Leo is a real personification of strength, dexterity and nobility, and therefore is rightfully called the "king of beasts." These majestic animals in an interesting way built a social organization. The only way to get food for them is hunting. How do lions hunt and can they cope with such large prey as an elephant?
Meet the Predator
Lion is a predatory mammal belonging to the cat family. The appearance of these beautiful creatures is very characteristic, and a distinctive feature of the species is a pronounced sexual demorphism. Males are significantly larger than females in size and have a decoration in the form of a thick mane. In some subspecies, it is highly developed and partially covers the back, chest and shoulders. Predator hair is painted in various shades of yellow-gray. The color of the mane usually coincides with the color of the rest of the hairline, but sometimes it can be darker.
The body length of lions reaches 2.5 m, and sometimes the mass exceeds 250 kg. The teeth of a big cat are quite large, their size is 8 cm. In total, 30 fangs are in the mouth of a lion. The second formidable weapon of this killing machine is the claws. Their length reaches 7 cm.
The life expectancy of representatives of this species in the wild is an average of 10-14 years. In captivity, some individuals live up to 20 years. Males rarely manage to cross the 10-year milestone due to the fact that fights for the territory often end with the death of one of the rivals.
Social organization
The life of lions can be organized in two ways. The most common option is the pride. In its composition most often there are several females that are relatives, offspring of both sexes and a male. In some cases, the pride can have from 2 to 4 males. This situation is possible when the lions are brothers. Young males are driven out of the pride when they reach puberty.
The second type of organization is represented by wandering lonely individuals. Most often they turn out to be young lions expelled from the pride, since the vast majority of males go through this stage of life. Sometimes they remain alone until the end. But there are times when wandering individuals join someone else’s pride or base their own.
How does an animal hunt?
How do lions and lionesses hunt? A distinctive feature of hunting these beautiful cats is the pursuit of one selected prey by well-coordinated groups. Predators are strong, but they do not differ in special endurance. Therefore, the lions try to get as close and inconspicuous as possible to the potential victim and develop high speed only at a short distance.
Often hunting takes place at night, which greatly helps the lions, as the prey is poorly oriented in the dark. For the most part, hunting rests on the shoulders of the females. Males take part only if the prey is too large. Several individuals surround the herd and attack the selected victim. Females try to quickly grab the target in a few powerful jumps. The caught animal dies most often from suffocation or fractures in the neck.
How do lions wander alone? Such individuals are forced to earn their own food. Hunting with a group significantly increases the chances of success, as the actions of lions are well coordinated. Therefore, lonely individuals are often left without prey. For the rest, they act like groups: they creep up to the victim as close as possible and attack, trying to strangle her.
Do lions attack elephants?
Antelopes, zebras, warthogs and buffaloes most often become prey for lions. But sometimes a majestic predator chooses a larger target.
How do lions hunt elephants? The adult "king of beasts" is extremely strong, but the elephant is much stronger. Wild cats can shoot down smaller prey with one blow, and hunting in groups makes the task much easier. With elephants, everything is much more complicated.
Firstly, lions run the risk of attacking an elephant only if they are very hungry, and there are simply no other victims. And secondly, they prefer to choose a young or sick animal that is not able to repulse such a healthy, adult elephant.
Interesting Facts
These beautiful predators are striking not only for their grace and strength. Below are a few facts that may surprise you:
- The lion is the second largest living feline. In terms of size, it is second only to the tiger.
- The animal goes on hunting only when it is hungry.
- Representatives of the species can sleep up to 20 hours a day.
- The predator is able to do without water for several months.
- In the past few decades, the population has declined by 50%.
- Porcupine is a real enemy of the lion.
Some people wonder if the ways of getting food from tiger and lion are different. How do tigers hunt, and do their methods differ from the “king of beasts” method?
Since the tabby cat is a loner by nature, her hunting is noticeably different from the lion's. Cases of attacks by tigers on prey in packs are rare. This is a lone hunter, accustomed to silently sneak up on his target. Having reduced the distance to 20 meters, the tiger swiftly attacks and tries to knock over prey due to its own weight, grabbing it by the neck.