The African continent is home to felines, and the top predators are felines such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs. Even hyenas are more closely related to felines. The most famous canines living on the African continent are the African wild dogs, but their size is very thin, very thin, at first glance, is this not a "low-grade version" of the spotted hyena?
Why is the African wild dog a "low-end version" of the spotted hyena? Because African wild dogs behave very similarly to spotted hyenas in every way.
Physically
In terms of size, african wild dogs are smaller than hyenas, but similar in size to German shepherds. Compared with the high and low durability of the hyena, the African wild dog is more symmetrical and leaner, which makes the African wild dog more flexible than the hyena and faster than the hyena in terms of speed.
In appearance, African wild dogs are more like canines than spotted hyenas, and both have large ear pinnae, but African wild dogs are superior. Because both African wild dogs and spotted hyenas communicate with their companions by barking, the huge pinna can help them hear their peers' communication information from a greater distance, allowing them to cooperate in hunting. Such behavior also makes their hunting very efficient.
Unique artistic markings
The pattern on the spotted hyena is spotted. Such markings are easily confused in the spotted hyena population, so the spotted hyena distinguishes its companions by the different calls and smells of each companion.
The stripes of African wild dogs are very unique, composed of dark, earthy yellow, light brown, white gray and other colors, just like a map. Each African hyena has different markings, just as there are no two identical leaves in the world, and there are no two African hyenas with the same markings in the world. They are able to distinguish their companions by different markings, which is much more efficient than hyenas. And African wild dogs are also able to communicate with their companions by leaving a smell of urine.
Walking meat grinder
The head of the spotted hyena is larger than the head of the African wild dog, and there are more muscles attached, so the bite force of the spotted hyena is more powerful than that of the African wild dog. But the teeth of the two are very similar, once bitten, but also to be ripped off a piece of meat, such a tooth structure allows them to easily tear off the flesh of the prey, even the bones will become crushed under the mutual cutting of teeth, can be called "walking meat grinder".
The two are also very similar in attack methods, because of the simultaneous social animals, the attack is also a rush to bite, or extraction. I have to say that the extraction technique is very practical, which can make the prey lose its ability to resist in an instant, and even the lion of the king of the steppe will use the attack when facing powerful prey.
Moreover, both are predators, and the hunting efficiency is very high, but the difference is that due to the size and population, the hyena will have more hunting targets and a larger range. Although the African wild dog is fast, it is not strong enough to choose small animals such as impala and baboons with smaller bodies as food.
Spotted hyenas and African wild dogs will carry out lion's mouth snatching, the difference is that most of the spotted hyenas rob the fruits of their own labor, while african wild dogs rob the prey of "others".
A cosmopolitan society in which the old have something to support and the young depend on
Socially, African wild dogs and spotted hyenas are social animals, and the populations are very united. Most of the spotted hyenas are in the number of a dozen to twenty or so, while the African wild dogs are different, as few as three or five groups, more can even reach a group of fifty or so invincible, such a fighting force, even the lion sees it and has to go around.
The society of spotted hyenas is a class system, and the distribution of food is also from the chief down, the strongest spotted hyena can eat until it is full, and then the food is continuously divided according to the hierarchy, and the food at the lowest level is less and less, and those old, weak, sick and disabled spotted hyenas can still eat a few bites of meat when food is sufficient, and once the food is insufficient, they can only starve.
The African wild dog society is like the "cosmopolitan society" in the ideal society, in which "the old have something to raise, and the young have something to rely on". African wild dogs that go out hunting will first eat a small bite of meat, and then use their sharp teeth to cut the meat, take it back or feed it back into the population, and give priority to those old, sick, sick, and young companions, so that each companion can fill his stomach.
Compared to spotted hyenas, African wild dogs will be more united. When facing a lion, once the leader of the spotted hyena is killed, the remaining spotted hyenas disperse. Once the companions of the African wild dogs are attacked by the lion, "there is no retreat to speak of", the rest of the companions will fight back and save their companions, and if the companions are saved, they will also follow together against the lion, repelling the lion, very brave and united.
Spotted hyenas and African wild dogs are also predators, and they also become mutually hated opponents, and once they find a single opponent, they will be attacked by the group, using the pulling that they are both proficient in.
epilogue
Such a "low-end version" of the spotted hyena seems to feel more powerful than the spotted hyena, but their existing condition is very unoptimistic. The only remaining 3,000 African wild dogs in the world is due to the destruction of their habitats by humans on the one hand, and to them by various predators on the grasslands on the other hand. Because of their slender stature, although their hunting ability is very strong, their fighting power with other predators is not so strong, and they are still a long way from the top predators.