Do Lions Eat Hyenas?

By Staff WriterLast Updated December 05, 2023

Lions can eat hyenas, and hyenas can eat lions, although it is more common for them to kill each other’s young. Both are apex predators that live in the same areas, hunt and compete for the same food and even scavenge the same remains.

Lions consume a wide range of prey, including large animals, such as buffalo and zebra, and smaller animals such as reptiles and birds. When hungry enough, lions have been known to take down elephants.

The hyena is a skilled hunter and eats opportunistically on whatever fresh food it can find. Its digestive tract and powerful jaws allow it to eat and digest every part of the prey with the exception of hair, hooves and horns, which it eats but regurgitates.