Head to head
Spotted Hyena vs African Wild Dog
The spotted hyena and the African wild dog are the two great pack hunters of the African savanna after the lion, and they are direct competitors. Hyenas are bigger and heavier, with the strongest bite of any mammal its size; wild dogs are lighter, faster, and hunt with the highest success rate of any large African predator.
| Spotted Hyena | African Wild Dog | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Hyaenidae (closer to cats and civets) | Canidae (a true dog) |
| Weight | 45–80 kg, females larger | 18–36 kg |
| Bite force | Around 1,100 psi — crushes long bones | Strong for its size but no bone-crushing |
| Group | Clan of up to 80+, female-dominated | Pack of ~6–20, cooperative, little aggression within |
| Hunting success | Around 33–50% | The highest of any large African carnivore, 60–90% |
| Hunting style | Endurance chase, test the herd, target the weak | Fast pursuit ~2–3 km, bite and tear on the run |
| Numbers | 27,000–47,000 — stable | Around 6,600 — Endangered |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Endangered |
Hyena vs African Wild Dog: common questions
Do hyenas and wild dogs fight?
Constantly, over food. Spotted hyenas shadow hunting wild dogs and move in to steal the carcass the moment a kill is made. The dogs mob and harass hyenas to drive them off, and the outcome depends almost entirely on the ratio of dogs to hyenas present.
Which is the better hunter?
By success rate, the African wild dog — it completes 60 to 90 percent of its hunts, far more than lions, leopards, or hyenas. Hyenas are more versatile, though: they hunt, scavenge, and pirate kills, and a clan can bring down prey as large as a buffalo.
Is a hyena a dog or a cat?
Neither. Hyenas have their own family, Hyaenidae, which sits closer to cats, mongooses, and civets than to dogs on the carnivore family tree. The African wild dog, by contrast, is a genuine member of the dog family, Canidae.