Animals, just like humans, can go through life living on their own and relying on themselves for survival, having very little interaction with other animals. These animals can be very effective with survival as all that they hunt and do are for their own survival. Some animals prefer hunting in packs, being much stronger together and relying on each other for protection. This family, group mentality is not because these animals are weak on their own, but they have a strong sense of protection and care. Let us discuss some of the common pack hunters that are effective at hunting and have a close family dynamic.
Lions are one of the most iconic animals when it comes to being a powerful group of effective hunters. Lions are very social animals that live in large prides that is ruled by a dominant lion pair with a many females and all the cubs. The Lion male is very dominant and territorial that will chase away any other lion males that attempt to mate with his females or take over his territory. Lionesses are the primary hunters in the pride, hunting together to take down large prey like buffalo, wildebeest and eland. Lion males are used during hunts to provide additional muscle on difficult hunts.
Hyenas are one of the Kruger National Park’s less popular residents that have earned a reputation for being lousy scavengers that only feed off of other predators’ kills, but on the contrary hyenas are very efficient hunters and are actually considered the most efficient hunters in the Kruger National Park. The pack of hyenas contain a dominant matriarch with a lot of lesser females and their cubs. The males are mostly solitary animals that move around on their own unless it is mating season, where the males look for available females to mate with. The hyenas are very effective hunters that can take down large prey like buffalo, eland wildebeest and zebras. Hyenas are also very intimidating and have been known to scare away whole groups of lions from their kills and have a spine chilling laugh / giggle that is pretty iconic sound in the Kruger Park.
Wild Dogs are rather rare animals in the Kruger National Park. They are small canine like animals that travel and live together in small packs. Wild Dogs are not the most ferocious animals in the Kruger National Park and therefore are not able to take care of itself on its own like other predators can. The Pack acts as each individual’s protection and safety as well as their way of hunting. Wild Dogs will hunt small prey animals like impala, klipspringer, small birds and land mammals, fish and reptiles. These small canines live very solitary lives and are very rarely seen in the Kruger National Park, preferring to travel around in the early morning and the late afternoon. These animals will often be seen close to large groups of zebras, buffalos and wildebeest as they are not seen as threats.
