A model for lions–hyenas interactions

Competition is known in biology through various mechanisms and species often compete for resources indirectly. We consider a system consisting of a predator, prey, which is not fully consumed and converts to a secondary resource (carcasses), and scavengers, which feed on the carcasses. Such an ecosystem is a simplified sketch of interactions in the savannah between lions and spotted hyenas, with lions killing herbivore prey, especially ungulates, whose leftovers serve as primary food for the hyenas. We perform an analytic and numerical study of the possible bifurcations which the model presents between states where one or more species are absent and the coexistence state.