can hyenas climb trees this video will
show you the truth
as you know it is a common sight in the
grasslands of africa
to see leopards carrying their prey up
trees to ward off hungry hyenas
it can be seen that this really works
the hyena will leave if its prey is in a
tall tree
but have you ever wondered
can hyenas climb trees
no they can't climb trees
but why you may be asking yourself if
they could they definitely would as it
opens up a whole realm of opportunities
think of all the leopard kills that they
could reach
as much as it looks like this hyena is
climbing a tree he 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 the hyena coming into the
area to steal her kill
thus had already pulled the impala into
the trees before the hyena arrived
spotted hygienists are formidable
creditors known for chasing down their
prey for miles and miles before
eventually catching the exhausting
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 by simply chasing the leopard off
it is because of this risk that the
leopards losing their kills to hyenas
that the spotted cats have taken to
hoisting carcasses into trees out of the
reach of the hungry hyenas
in areas of low hyena density leopards
will feed on the ground most of the time
the hyena density at london luzi and
throughout the sabi sand reserve is high
thus most leopard kills are hoisted into
trees
as long as they can get them there
before the hyenas rob them
what allows leopards to climb into trees
that hyenas don't have
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
a leopard's foot at rest one can see no
evidence of clausia as they are
retracted into a sheath when not in use
just like lions
as can be seen above the hyena does not
have retractable claws like lions and
leopards
this is probably the main morphological
trait that has limited the hyena's
lifestyle to terra firma only
the lion and leopard are able to push
their claws out only when necessary such
as when they need to get a firm grip
onto the trunk of a tree while ascending
or descending
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 they are in use
in contrast the 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 on to 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 cores
as the grip on the prey is maintained
with the jaw rather than the claws
[Applause]
the 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 the tree properly anyway
that's right the chances to see a hyena
climber tree are close to zero
well
sometimes there are exceptions when
hunger peaks
two hyenas are aiming for the remaining
impala flesh left behind by a leopard in
a tree
normally hyenas will try to jump up to
pull the carcass down
however this time the hina decided to
try to climb the tree and enjoy the meal
right there
hyenas are opportunistic predators and
this is not new for them to steal or
even rob the food
but climbing a tree to steal food from a
leopard that is very rare
the two hyenas made this decision when
they saw the attractive meat that the
leopard left lying on the tree
thinking it was safe from other
carnivores
hunger has caused the hyenas to take
risks
even though their body structure is not
suitable for climbing
soon after that a hyena fell from the
tree
the fall was quite painful
but it didn't seem to hurt the hyena
right after that it continued to climb
the tree to continue eating
many people believe that this footage
does not prove that hyenas can climb
trees
the dead tree fell and the hyenas simply
ascended what was similar to going up a
high mound
however this site is still extremely
rare and interesting what if hyenas
could climb like leopards
they would be almost the perfect
predator on the grasslands
i hope the above information is useful
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until the very end
see you again
you