Prey preferences of the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta)

Though not a felid, the spotted hyena is the dominant competitor and kleptoparasite of African big cats, so its prey preferences are central to felid dynamics. Hayward compiled kill and diet records across the species' range and weighted them by prey availability, deriving a preferred prey weight around 56-182 kg and significant preference for medium-large ungulates such as wildebeest, zebra and buffalo calves. The study clarified that hyenas are effective hunters, not merely scavengers, and quantified the dietary overlap that drives intense competition with lions, leopards and cheetahs. These results feed directly into models of kleptoparasitism, intraguild competition and the structuring of African large-carnivore guilds.