Hyenas are the most successful hunters in all of Africa. They are intelligent and form intricate social bonds that rival those of primates. Cubs of the alpha female inherit the rank immediately below hers, similar to a monarchy.

Hyenas are apex predators and are critical to controlling prey populations and preventing the spread of disease, particularly by eating every last bit of an animal. Our guides called them the ‘clean up squad’ as without Hyenas, the plains would be covered in rotting carcasses. Hyenas have sledgehammer-like jaws that shatter bones, while their highly acidic stomachs break down the shards.

Spotted Hyenas can take down Buffalo and baby Elephants, hunting alone or in groups, a flexibility that gives them an advantage over their competitors but that’s not to say that Hyenas will ignore available food. We saw Hyenas surround several Lion kills waiting for the Lions to have their fill before devouring the remains.

Female Spotted Hyena with her month old pups by their den

A rare Collar-Striped Hyena. Unlike the Spotted Hyenas, these animals are solitary and hunt alone. Due to habitat loss, these animals are critically endangered. We were very fortunate to have seen one.

Silver-Backed Jackal – Jackals are among the few mammalian species in which the male and female mate for life. Mated pairs are territorial, and both the female and male mark and defend their territory. Litters average two to four pups. The mother changes den sites about every two weeks, so the young are less likely to be found by predators. Jackal pups are suckled and fed regurgitated food until they are about two months old. By six months, they are hunting on their own.

Jackals can best be described as opportunistic omnivores. They cooperatively hunt small antelopes and also eat reptiles, insects, ground-dwelling birds, fruits, berries, and grass. They will pick over kills made by large carnivores and we saw evidence where Lions were openly tolerating the presence of Jackals after a kill.

Pair of Jackals searching through the remains of a kill. We frequently saw Jackals together as they mate for life.

Jackal at sunset, ever watchful, for prey opportunities