to that of lions and leopards compared to hyena.
Cheetahs – like hyenas – also have non-retractable claws that are an adaption for maintaining grip on the ground as they sprint. This is limiting though in that cheetah are unable to climb vertical trees, but can scramble up sloping ones if necessary.
For further reading on leopards’ adaptions for climbing see Ranger Bruce Arnott’s blog post.
Interesting blog Pete. Many years ago we did see two young cheetah in an upright tree in Kruger. Not very high up in the tree though.
I had never thought of asking that, thank you
I was on a game drive just recently when we ( Andrea and Sesant) watched the Makomsava female leopard catch a scrub hare. Alerted by the sounds, a hyena appeared, and the leopard immediately leapt into the closest bush. Not a tree, and a precarious save! Hyena decided that half a scrub hare wasn’t worth the effort, and wandered off, whereupon Makomsava came back down and finished off her snack. Gold.
Pete, great news article🤗
Interesting that claws are retracted when leopards are at rest. Would love to understand more about the anatomy of this retraction and extension.
Nature is amazing how they equip certain animals with some abilities while other animals are blessed with others. Thanks for pointing these unique differences out to us. Enjoyed the read and the pictures
Interesting post! Thanks for explaining the differences!
Thanks for the informative blog. I’d never thought about the claws of a hyena in the context of doing anything but running. Seems the leopards should be grateful they can’t climb as trees are their only safe haven to feed, especially as you state in areas rich with hyena populations. Is it the hyena’s keen sense of smell that leads them to a leopard kill?
We know cheetah don’t climb trees but termite mounds & land rovers are a different story! [Sorry, tried to paste photo but no luck]
Thank heavens hyenas can not climb. They are successful enough without stealing leopards hard won meals!! Victoria
We all enjoyed your blog, Pete, and I’m sure many learned at least one new fact. I learned several. Physically I was amazed to learn that a Leopard’s forearms are not attached except by ligaments and muscle! Although in reflection, that aspect does give extra flexibility. The paw photo’s were visually interesting as well. I do have one question however. A friend, who has been to Londolozi countless times over the years, safaried in central Africa this year and posted so many images of LION’S up in trees!! In fact it seemed the norm! Lion’s have retractable claws as well as Leopards, so the capability is there….but I rarely have seen an Londolozi lion in a tree whereas it’s common practice further north. Why?? In Tony’s photo’s there wasn’t a kill hoisted up with the lion for safe keeping….so I’m puzzled about the different lion behavior between two geographical locations in Africa. Thanks for your reply.