Happy Hyena Shows Off Elephant Ear Prize

A hyena in the Masai Mara was captured carrying a large piece of an elephant’s ear, freshly taken from a carcass. The elephant had died, and like many large herbivores, its body became a vital food source for scavengers like hyenas.

Elephants, with their long lifespans of 60 to 70 years, often die not from disease or predation but from a slow decline due to worn-out teeth. Once their final set of molars is gone, they can no longer chew tough vegetation effectively, leading to malnutrition and eventually death.

But what follows is a powerful continuation of life: their massive bodies become a vital resource on the savannah. Scavengers like hyenas, vultures, and even insects feed on their remains. What’s left nourishes the earth, and even their bones might provide temporary shelter arrangements for small animals in the harsh African sun.

In this case, the hyena managed to snatch the ear while lions were nearby, likely resting after feeding. It took its chance, avoided conflict, and walked off with the chunk.

Photographer, Antonio Sánchez Chamorro went on to explain in his post:

The death of any animal is always sad. For me, it’s especially sad when an elephant dies. But these large herbivores serve as food for many carnivores, like hyenas. In the photo, we see one of them carrying an ear of the great pachyderm. It was lucky and managed to outwit the lions who were napping near the carcass”