Felines are predators that strengthen their combat power to the extreme, and have an almost overwhelming advantage against animals of the same size.
Lions and tigers needless to say, they are the top predators of their respective habitats, and they are the existence of the ceiling of combat effectiveness there. The lynx we will introduce in this article belongs to the medium-weight cat family, which is also in a higher ecological niche among conspecifics.
Not only that, in certain circumstances, lynx can even defeat wolves that are much larger than them and win the competition for species.
For example, lynx living in the Naliboki forest in Belarus can kill wolves there to the point of cutting off their offspring, and lynx have also won the title of "wolf slaughter machine".
Such a powerful lynx, what will happen if it encounters a spotted hyena? Which is stronger or weaker than a lynx or a spotted hyena? Let's talk about this topic.
1. The "wolf slaughter machine" lynx
The lynx is a collective term for all animals in the genus Lynx, which consists of four animals: the Bobtail, the Canadian Lynx, the Spanish Lynx and the Eurasian Lynx. When we say "wolf slaughter machine", we mean the Eurasian lynx, because only the Eurasian lynx has the opportunity and strength to compete with the wolf.
The lynx looks like a cat but is much larger than a cat, its body length is about 90~130 cm, and its weight is 18~32 kg, which is affectionately called "big cat". Unlike cats, however, lynx have a short tail and it seems that its activities do not require a long tail to maintain balance.
Lynx have a soft gray-brown fur, the most notable feature of which is a tuft of black erect hairs on the tips of their ears, coupled with a pair of bright eyes, giving it a unique sense of mystery.
Like other cats, lynx possess a flexible body shape and an alert temperament. Their sense of hearing is very developed, their ears often turn, listen to the sounds around them, and even hear the movements of rats tens of meters away.
The developed visual and auditory senses have trained its ability to prey on small rats, and there is no problem in filling the stomach. If you think they're going to be like cats and just prey on some rodents, you're wrong.
The lynx prefers prey to catching a mouse, such as roe deer. They find a place to rest during the day and come out at night to look for prey in the open space.
When hunting, lynx will lie in the place where the prey is frequented, using large rocks, fallen wood roots or large trees as cover, patiently waiting for the prey to approach. When the prey approaches, it rushes out unexpectedly and captures the prey. They are extremely patient and can wait quietly in one place for several days and nights.
The lynx is very good at saving physical strength and does not like to chase prey, but quietly approaches the prey and swoops over coldly. The lynx is cunning and discreet, and when in danger, it quickly flees to the trees to hide, sometimes lying on the ground and pretending to be dead, thus avoiding enemy attacks and damage.
The lynx is also an excellent climber, jumping from tree to tree, so it can hunt birds or squirrels in trees, especially at night.
Belarusian zoologists, over a period of 20 years, from 1997 to 2017, have documented and studied the long-term struggle between wolves and lynx in the Naliboki forest. The final result shows:
That is to say, the higher the distribution density of lynx, the lower the survival rate of wolf cubs, and the presence of lynx has a great impact on the reproduction of wolves.
In fact, in the Naliboki forest, lynx singled out wolf cubs. The lynx first looks for the wolf den, observes whether there are young wolves inside, and then takes advantage of the wolf's parents to sneak into the wolf den, kill and eat all the wolf cubs.
You might say that lynx eat only wolf cubs, which doesn't mean they can beat adult wolves. In fact, Belarusian zoologists have recorded at least 11 cases of lynx actively attacking wolves, including lynx actively hunting 5 adult wolves.
Adult wolves weigh about 45 kilograms, while lynx weigh only 2/3 of its weight, so lynx usually do not clash head-on with adult wolves. When the lynx slaughters the wolf cubs, the adult wolves are very helpless, because when they want to catch up with the lynx to retaliate, the lynx can sneak directly into the tree.
2. "African second brother" spotted hyena
After talking about lynx, let's introduce the spotted hyena again to see how the combat effectiveness of the spotted hyena is.
Although there is a word "dog" in the name of spotted hyenas, they are not the canine family to which dogs and wolves belong, but a separate family - hyena.
There are four animals in the hyena family, namely coyotes, hyenas, brown hyenas and spotted hyenas, of which the spotted hyena is the largest and most ferocious species among them.
The spotted hyena is 95~160 cm long and weighs 40~86 kg, and the female individual is about one-third larger than the male individual. This also dooms the female to have stronger combat effectiveness and higher status in the spotted hyena group, and the leader of the spotted hyena is also taken by the female.
The spotted hyena has a famous nickname called "African brother", referring to the fact that they are the top predators in the African savannah after lions. In fact, the spotted hyena, with its own advantages and group combat strategy, can indeed withstand the name of "Africa's second brother".
When spotted hyenas hunt, they use attrition tactics. They first chase and block the prey, and "screen" the most weak and sickly one from the many prey, that is, the one that is left alone.
You may have seen spotted hyenas chasing their prey in the animal column, they seem to run slowly, not at all as brave as lions, and they do not run as fast as large herbivores such as wildebeest and zebras.
However, spotted hyenas have excellent endurance and can continuously chase their prey for up to 5 kilometers, and most of the prey is exhausted after running a few hundred meters.
After the spotted hyena besieges their prey, they do not directly rush over to pounce on the prey and lock its throat, because the spotted hyena has long front legs and short hind legs, and they cannot jump on the prey.
The spotted hyena then chooses to attack other vulnerable parts of its prey besides the neck, such as the anus and abdomen. Members of the spotted hyena group will take turns to harass the prey, and constantly go around the rear of the prey to launch attacks until the prey is completely unable to resist, and all the spotted hyenas will swarm up again and feast.
The combat effectiveness of a spotted hyena cannot be compared with that of a lion in any way, even if it is a lioness, a spotted hyena does not dare to offend easily. But if spotted hyenas reach a certain number, they dare to challenge lions.
3~5 spotted hyenas dare to snatch prey from the mouth of the fallen lioness, and the lioness, in order to avoid being bitten by the spotted hyena with strong bite force, often takes the initiative to leave and give up the prey being swallowed. If there are more of them, spotted hyenas and even lions dare to hunt, which is why they are called "the second brother of Africa".
3. Who is the "wolf slaughter machine" and the "second brother of Africa"?
In the last part, let's analyze, if the Eurasian lynx and the spotted hyena are put in the same habitat, who is more competitive between the two? Which is stronger or weaker than the lynx and spotted hyena? The answer to the question is simple:
The weight of the lynx is 18~32 kg, and the weight of the spotted hyena is 40~86 kg, which means that the weight of the spotted hyena is more than twice the weight of the lynx, and the size often determines the strength of the combat effectiveness.
Perhaps to many readers, the spotted hyena does not seem to be large, thinking that it is similar to a large dog. In fact, this is an illusion, because there are not many dogs that can grow to more than 80 kilograms in life.
The reason why spotted hyenas are not large is because they are often in the same frame as lions, bison, zebras and other large animals, and under the comparison of larger reference objects, spotted hyenas appear smaller. If you really put lynx and spotted hyenas together, you will find that there will be a significant difference in body size between the two.
Although lynx also prey on large and medium-sized mammals, the largest is no more than a roe deer, or other deer, and they cannot hunt a bison or prey about the size of a bison in any way.
But spotted hyenas are different, and in their diets, bison, zebras and wildebeest are the most common. With its intelligent predation strategy and great endurance, spotted hyenas can hunt most mammals in the African savannah.
Of course, it is unfair to the lynx to fight on the prairie where the spotted hyena lives, because the lynx is good at hiding and climbing trees, and in the open grassland, the advantages of the lynx are difficult to play, but the spotted hyena can play the advantages of long-distance running and hunting.
So what if the spotted hyena is put in the dense forest where the lynx live? Is the lynx sure to win? Again, the answer is no.
Even in their familiar territory, lynx cannot compete with so many spotted hyenas that size of them, and the only advantage for lynx may be that they can quickly jump into trees to avoid being hunted by spotted hyenas.