🐊 Black caiman vs Spotted hyena 🐾
The black caiman is about 4 times as long as the spotted hyena.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐊 Black caiman | 🐾 Spotted hyena |
|---|---|---|
| Size The black caiman is about 4 times as long as the spotted hyena. | 20 ft6 m1 | 4.1 to 6.1 ft1.3 to 1.9 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the black caiman yet. | no checked number yet | 37 mph60 km/h2 |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the black caiman yet. | no checked number yet | 99 to 154 lb45 to 70 kg2 |
| Lives The spotted hyena usually lives about one and a half times as long as the black caiman. | 13 years13 years1 | 20 years20 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | fish such as piranhas and catfish, other animals near the water, and insects when it is young | land animals that have a backbone |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | slow rivers, lakes and flooded forest in the Amazon region | open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest |
Which one? Black caiman or spotted hyena
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the black caiman yet, so there is no race.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
9 things to know about Black caiman vs Spotted hyena
- The black caiman: A very big reptile of the Amazon that lives in slow rivers.
- The spotted hyena: A strong African animal with a spotted coat and a sloping back.
- They are different kinds of animal. The black caiman is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the spotted hyena is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The black caiman is about 4 times as long as the spotted hyena: 1 against 2.
- The spotted hyena usually lives about one and a half times as long as the black caiman. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black caiman and 2 for the spotted hyena.
- Both eat meat. The black caiman eats fish such as piranhas and catfish, other animals near the water, and insects when it is young; the spotted hyena eats land animals that have a backbone.
- The black caiman lives in slow rivers, lakes and flooded forest in the Amazon region. The spotted hyena lives in open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The black caiman: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The spotted hyena: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐊 Black caiman
- A black caiman can grow longer than most cars.
- Young ones eat mostly insects.
- It lives in slow rivers and flooded Amazon forest.
🐾 Spotted hyena
- A spotted hyena can run fast over a long way.
- It lives in savanna, semi-desert and mountain forest.
- It also cleans up what other animals leave.
Questions kids ask about Black caiman and Spotted hyena
Which is bigger, black caiman or spotted hyena?
The black caiman is about 4 times as long as the spotted hyena: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, black caiman or spotted hyena?
We only have a checked weight for the spotted hyena: 2. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, black caiman or spotted hyena?
The spotted hyena usually lives about one and a half times as long as the black caiman. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black caiman and 2 for the spotted hyena.
What do black caiman and spotted hyena eat?
Both eat meat. The black caiman eats fish such as piranhas and catfish, other animals near the water, and insects when it is young; the spotted hyena eats land animals that have a backbone.
Where do black caiman and spotted hyena live?
The black caiman lives in slow rivers, lakes and flooded forest in the Amazon region. The spotted hyena lives in open, dry places across Africa south of the Sahara, from semi-desert to savanna and mountain forest. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, black caiman or spotted hyena?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/black-caiman-vs-spotted-hyena
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Melanosuchus niger (black caiman), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Crocuta crocuta (spotted hyena), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.