Who Will Win?
Hyenas can be found in different regions of Africa. This dog-like mammal is known to be a hunter and a scavenger.
Oftentimes, they fight with the lions and end up killing their babies. Hence, they are seen as scary creatures.
On the other hand, wolves are quite different from hyenas. They are said to be in the same family as dogs.
These two animals have a lot of similarities, but wolves tend to be bigger with longer legs as compared to dogs.
However, it is hard to imagine dogs like Pugs or a Doberman being descendants of the wolf.
Body and Description
Similar to a dog, hyenas come with a wide black muzzle. They have round ears, a powerful jaw, and spotted fur. Their back is usually sloped, where the front legs are longer than the hind legs.
Even though their legs are at an uneven height, the hyenas can run up to a speed of 65 km/h. They have four clawed fingers that don’t retract.
Moreover, their fur coat is short, except for hard hair on their neck and back, which is part of their mane. The fur of the hyena comes in different colors. It is either light or dark. The main fur coat tends to be yellow-brown and it contains either light or dark brown spots.
A spotted hyena grows to 1.2 – 1.8 meters (4 – 5.9 feet) long and 77 – 81 cm (2.5 – 2.6 feet) tall. They usually weigh around 40 – 86 kg (88 – 190 lbs.)
When it comes to wolves, they are considered to be quite intelligent. Their facial features portray this great quality such as getting their ears upright, showcasing inquiring eyes, and pointing the muzzle when interacting and engaging.
Their bodies are created in a way that makes them ideal for running long distances.
For instance, they have more stamina due to a narrow chest and powerful legs that help with efficient movement.
When measured from the nose up until the tip of its tail, a wolf can measure up to 1.3 – 2 m (4.5 to 6.5 feet.)
Their size varies depending on their location in the world. They weigh around 20 – 62 kg (44 to 136 lbs), while their height is around 0.6 – 0.95 m (26 to 38 inches.)
When it comes to the largest wild canid, the Grey Wolf is considered to be the biggest one. They can sometimes weigh more than 77 kg (170 lbs), especially in places such as Canada and Alaska.
Range And Environment
Hyenas are only found in Africa. The entire south side of the Sahara desert is where you will find the biggest populations of spotted hyenas. This includes mainly places in the east and south of Africa, such as close to the Cape of Good Hope, and within the Ngorongoro Crater in locations like Kenya, Botswana, Namibia, and Serengeti.
Even though West Africa is known to be vast in jungles and deserts, you won’t be able to find spotted hyenas there.
This wild animal prefers to live in savannahs. They are not friendly with similar species of their kind, hence they are known for driving the brown and striped hyenas away from the places they reside in.
When it comes to the Grey wolves, are mostly found in remote locations, particularly in the northern USA, Alaska, Asia, Europe, and Canada. Currently, the wolf population is on a rise, hence they are increasing in numbers, especially in the western and central US and many regions of Europe.
Moreover, wolves thrive in a wide range of habitats whether it is the desert, forests, grasslands, woodlands, or the tundra.
Diet And Nutrition
Spotted hyenas usually eat the flesh of recently dead animals. They are known to be efficient hunters that feed on different types of birds and reptiles. An interesting thing about them is that they prefer feeding on animals that are over 40 pounds in weight. If the prey is a lot bigger in size, then the hyenas hunt in a group.
On the other hand, Grey wolves are carnivorous animals, which means they mostly feed on meat.
Wolves are known for hunting in packs when it comes to bigger prey such as moose, goats, deer, sheep, elk, caribou, muskox, and bison. They also feed on smaller animals such as beavers, rodents, birds, and fish.
They are important predators, they keep a certain level of balance within the entire ecosystem. In the past due to the sudden decline in the wolf population, there has been a massive surge in the population of white-tailed deer, which includes other large mammals as well.
Behavior
Spotted hyenas are said to be similar to certain primates when it comes to their social intelligence. They are mostly nocturnal, which means they have remarkable night vision. They hunt at night and live close to their den during the day.
Furthermore, hyenas have a matriarchal social order and they are formed into clans. A single alpha female leads these clans.
They are known for marking their territory by clawing at the ground and using an oily substance that is secreted from the hyena’s anal glands. Locations that are farther away from their dens are known to be their latrines, which is another way they use to mark the territorial boundary of their clan.
These animals have a strong vocal range, which means they can easily communicate with other clan members by yelling, whooping, grunting, growling, and giggling. It is their giggling that sounds similar to manic laughter, hence their name the laughing hyena.
On the other hand, the Grey wolves live in packs which are usually led by an alpha. These territorial animals have six to eight wolves in a single pack, including the alpha’s offspring and other unrelated wolves. When comes to their territory, can be as big as 13,000 square kilometers.
Grey wolves utilize howling, scent, and body language to communicate with each other.
Through their howling, they can alert other wolves regarding their territory, communicate with other packs, they can assemble their own pack, and declare territorial boundaries. During the nighttime, one can hear the wolf’s howl from miles away.
These animals use body posture, facial expression, and the position of their tail to show their emotion and their status within the pack. They mark their territory with their excrements.
So, if a pack of wolves comes across a clan of hyenas, who would win in a fight?
Both of the species are known to be strong predators, highly intelligent, and work in a team. Hyenas have a stronger build and more bite force when compared to wolves.
Both animals have their unique pack strategy. Grey wolves work together to plan out an ambushed attack, which is both decisive and powerful. They will launch themselves at a herd and separate one or multiple prey. While the hyenas like to intentionally annoy their prey, where they scatter first and then come for a slow kill.
Wolf packs generally have 15 members and sometimes that number reaches as high as 30. While hyenas have eighty or more members in a clan. Even though wolves are more active, hyenas are powerful and can attack bigger predators.
Despite being known as scavengers, hyenas are high-level hunters as well. These animals have the skills, the numbers, and the advantage to attack other strong predators such as lions and leopards. They are used to fighting these massive predators to kill them. Unless the male lion takes action, there is a great chance that the hyenas will win in these battles.
When it comes to the wolves, they mostly compete with each other and don’t take on other animals, such as bears. Even if they do, they don’t really win. However, the hyenas are willing to take a risk to win. Generally, they are known to be more aggressive as well.
Hence, there is a high chance that the hyenas will win the fight against a pack of wolves. If they can attack a predator as strong as the lion, then they can handle a wolf pack.