What Is a Lion’s Prey?
A lion’s prey includes zebra, wildebeest, impala, buffalo, giraffe and wild hogs. Lions occasionally feed on rhinos and hippos and smaller animals such as birds and reptiles.
Although lions hunt a wide range of animals, they also scavenge their food. Almost half of their diet is obtained through scavenging.
Lions are rare in the cat family because of their social behavior. They live in prides, which are groups of lions that consist primarily of related females and young males. Although the females stay in the pride over the course of their lives, the males come and go, often in small groups, staying with a pride until another group takes over. This socialization is important, in part, because lions hunt together. They stalk and surround prey, picking out the closest member of a herd, and attack in a rush. Before the attack, they like to get within at least 100 feet of the prey. Although lions can take down larger prey as a group, they often avoid this because of possible injury. The average prey of a lioness weighs about 278 pounds. Although male lions don’t hunt as often as females and usually babysit when the lionesses are hunting, they do sometimes take down larger prey.
