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Species composition of prey consumed by spotted hyaenas Crocuta crocuta in three divergent areas in southern Africa was determined by scat analyses. The larger abundant antelopes predominated in the diet and their occurrence in the diet was apparently directly related to the availability of the prey within the hyaena foraging areas. In Mkuzi Game Reserve and the Namib Naukluft National Park, hyaenas coexist with only one other large predator. In Umfolozi Game Reserve, where hyaenas coexist with four other large predators, a greater variety of prey was taken. Scat weight in desert-dwelling hyaenas was twice that of those from more mesic areas, which may be an adaptation to restricted water intake. The incidence of domestic livestock in the diet was meagre, probably the result of collecting scats only from latrines within the game reserves.