Interspecific interactions between predators

The relationship between lions and spotted hyenas in areas where they coexist is unique in its complexities and intensities. Lions and hyenas are at the top of the food chain, feeding on the same prey, and are therefore in direct competition. As such, they often struggle to steal and occasionally kill himself. Although hyenas have a reputation for being opportunistic scavengers profiting from hunting the lion, the opposite situation is very common. At Ngorongoro Crater, the population of hyenas far exceeds that of resident lions, as they obtain much of their food by stealing hyena prey. The quarrel between the two species, however, does not exceed a single battle for food, it's actually the boundary between the respective sets the limits of these conflicts because unlike other species, the territories do not overlap, as if groups of hyenas and lions belong to the same species.

However, males are very aggressive toward hyenas, they kill them when they can, sometimes without eating. Dereck and Beverly Joubert have observed several cases of male lions to hyenas attacking systematically, even when they were on the powerplay. The most famous lion killer hyenas was called Ntchwaidumela, its murderous assaults against hyenas, for no apparent reason have led to some nice documentaries such as "Lions and Hyenas, facing death" Conversely, hyenas are major predators of lion cubs (with leopard), harassing liones

Lions dominate smaller felines such as cheetahs they. They steal their prey and kill their young, sometimes adults. Cheetah has a 50% chance of losing his prey vis-à-vis other prédateurs and lions are the main predators of its small, with an estimated nine small even ten killed by a lion in their first weeks of life. Can survive on small prey and climb trees, leopards suffer less from this prédation

Lions are also in competition with the Nile crocodile, and sometimes, depending on the respective sizes that either eat. Lions have been seen killing crocodiles and pieces of lion were found in the stomachs of crocodile

Relationship with man