{"id":4674,"date":"2021-07-05T23:29:06","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T23:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/?p=4674"},"modified":"2021-10-07T14:24:50","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T14:24:50","slug":"how-do-lions-hunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/","title":{"rendered":"How do lions hunt?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Question:<\/strong> How Do Lions Hunt?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Answer:<\/strong> Lions hunt and kill their prey by stalking, attacking, tackling and grabbing them with their jaws. Lions typically use groups to do this, with one lion distracting the animal while others sneak up from behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_47 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-662bedcd615bf\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-662bedcd615bf\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#How_do_Lions_hunt_Know_their_hunting_tactics\" title=\"How do Lions hunt? Know their hunting tactics\">How do Lions hunt? Know their hunting tactics<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#Do_Male_Lions_Hunt\" title=\"Do Male Lions Hunt?\">Do Male Lions Hunt?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#What_do_lions_eat\" title=\"What do lions eat?\">What do lions eat?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#What_Makes_Lionesses_Better_Hunters_Than_Lions\" title=\"What Makes Lionesses Better Hunters Than Lions?\">What Makes Lionesses Better Hunters Than Lions?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#What_Makes_Male_Lions_Better_Hunters_Than_Females\" title=\"What Makes Male Lions Better Hunters Than Females?\">What Makes Male Lions Better Hunters Than Females?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#How_Lions_Hunt_in_Packs\" title=\"How Lions Hunt in Packs\">How Lions Hunt in Packs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#Do_tigers_and_lions_have_the_same_fighting_technique_since_they_are_built_similarly\" title=\"Do tigers and lions have the same fighting technique, since they are built similarly?\">Do tigers and lions have the same fighting technique, since they are built similarly?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#Do_lions_hunt_when_they_are_not_hungry\" title=\"Do lions hunt when they are not hungry?\">Do lions hunt when they are not hungry?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#Do_lions_kill_their_prey_quickly\" title=\"Do lions kill their prey quickly?\">Do lions kill their prey quickly?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#Can_a_lion_cub_kill_you\" title=\"Can a lion cub kill you?\">Can a lion cub kill you?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#Are_Lions_dangerous_to_humans\" title=\"Are Lions dangerous to humans?\">Are Lions dangerous to humans?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#How_does_a_lion_choose_its_prey\" title=\"How does a lion choose its prey?\">How does a lion choose its prey?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#Do_lions_kill_lioness_in_the_wild\" title=\"Do lions kill lioness in the wild?\">Do lions kill lioness in the wild?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#Who_is_stronger_lioness_or_tigress\" title=\"Who is stronger lioness or tigress?\">Who is stronger lioness or tigress?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_Lions_hunt_Know_their_hunting_tactics\"><\/span>How do Lions hunt? Know their hunting tactics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The main hunting tactic of a group of lions is that one lion will quickly attack an animal in order to scare it off or make it move into another area where more lions can get close enough for an ambush. The other lions then surround the victim so there&#8217;s no way out and start biting at its neck until they forcefully suffocate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A small variant on this technique is what we know as &#x201C;surround-and-stalk&#x201D;: One lion starts howling loudly near some potential prey animals which usually signals to other lions in the area. Those cats will start howling too until they create a such wall of noise that all the prey animals can&#8217;t hear any danger and get scared into running away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lions usually hunt wildebeest, zebra, buffalo or antelopes but sometimes also smaller mammals like hares, warthogs, rodents or even crocodiles if there&#8217;s an opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_Male_Lions_Hunt\"><\/span>Do Male Lions Hunt?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Male lions don&#8217;t usually hunt but they do defend their territory, which often overlaps with that of females.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lionesses might also help to provide food for the <a href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/what-is-a-group-of-lions-called\/\">pride<\/a> by hunting small animals or scavenging carcases from other predators like hyenas and leopards if those are in range of a lioness&#8217; territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A group of males will sometimes join forces to attack large prey such as buffalo calves, elephants calves and hippos. They use different tactics than when hunting alone because they want to make sure it&#8217;s enough work for all them: One male distracts the animal while another one jumps on its back legs holding onto its tail before getting dragged into water where he drowns so the others can get close and kill it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_do_lions_eat\"><\/span>What do lions eat?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/what-do-lions-eat\/\">Lions eat<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; wildebeest, zebra, buffalo or antelopes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; small mammals like hares, warthogs and rodents<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8211; crocodiles if there&#8217;s an opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Makes_Lionesses_Better_Hunters_Than_Lions\"><\/span>What Makes Lionesses Better Hunters Than Lions?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Lionesses are better hunters than lions because they have a broader hunting range. They don&#8217;t hunt as often but when they do, it&#8217;s usually small prey like hares and rodents which is easier for them to take down with one bite compared to larger animals that need more effort from the lioness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Female lions might also help to provide food for the pride by hunting small animals or scavenging carcases from other predators like hyenas and leopards if those are in range of a lioness&#8217; territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Makes_Male_Lions_Better_Hunters_Than_Females\"><\/span>What Makes Male Lions Better Hunters Than Females?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Male lions aren&#8217;t usually hunters themselves but instead defend their territory which often overlaps with female territories. This means male lions have much better access to prey animals than lionesses who need to hunt further away from home and can&#8217;t always catch something when they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A group of males will sometimes join forces to attack large prey such as buffalo calves, elephants calves and hippos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They use different tactics than when hunting alone because they want to make sure it&#8217;s enough work for all them: One male distracts the animal while another one jumps on its back legs holding onto its tail before getting dragged into water where he drowns so the others can get close and kill it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Lions_Hunt_in_Packs\"><\/span>How Lions Hunt in Packs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A group of lions will typically use different tactics depending on how many there are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>One lion distracts the animal while another goes behind it before eventually tackling it or getting bitten at its neck until suffocating it.<\/li><li>If there&#8217;s only one male then he&#8217;ll try to make himself look stronger by roaring loudly so the victim stays still while other males sneak up undetected from behind.<\/li><li>If there are two males, then they&#8217;ll both try to attack the animal from different directions so it&#8217;s more likely one of them will succeed.<\/li><li>When hunting in packs with three or four lions, the same principles apply except that only one lion goes for a high risk move like jumping on an animal&#x2019;s back and biting at its neck while others keep attacking as well but more cautiously because they know how risky this is.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_tigers_and_lions_have_the_same_fighting_technique_since_they_are_built_similarly\"><\/span>Do tigers and lions have the same fighting technique, since they are built similarly?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No, not really. The one difference is how they attack the prey: tigers will ambush and single out a victim but lions usually hunt in groups to take down larger animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-ada42748\"><span class=\"gb-icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\" height=\"1em\" width=\"1em\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M448 360V24c0-13.3-10.7-24-24-24H96C43 0 0 43 0 96v320c0 53 43 96 96 96h328c13.3 0 24-10.7 24-24v-16c0-7.5-3.5-14.3-8.9-18.7-4.2-15.4-4.2-59.3 0-74.7 5.4-4.3 8.9-11.1 8.9-18.6zM128 134c0-3.3 2.7-6 6-6h212c3.3 0 6 2.7 6 6v20c0 3.3-2.7 6-6 6H134c-3.3 0-6-2.7-6-6v-20zm0 64c0-3.3 2.7-6 6-6h212c3.3 0 6 2.7 6 6v20c0 3.3-2.7 6-6 6H134c-3.3 0-6-2.7-6-6v-20zm253.4 250H96c-17.7 0-32-14.3-32-32 0-17.6 14.4-32 32-32h285.4c-1.9 17.1-1.9 46.9 0 64z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"gb-headline-text\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>People who ask, &#x2018;<strong>How Do Lions Hunt<\/strong>?&#x2019; also ask;<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1625527886467\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_lions_hunt_when_they_are_not_hungry\"><\/span>Do lions hunt when they are not hungry?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Lions are not very picky and will hunt even if they&#8217;re full sometimes.<\/p>\n<p>The only time they stop hunting is when the pride has too many carcases in its territory.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1625527910521\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_lions_kill_their_prey_quickly\"><\/span>Do lions kill their prey quickly?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Lions usually <strong>don&#8217;t <\/strong>kill their prey quickly. They&#8217;ve been known to drag it for miles before eventually killing it and then eating the meat in a couple of days or weeks.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1625527923879\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_a_lion_cub_kill_you\"><\/span>Can a lion cub kill you?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Lions are <strong>not known to prey on humans<\/strong> but a lion cub can still kill you. They&#8217;re usually too busy playing and lazing around when they&#8217;re young but as soon as they start hunting, the danger is real!<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1625527951765\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_Lions_dangerous_to_humans\"><\/span>Are Lions dangerous to humans?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p><strong>Yes<\/strong>, lions are dangerous animals and should not be disturbed. They will attack if threatened or feel like they have to defend themselves.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1625527964532\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_does_a_lion_choose_its_prey\"><\/span>How does a lion choose its prey?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Lions usually <strong>choose prey that&#8217;s smaller and less mobile<\/strong>, like gazelles or antelopes. They also prefer the youngest of the herd because they are weaker and easier to catch than adults.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1625527982919\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_lions_kill_lioness_in_the_wild\"><\/span>Do lions kill lioness in the wild?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p><strong>Male lions often kill lionesses as part of their territory-guarding strategy<\/strong>. They are not interested in reproducing and have no interest in caring for the young but they will eat them if there&#8217;s nothing else to hunt.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1625528012348\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who_is_stronger_lioness_or_tigress\"><\/span>Who is stronger lioness or tigress?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>The lioness is the stronger animal. The tigress hunts in groups and can only take down prey that&#8217;s already been weakened by other tigers, or sometimes humans who have hunted it, but they&#8217;re usually not strong enough to hunt a fully healthy deer on their own. Lions are solitary hunters and will bring down an antelope if given the chance.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Question: How Do Lions Hunt? Answer: Lions hunt and kill their prey by stalking, attacking, tackling and grabbing them with their jaws. Lions typically use groups to do this, with one lion distracting the animal while others sneak up from behind. How do Lions hunt? Know their hunting tactics The main hunting tactic of a &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"How do lions hunt?\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/how-do-lions-hunt\/#more-4674\" aria-label=\"More on How do lions hunt?\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4716,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/How-do-lions-hunt-scaled.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4674"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4674"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4718,"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4674\/revisions\/4718"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naturefaq.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}