A lion’s heart makes up only about half a percent of its body weight. A spotted hyena’s is close to one percent — roughly twice as large proportionally, helping give the animal we dismiss as a scavenger the endurance to outlast the animal we call king.

A lion’s heart makes up only about half a percent of its body weight. A spotted hyena’s is close to one percent — roughly twice as large proportionally, helping give the animal we dismiss as a scavenger the endurance to outlast the animal we call king.

Put a lion and a spotted hyena beside each other and nobody needs help deciding which animal looks regal. The lion has the mane, the posture and several thousand years of flattering publicity. The hyena has a sloping back, untidy fur and a laugh that cinema usually assigns to villains. Inside the chest, however, the hierarchy turns upside down. Reference figures commonly put a lion’s heart at about 0.45 to 0.57 per cent of body mass, while a spo…