Question

Hyenas and lions have fierce battles over food. Which type of relationship does this describe?

Answer 1

The correct answer is : competition.

There are four types of ecological relationships: mutualism, comensalism, parasitism and competition.

Competition can occur between the members of the same species, but in our case of the lions and hyenas we are talking about interspecies competition. This type of competition happens when two species in the ecosystem occupy similar ecological niches and are fighting for resources.

Answer 2

This would be a competition where scarcity of sources of food cause these two species to fight over what is available and their survival instinct kicks in, or just because they both hunt the same prey. These two animals are also very territorial.