Some species in the animal kingdom are just natural-born enemies like lions & hyenas. Hyenas are stubborn animals, and they don't back up easily if they are determined enough to drive a lion off of its kill. Hyenas, do fear lions and are usually cautious around them, but they start to harass the feline if they outnumber them.
We're used to seeing predators dominate over their prey in the animal kingdom. But in some cases, the prey can flip the script on its predator and pose a serious threat. Sometimes, the rivalry may be between two predators, clashing over the same territory. In other cases, food and territory may not even be the issue, as there are some wild animal species who just plain straight seem to dislike each other.
The prime example is lions and hyenas. If "The Lion King" has taught us anything, it's that lions and hyenas do NOT get along, unless the lion is a jealous, power-hungry tyrant looking to overthrow his king brother. Since the beginning of their time, lions and hyenas have been competing over the same hunting territories. And while in documentaries lions are almost always portrayed as kings and hyenas as lowly thieves, the truth is that both species are known to steal from one another, and are even known to attack each other's young.
While lions are bigger, stronger and pack a serious bite, hyena's strength lies in their greater numbers, which can make a serious difference to the outcome of an encounter between these two rivals. Tension increases as the two compete for the same food and it's not uncommon for their rivalry to turn into full-blown fights to the death. The fact of the matter is: that when a clan of hyenas faces a pride of lions, there's no way of knowing who will come out alive. The same is with ants and lizards.
Vicious animal rivalries can be found anywhere, like this one between fire ants and lizards.
Although ants are a common food source for a lizard, when they come prepared for a fight, things can get ugly real fast and turn the predator into prey.
This is especially true when it comes to tiny fire ants, who've invaded parts of the southeastern U.S. and begun flipping the script on these reptiles. Fire ants have once been recorded killing and dismembering a three-inch-long fence lizard in just under a minute. But lizards are evolving rapidly to survive the invasion of deadly fire ants.
The reptile has learned to "shake it off," so when fire ants climb onto its skin, it twitches vigorously to rid itself of the insects and runs away to safety. This behaviour is not seen in fence lizards that don't have to deal with fire ants. The war is still ongoing, but it's impossible to tell who of these little crawlers would win in a deadly face-off. Similarly, if a hippo and crocodile face each other things can get pretty messy.
Crocodiles are known to trade blows with their larger river rival, the hippopotamus. Don't let the goofy approachable vibe of these massive herbivores fool you. Cute and round as they may seem, to larger predators they are nothing but a huge piece of meat. Hippo calves are a tempting snack to large predators like the crocodile, but the ferocity and aggression of hippo bulls make them a risky target. That classic wide-mouthed hippo yawn? Is actually a sign of aggression. Hippos are so used to being gnawed on by their rival predators, that they'll attack them simply for getting too close. In fact, crocodiles are often viciously "relocated" or even killed by these giant vegetarians. Now that seems personal. The rivalry between bees and hornets is somewhat similar.
When war between bees and giant hornets broke it is one brutal massacre.
Giant Asian Hornets are about five times the size of a regular honey bee and can fly up to fifteen miles per hour. They like to feed honeybee larvae to their young and so begins one of the most incredible rivalries in the whole animal kingdom.
Giant Hornets invade beehives in search of larvae and destroy everything on their hunt for food. They cut the bees' heads off with their mandibles and when bees try to sting their enemies in an attempt to fight back, they cannot penetrate the hornet's stronger armour. A single hornet alone can take down twenty bees per minute.
However, the bees have developed one of the most spectacular defence mechanisms in nature against their reckless invaders. Instead of stinging them, they surround the hornet by the dozens and form a sort of bee ball around it. Then they begin viciously vibrating and heating it up until the hornet is fried to death. Nature always finds a way, and so did the honey bees.
Aside from bees, how do deep-sea predators keep busy while the lions and hyenas are duking it out? Working out a rivalry of their very own, of course.
It's hard to believe anyone would challenge an apex predator such as the great white shark. The great white is a beast when it comes to hunting seals and penguins, and has occasionally been known to attack not only humans but boats too! Whales in comparison are generally seen as peaceful giants, with the exception of the ruthless killer whale, which has more than earned its name.
These highly intelligent 12,000-pound predators compete over the same hunting grounds as their razor-toothed 2,000-pound rival, and will not shy away from having a confrontation if it comes down to it.
Before placing your bets on the outcome of such a gruesome fight, check out this story: Observers in the Farallon Islands once witnessed a giant orca stunting a great white shark by ramming it on its flank, before taking it from behind, turning it upside down and drowning it, of course, they do not drown but still the fight is gruesome.
Back to the land, The king cobra is the world's longest venomous snake, Even the largest predators wouldn't be crazy enough to face off with a deadly reptile. And yet a two-foot mongoose is the exception. According to one Greek historian, they were even gutsy enough to steal crocodile eggs for food. But where would a fuzzy, warm-blooded mammal such as the mongoose get the courage to stand his ground against a venomous cobra?
Well, aside from being highly intelligent and agile, mongooses have specialized acetylcholine receptors that make them resistant and sometimes even completely immune to snake venom. With that kind of ace up its furry sleeve, it's no wonder the mongoose is fearless enough to stand against a venomous cobra and even emerge as the victor in most cases! now, what would happen if a bear faced off a wolf?
Bears are large animals, much larger than wolves. Wolves are very social animals though, living and hunting in packs. Admittedly, bears and wolves have little reason to fight. The woods are big enough for both of 'em, and they don't compete over prey. But both are willing to scavenge and aren't above getting scrappy over a carcass. On rarer occasions, wolves have been seen attempting to catch a bear cub. One-on-one, a wolf doesn't stand a chance against a grizzly bear. A grizzly typically weighs four times heavier than any wolf, and a single well-placed swipe of its paw can cause massive internal damage. But wolves usually travel in packs, and using their speed and agility, they can coordinate their strikes to send a grizzly packing. It's strength vs numbers.
Our next rivals do not need packs to face each other as they both are very huge animals, alright they are peaceful but under special circumstances, they have been known to become vicious.
With more than enough food to go around, you'd be right in assuming that there's no reason for these two plant-eating giants to mess with each other, but something called a "musth" period in elephants can quickly mess with that peaceful co-existence. During musth, male elephants experience an uptick in testosterone reaching up to 60 times their normal levels. During this raging period of puberty male elephants turn highly violent and are likely to attack anything during this time… but rhinos are just about the only species that'll fight back. However, their pointy horns may not always be enough to fight off a 14,000-pound elephant.
In February 2000, a young group of highly-aggressive orphaned Elephants at an African Park was reported to have killed 36 Rhinos during their musth. The lack of adult influence may have exacerbated the problem because this young group of elephants didn't just happen to cross the rhinos' path, they were actually hunting them down.
