Snapshot Serengeti Talk

How to classify a kill?

  • EdMorgan by EdMorgan

    This is 2 spotted hyena resting after kill/feeding. How do you classify the dead young gazelle?

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  • davidbygott by davidbygott moderator

    First off, I can't be sure this is a kill. I can't ID it enough to say whether it is or isn't a sleeping hyena. It just seems very un-hyena-like for them to lie down next to a kill - normally they would be chomping it down as fast as they could rather than just guarding it, as more hyenas might show up and steal it. It's quite normal for them to rest as a group however. But in a situation where you are sure it's a kill and can ID the vic, I think just explain what is going on with hashtags on the image. You won't be seeing much predation, it's a rarer event than TV watchers imagine!

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  • tillydad by tillydad moderator

    It is a resting spotted hyena - the ear shape and body colour/size are all indicative here 😃

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  • davidbygott by davidbygott moderator in response to tillydad's comment.

    thanks - I coudn't see an ear but my monitor was not the best 😃

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  • tillydad by tillydad moderator in response to davidbygott's comment.

    As always, my pleasure 😃

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