These animal rivalries have been going down for millennia. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for our favorite arch nemeses of the animal kingdom.
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00:00Orca have hunted and killed great white sharks.
00:03Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for our favorite
00:07arch-nemeses of the animal kingdom.
00:09They are each other's prey, but they are also each other's deadliest opponents.
00:1520. Cheetah vs. Hyena
00:17Two of Africa's greatest hunters also share one of the continent's greatest rivalries.
00:22What they don't share is their prey,
00:24with both species being known to steal kills from each other.
00:27The killing is the easiest part of the process.
00:35Keeping your prize trophy is the hard part.
00:38The cheetah may very well be the world's fastest land animal,
00:41but that doesn't stop the hyenas from laughing in their enemy's face.
00:44To be fair, hyenas do have one pretty notable advantage over their spotted
00:49foe in that they're able to eat, well, pretty much anything.
00:5219. Chimpanzee vs. Bonobo
01:18These two primates share many similarities.
01:21In fact, bonobos were originally referred to as pygmy chimpanzees.
01:25However, their social structures are very different, and this has stirred some conflict.
01:45They really are just like us, aren't they?
01:47Chimpanzees, particularly males, tend to be more violent,
01:50while bonobos are known for their more peace-loving, harmonious nature.
01:54One theory suggests the two species split around 2 million years ago due to a minor
01:58difference in availability of food that sent them on two different evolutionary paths.
02:10Who knew being short a few bananas could have such a significant impact?
02:1418. Snake vs. Newt
02:16Garter snakes have preyed on newts for a long,
02:19long time. Research suggests that this is a rivalry that dates back around 170 million years
02:25ago. Within the span of those years, the two species have become locked in a race
02:43that we can only assume Charles Darwin would very much enjoy watching.
02:46Over time, newts have evolved to develop a poisonous toxin to kill the snakes that
02:51prey upon them. But in turn, the snakes evolve to better tolerate the poison,
03:09and then the cycle repeats. After so many years, can't they just learn to get along?
03:1517. Owl vs. Crow
03:17Great horned owls are master nocturnal hunters, stealthily swooping in at night
03:22to snatch prey from their nests. During the day, however, they don't have quite
03:41the same advantage, causing some of their fellow avians, including crows,
03:45to turn the tables on them during daylight hours. Crows will harass owls in mobs when
03:49they come across them during the day. While older owls eventually adapt to be undisturbed
03:54by the activity, the mob behavior still works out for the birds that exhibit it,
03:58with studies finding that they are less likely to be preyed upon.
04:01We wonder if there's a crow version of Tony Soprano?
04:1216. Komodo Dragon vs. Saltwater Crocodile
04:20In their own ecosystems, these two apex predators are the kings of the food chain.
04:25They both have kaiju-like status in the animal kingdom, with Komodo Dragons being the largest
04:30lizards in the world and Saltwater Crocodiles being the largest reptiles in the world.
04:42These two scaly titans rarely, if ever, clash in the wild.
04:46But if they do, like in a state park setting, the results could be deadly.
04:50While there's no doubt the Komodo Dragon is a formidable predator with a venomous bite,
04:54crocodiles have an advantage in size and strength, especially their powerful jaws.
04:59Forget Godzilla vs. Kong, this is a matchup we'd pay to see on the biggest screen possible.
05:05Make it happen, Hollywood!
05:11Razor-sharp teeth, so one little wrong move and that'll set him off.
05:1515. Eagle vs. Snake
05:18The mythologies of various cultures use eagles and snakes as symbols of conflict
05:22between righteousness and wretchedness.
05:24Their real danger comes from the sky.
05:35Storyteller Aesop is said to have written the fable The Serpent and the Eagle in the
05:39time of ancient Greece. Venomous snakes can take down many an enemy with just a bite.
05:44Eagles are apex predators of the air thanks to their exceptionally keen vision.
05:48This allows them to always see their foes coming, including the snake.
05:53Of course, in this instance, it also helps that snakes are pretty grounded.
05:57They sometimes pose a threat to eagles' territories or nests,
06:00but if the eagle can get the snake airborne, they have a definite home team advantage.
06:0514. Crocodile vs. Nile Monitor
06:11Crocodiles may be the largest reptile in town, but they still have some competition in Africa,
06:17particularly from the Nile monitor, a formidable and sizable lizard.
06:21In fact, the two have been known to be confused for one another from time to time.
06:38Nile monitors are a real thorn in the side of crocodiles,
06:42mainly because they will try to steal their eggs and scavenge their prey.
06:51Crocs may have the advantage in size, but the speed and resourcefulness of the Nile monitor
07:01mean it can be a worthy opponent in the fight for resources.
07:0513. Komodo Dragon vs. Itself
07:08It seems as if the fearsome Komodo dragon has trouble getting along with
07:12pretty much anybody, no matter what species, and this includes other Komodo dragons.
07:21If food is scarce, they may even eat their own young.
07:29These immense lizards are quite territorial,
07:31and will be defensive of their territory towards each other.
07:35Male Komodo dragons also engage in heated battles, biting and clawing at each other
07:40in a conflict that typically takes place over females during mating season.
07:5212. Wolf vs. Coyote
08:11An all-too-common example of two factions having much in common,
08:14but societal differences tear them apart.
08:2113. Wolf vs. Coyote
08:30To be fair, there are notable physical differences as well.
08:34Wolves are definitely the larger of the canines, but it truly is social differences that really
08:39drives a wedge between them. Wolves famously hunt in packs, while coyotes exhibit more
08:44solitary behavior. So when they compete for habitat and prey like fawns, not only are
08:49coyotes smaller, they're outnumbered. Wolves don't take kindly to competition,
08:54and will harass and occasionally kill coyotes in retaliation.
08:57If these coyotes don't look over their shoulder enough,
09:00they're gonna find a wolf coming, and it's game over.
09:03If only the species could learn to hunt alongside each other. Teamwork makes the dream work.
09:0811. Honey badger vs. Everyone
09:11Here's an example of someone who has a beef with seemingly everybody.
09:15This is an animal with a reputation. It's a snake-eating, jackal-chasing,
09:22bad news honey badger.
09:24We bet Drizzy Drake could relate. The honey badger is even arrogant
09:28enough to take on foes much larger than itself, including leopards, lions, and hyenas.
09:34Excuse the dated reference, but they just don't care.
09:36You might consider them one of the animal kingdom's biggest daredevils.
09:40Like many critters, honey badgers are at their most aggressive when acting in defense
09:44of their territory or when hunting for food.
09:53While the honey badger may be an enemy to all,
09:56we still can't help but admire its grit and determination.
09:5910. Crocodile vs. Anaconda
10:02What happens when you take two of the largest reptiles in the world
10:05and place them in the same habitat to compete for prey?
10:15They reach up to 25 feet long and can weigh more than 300 pounds.
10:21You get one vicious cold-blooded feud.
10:24This particular bout exemplifies the relative advantages and weaknesses of each creature.
10:29The crocodile has one of the strongest bite forces in the world.
10:33One well-placed chomp and even the largest snake is in trouble.
10:36But the anaconda, with its bone-crushing ability to constrict,
10:40can literally squeeze the life out of the competition.
10:43YouTube has made this rivalry extremely popular.
10:46But the creatures featured in many videos are,
10:49in fact, alligators and other types of snakes like pythons.
11:01So let's drop the semantics.
11:03When serpents and crocodilia tango, things get messy.
11:089. Honeybee vs. Asian Giant Hornet
11:11Sure, a battle between giant reptiles sounds like a big-ticket event.
11:15But the rivalry between Asian honeybees and Asian giant hornets is some
11:19real nuanced art-of-war-level stuff.
11:21Surrounded by vibrating bodies, the hornet at the core of the bee ball begins to overheat.
11:28The bees have the advantage.
11:30These giant hornets are nearly two inches in length and boast a quarter-inch stinger.
11:34They steal the young larvae of honeybees to feed to their own offspring.
11:38Dark, right?
11:39An invading hornet's hard outer shell is impenetrable to bee stings,
11:43making it a juggernaut of carnage, beheading honeybees as it tears through the hive.
11:48It's the start of a mass attack.
11:56Each warrior can kill up to 40 bees a minute.
11:59It's a real David and Goliath dynamic.
12:01But when you can't stab them, cook them.
12:03In a fascinating move, Japanese honeybees have learned to band together to engulf the
12:07hornet and vibrate so furiously they literally cook it alive.
12:15They're big, they're gray, and they know how to throw their weight around.
12:18We're talking about elephants and rhinos.
12:30These two creatures share an environment, and for the most part,
12:33it's a peaceful coexistence.
12:35But if either feels threatened, they can react defensively with extreme aggression,
12:40especially when young ones are around.
12:43But the biggest factor? Hormones.
12:45When male elephants enter their must period,
12:47their testosterone can reach up to 60 times the normal level.
12:51They go into hormonal berserker rage.
12:54If the punk knocks the rhino over, he could kneel on her, crushing ribs and vital organs.
13:01Male elephants are likely to attack anything during this time,
13:04but rhinos are just about the only species that'll fight back.
13:08In the year 2000, a wayward pack of adolescent male elephants killed an estimated 36 rhinos.
13:18The next stop on our Savage Animal Rivalry World Tour? The deep blue sea.
13:31The Great White Shark is considered an apex predator, the top of its food chain.
13:41They've been known to attack not only humans, but boats, too.
13:44By contrast, we generally think of whales as peaceful giants, and for the most part, they are.
13:50But the killer whale, made famous by SeaWorld and the Free Willy film franchise,
13:54has more than earned its lethal name.
13:56Killer whales are ruthlessly efficient when hunting seals and penguins,
14:00and they aren't afraid to challenge the king of the ocean, either.
14:10In fact, orcas are the only natural predators of Great White Sharks.
14:14Competition over prey or a chance encounter can be enough to trigger
14:18a deadly contest for oceanic supremacy.
14:24Speaking of apex predators, the polar bear is a pretty serious hunter.
14:28The most carnivorous of all bear species, its prey primarily consists of seals.
14:33But like any great hunter, the polar bear sometimes finds itself tempted by big game.
14:38And in the Arctic, there's no prey more massive than the walrus.
14:42Using the fog as cover, the bear approaches the herd.
14:51The adults close ranks around their young, presenting a wall of blubber and hide.
14:57Only the largest polar bears will target walruses,
15:00and such attacks are on the young or injured.
15:02But an attack on calves often attracts the attention of a bull,
15:05resulting in an epic clash of claws and tusks.
15:08Adult male walruses weigh up to 4,400 pounds, more than double the average polar bear.
15:14Either the bear kills the walrus or it backs down,
15:17often having suffered life-threatening stab wounds.
15:20It slips from his grasp.
15:24Alright, anaconda versus crocodile is anyone's fight.
15:27But surely when put up against a fuzzy, warm-blooded mammal, a cobra will win every time?
15:40Apparently not.
15:40The mongoose may only be one to two feet in length,
15:43but it is fierce, agile, smart, and unlikely to back down.
15:48According to one Greek historian, they were even known to steal crocodile eggs.
15:52Cobras, on the other hand, are extremely venomous snakes,
15:56which, up against any other mammal that size, would consider their opponent an easy meal.
16:00But the mongoose has an ace up its furry sleeve, a resistance to snake venom.
16:04The mongoose is immune to a certain quantity of the cobra's venom,
16:08but right now, he's not hungry enough to push those limits.
16:12It's prey versus predator, and while it can go either way,
16:15the odds generally favor the mongoose.
16:22Do they get along with anyone?
16:28When not fighting anacondas or lizards,
16:30crocodiles are known to trade blows with their fellow river-dweller, the hippopotamus.
16:34And while these large herbivores may look exceedingly lazy,
16:38content to spend their days bathing, they can be downright vicious when need be.
16:42They might give off a goofy, approachable vibe,
16:45but attempting to hug a hippo is extremely ill-advised.
16:49Hippo calves are a tempting snack to large predators,
16:52which include lions, hyenas, and, of course, crocodiles.
16:56But the ferocity and aggression of hippo bulls make them a risky target.
17:00In fact, crocodiles are often viciously relocated or even killed by these giant vegetarians,
17:06simply for getting too close.
17:07That classic hippo yawn? A sign of aggression.
17:11We've seen one or two of these hippos doing these big yawning displays,
17:14which is really a threat to the crocodiles.
17:16They're trying to drive the crocodiles off with this big yawning.
17:19Number three, lion versus hyena.
17:22So how do the other African predators keep busy while the hippos and crocs are duking it out?
17:26Working out a rivalry of their very own, of course.
17:28He's trapped by over 20 of them.
17:32As the Lion King taught us,
17:33unless the lion in question is a power-hungry conniving outcast with a penchant for fratricide,
17:38lions and hyenas do not get along.
17:40Since the dawn of time,
17:42hyenas have been competing with the king of the jungle for prey.
17:46Both are known to steal from one another,
17:48going so far as to target each other's young.
17:50While lions are bigger and stronger,
17:52hyena packs bring strength in numbers with overwhelming results.
17:56Even for 20 hyenas, a pair of male lions is too much to take on.
18:03Competition over food can lead to full-blown royal rumbles between hyenas and a lion pride.
18:09Number two, dolphin versus shark.
18:11Few animals inspire fear like sharks.
18:14Sure, their aggression has been exaggerated in popular media, but they really do attack.
18:19By contrast, dolphins are treated like the jesters of the sea,
18:23harmless, friendly, frolicking clowns.
18:25Well, it turns out they aren't so innocent either.
18:27What happened next will never be known,
18:30but it's likely the rest of the beachies mobbed or even rammed the shark with their beaks.
18:34Dolphins have historically saved humans from sharks,
18:37but they've also recently been observed attacking
18:39humans and bludgeoning baby porpoises to death for fun.
18:43So maybe don't underestimate them?
18:46Dolphins work as a pack, attacking the shark from all sides.
18:49They use their rounded noses to ram the shark, striking the shark's soft underbelly.
18:54It's easy to sneak up on a lone dolphin,
18:57but the safety of the pod can stop an ambush, even from a great white.
19:02One serious shark bite can end a dolphin, though that's not usually the case.
19:07While pods of dolphins have killed a large shark on more than one occasion.
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19:271. Grizzly Bear vs. Wolf
19:29Admittedly, bears and wolves have little reason to fight.
19:33The woods are big enough for the both of them, and they don't really compete over prey.
19:37There is no love lost between Yellowstone's top predators,
19:41but a frantic mother bear is nothing to toy with.
19:44But both are willing to scavenge and aren't above getting scrappy over a carcass.
19:49On rare occasions, wolves have been seen attempting to catch a bear cub.
19:53One-on-one, a wolf doesn't stand a chance against a grizzly bear.
19:57A grizzly typically weighs in four times heavier than any wolf,
20:01and a single, well-placed swipe of its paw can cause massive internal damage.
20:05She could break a wolf's back with a single swipe of the paw.
20:09But wolves usually travel in packs, and using their speed and agility,
20:13they can coordinate their strikes to send a grizzly packing. It's strength versus numbers.
20:19Did we miss your pick for the animal kingdom's greatest beef? Let us know in the comments.
20:23The war between lions and hyenas over food never ends.
20:29Even for a whole pride, a hyena is a tough adversary.
20:53you