Lion Predation

[Spalea]

@Shadow :

About #705: It's fascinating to see how lions can be opportunist. What does it happen when suddendly one of them remarks it could be easyer to kill a big croc rather than to run after an antelope in order to kill it ? The way to describe how to make a croc a prey (one lion tryes to distract it while the other catches it directly at the jugular) makes us feeling that the croc would be a prey much more easy to catch and kill...

At another place lions would be buffalos hunters, or hippos hunters, or even elephants hunters. For this last exemple, Dereck and Bewerly Joubert relate how the lions became progressively elephants hunter during a severe drought period. At first by attacking the cubs and step by step by aggressing individuals more and more adult.

After we can speak about a learned behaviour. Of course too tigers and the other big cats can be as opportunistic as the lions and learn how to kill some unusual preys. But may be because lions living in pride these acquitted behaviours are more spectacular if all members of the pride are assimilating this new method towards an unusual prey becoming usual. Reply