There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
To me, it is evident that what matters is skill set.
Lions and other animals practise their skills over the years and then master the skill. These animals are like martial artist, who knows where to attack and how to avoid the counter attack.
I had seen a video of single lion killing an adult bull buffalo in its prime.
Lion broke the leg tendons making it impossible for the buffalo to stand properly but buffalo was still powerful enough to keep lion at bay therefore lion waited for buffalo to fell/sit down and kill in night - same strategy as followed by lioness to kill giraffe in above post.
Something that I learned from observing lions hunt, is that fear of death sends a most animals into absolute taruma (their eyes buggles out) where they don't take any rescue actions - but that happens when attacked at specific places like choking etc.
Another thing to observe is that cats have different tactics to kill different animals. for Zebra or Wildebeest you aren't going to see lions attack hind legs but choke mouth or cut the neck windpipe after jumping from back but in case of buffaloes they try and immobilized the animal first by breaking tendon and spine and only then move towards neck or mouth. When attacking another lion they break hip joints, spine making gashes & punctures, often attacking testiscles - most of times hind legs and spine is broken after the fight.
Hyenas and dogs rely on numbers and continuous attacks and tiring the animal. Hyena have special tactic to kill bull buffaloes - attack the testiscles first and other underbelly points and then specific joints - eating the animal mostly alive.
Honey badger proves a tough nut for lions to crack, small it may be. Thus size doesn't matter much as compared to skills.