Hyenas are formidable medium-sized predators that live in social packs, preying on large and medium-sized herbivores such as gazelles, zebras, and wildebeest—and can even take down massive African buffalo. Known as the “second-in-command” of the African savanna, hyenas not only hunt for themselves but often band together to snatch food from leopards and cheetahs, occasionally even daring to compete with lions for scraps. Hyenas are also scavengers, earning their reputation as the “sanitation workers” of the African plains.