behind the big cat's and bear's, who is the top predator?

[Pantherinae]

Spotted Hyena 

The spotted hyena is Africa's most common large predator with a population estimated at about 40.000 individuals They livie in clans of up to 90 members which is largest of all land carnivores, the bigger females can reach weight's up to 90 kg (200 lbs) and they dominate the clan, not even the highest ranked male is ranked higher than the lowest ranked female. the spotted hyena has the most powerful bite of all land living carnivores.  

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*This image is copyright of its original author

Spotted hyenas where before looked at as a coward and a scavenger, but now it's regarded as an excellent hunter of it's own, and in some places said to kill 90% of it's own prey. 
common prey is medium to large sized mammals like: wildebeest, zebra, impala and Buffalo.
they do also scavenge food food from leopards, cheetah's, wild dog's and in large even lions. 
Hyena is said to be able to eat 13-18 kg in one meal, and they eat and consume everything from, bones, skin

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, fur and yes even horns from their prey. a hyena clan has been observed to eat an entire 250 kg Zebra in 25 minutes. so there wil alwas be competition for the best places around the carcass, and the most dominant individual will decide where it eat's.    

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hyenas which has killed a buffalo.  

 
Impressive video of hyenas killing a large buffalo bull

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Hyena ready to take

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on cheetah's to steal their kills.  

hyenas have the most protein rich milk (14,9%) of all land living carnivores, and also the most fat rich (14,1) only beaten by the sea otter and polar bear, hyenas are born thru their mothers pseudo penis, which the first time will be very painful for the female. they are born big the size of a lion cub. and are born in litters from 1-3, most common it's one or two. they will be lactating until they are around 1,5 year's old.    [/size]

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*This image is copyright of its original author

 

 
hyena with her cubs

The territorial size of spotted hyenas will vary from 40 km2 in Ngorongoron Crater, to over 1000 km2 in the Kalahari dessert. 
and hyenas will almost everywhere the live be in constant conflict with lions which are the only real threat to a hyena clan. lions and hyenas will kill each other's cubs and old/sick ones, but lions especially males will kill adult hyenas given the chance
these two spices hate each other, because they are competing for the same prey. and they will both also steal the others prey. these battles are very famous and some of the, if not the most intense battles between two carnivores. 

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*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

Spotted hyenas does also pose a threat to other carnivores themselves such as jackals, wild dogs, Leopards and cheetah's, by killing their cubs and stealing their prey. even adults if they are not careful  
also the brown and striped hyenas will also come into conflict with their larger cousin. 

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Hyena eat's a leopard kill. 

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two hyenas has grabed a young wild dog.

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Spotted hyena chasing a Brown hyena.  

 
hyena killing golden Jackal. 

 

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