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Wildlife: Mammals - Lion 3/4 Amphibians | Birds | Mammals | Reptiles | Wildlife Panthera Leo, Lion, Leeu, Löwe.
Life history Within the pride there is no clear dominance. Males simply use size and strength to take food from the females. The pride does not always live completely together. There can be several sub groups which move separately for days or weeks. The various prides hold territories. In which males defend territory against males and females versus females. In the Kruger National Park the lions claim territories up to one hundred and fifty square kilometres. It all depends on the presence of abundant prey. Males mark the territory by using urine. Females do most of the hunting, while male lions take from the females whatever they may need and cubs are often dependent on what is left after. Some prides specialise. There is a pride in the Kruger National Park that has specialised in porcupines.
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The
hunting techniques of lions are various. With individual lions the hunting is
typically feline, a stalk to within 20 metres, using whatever cover is
available, a sudden rush and chase, not usually any longer that 200 metres, a
pounce on the prey which is grappled with the claws, pulled down and killed with
a suffocating throat bite or by having its muzzle covered by the lions mouth.
Lions also hunt in groups, in which they differ from all other cats. The type
and complexity of the hunt depends on the difficulty of the prey involved. With
small prey such as impala each lion hunts its own, with larger prey cooperation
may be needed to hunt down the animal or break a herd.