# Why hyenas tolerate vultures **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 23, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hyenas-tolerate-vultures/777956 "2017-01-23T18:51:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hyenas-tolerate-vultures/777956/1 "2017-01-23T18:51:19Z")
I have noticed on films that hyenas seem to be very tolerant of vultures even though they are after the same food. Trying to figure if the vulture somehow benefits the hyena. My first guess would be that the vulture gives visual clues to the location of food and possible for the second reason the vulture might clean up table scraps that would encourage more hyenas to move into an area. Both speculation on my part. Any other ideas why they seem so tolerant of a competitor for the same food? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hyenas-tolerate-vultures/777956/2 "2017-01-23T19:07:26Z")
Vultures have sharp talons, sharp beaks, and can fly. Would you use your face to attack someone with sharp talons, a sharp beak, and could fly away after ripping into you, or would you tolerate them? (Okay, all of the above and you _weren’t_ a honey badger.) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hyenas-tolerate-vultures/777956/3 "2017-01-23T19:34:58Z")
[The honey badger’s badass. Honey badger don’t give a shit.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg) I wish all nature documentaries were narrated like this. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hyenas-tolerate-vultures/777956/4 "2017-01-23T19:37:35Z")
Anything but politics right now! ---
**Author:** ![Turpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Turpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hyenas-tolerate-vultures/777956/5 "2017-01-23T20:29:38Z")
I think most animals generally avoid a fight if possible- in a world where food is always limited and uncertain, it’s best to conserve energy as much as possible. I’ve seen nature shows where bears and wolves tolerate crows and bald eagles at their kill, too. I’m sure the carnivores would rather those annoying birds drop dead, but it’s generally not worth it to chase after them when you should be spending that time gorging. Plus, as was mentioned above, a lot of carrion birds have talons- the fight isn’t worth it given the amount of food they take from you. ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hyenas-tolerate-vultures/777956/6 "2017-01-23T21:20:11Z")
For more or less the same reason you don’t track down and squash every fly buzzing around your sandwich; it costs more energy than it saves, and it’s not like the flies (or vultures) are gonna go very far; you’ll either have to catch & kill them or just accept that they’ll hang around the edges until they get something. The hyena’s real threats are other hyenas and bigger predators. Better to gulp down as much as you can before the lions come. The birds and other small scavengers don’t take enough to bother with usually. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2017, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-hyenas-tolerate-vultures/777956/7 "2017-01-23T21:35:34Z")
Speaking as a lawyer, it just seems like professional courtesy.