Lions are carnivores and they eat different types of animals to use as their prey. They are famous for hunting animals even if they are not hungry at all. Lions are different from other carnivores because they can adapt their habits and their diets according to the environment.
This behavior makes them very distinct to be a part of special species. The diet of lions includes 70% of flesh so they are called hyper-carnivorous animals.They can feed on giraffes, buffalo, cow, zebra, antelope species, and many others. If they find any opportunity, they can even predate larger animals such as elephants or rhinos.
Habitat of lions
Lions are mostly seen in the restricted areas of Asia, and eastern and southeastern parts of Africa. They live in North Africa, Europe, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and many other countries.
These days, only 20,000 African lions are seen in the wild areas and their population is declining day by day. They are reduced in number by 40% in the last 30 years and are very close to extinction.
General characteristics
Lions eat a lot according to their body weight. Males and females can eat 7kgs and 4.5kgs of meat per day. In one meal, they can eat 15% of their body weight. These animals are not fast runners so they have to be clever hunters. Before hunting, lions make sure that they are not seen by the prey, then they jump quickly over the victim.
When smaller animals are used for hunting, the lions use the trick of ankle prey on their victim. When the animal is walking or running, lions cut their ankle from behind. Some larger animals are jumped by the lion on their back and lions compel them to lie down which is easier for them to catch the prey.
Lions mostly hunt alone and don’t require any external help. When they hunt in a group, every lion has its decorum. They have already decided on their areas, some are on left, some are at right, and some are at the corner.
If stalking of prey is going to be difficult for them, they try to trap the victim. Running fast toward an animal compels the prey to hide in the bushes or to other animals and then they are trapped.
Most of the time, hunting is done by females but males only sit to observe and watch. These animals are very friendly to each other during the time of hunting, even though they mostly hunt in the form of groups.
They are awful at sharing their prey to consume as food and fight badly. Most of the time, the thin and weaker lions can’t find food because others have already eaten the food to their fullest.
These animals are scavengers and easily take food from the companion animals or are sometimes dependent on the leftover of a kill. Research proved that if lions found other carnivores with prey, they bully them for not offering food to them.
The animals like hyenas live like a family or in groups and it is called a clan. If hyenas are more in number compared to lions, they have held on to the food.
Daily activities of lions
Lions mark their territory up to 259 km2. When hunting is done and they have finished the hunted meat. Then they go for rest. Usually, their resting time is from morning to till afternoon depending on the weather conditions.
They spend 20 hours a day resting. The main members of the family lick each other’s face and rub their heads on one another. Sometimes they roar in order to show their social communication.
How many times did lion hunt?
The hunting habits of lions are directly related to how much they eat per day. If there is no shortage of prey, both males and females hunt after every 3 to 4 days. It is also dependent on the size of the prey.
If a small lion is feeding on larger prey as compared to his body weight, then he will hunt after 5 to 7 days. They finish their older prey before going to hunt another animal. This is not a hard and fast rule but is generally seen.
If the food is available in good quantity, they become hungry and can even eat 25% of their body weight per day. Some of the lions eat almost every day to make sure of a handsome quantity of food. The big cat species sometimes have to face a shortage of food or prey to hunt.
Then they spend some days without food and behave desperately to find something to eat. In case of a severe shortage of food, lions can also dependent on small animals such as lizards, rats, mice, birds, fish, and many others to manage their nutritional needs.
After 6 to 7 days of non-availability of food, they become weaker day by day. If 14 days pass without food, there is a danger of malnutrition.
Preferred food items
As lions love to eat gazelles, zebras, wildebeests, etc but they also eat cattle, buffalo, camels, deer, goats, Antelopes, wild dogs, baby elephants, pigs, crocodiles, hippopotamus, and many others. If a lion is feeling hungry, he can eat even a small prey. Small prey includes hares, lizards, birds, mice, Monkeys, etc.
like some pet cats, lions do nibble in the grass. It helps in relieving stomach issues of them. Asiatic loins prefer eating livestock animals (53%) as their prey and 47% of their diet consists of wild animals.
The preferred prey of lions are cattle, then chitals, buffalos, pigs, goats, and camels, and diet percentages related to them are 31%, 28%, 16%, 6%, 3%, and 2% respectively.
Asiatic lions generally live in restricted areas so the predation rate is generally higher in Asian lions as compared to African lions. African lions predate small giraffs, hippos, small elephants, and rhinos.
Method of eating prey
They have larger jaws and can open up to 12 inches in width. Lions use their canine teeth to grasp and kill their prey and do not chew food. Small incisors on the upper side are used to grab the meat and sharp teeth on the backside of their mouth are used to break the larger pieces of meat into smaller chunks to make it easy to swallow.
Wild lions mostly live 12 years of age and females can survive up to 25 years on average. Their loss of teeth is a reason behind this difference. As lions have to tear larger pieces of meat into smaller ones, if they lose their teeth they have to struggle much more to get food and nutrients for their survival.
If they are under custody, meat is provided to them to maintain their body condition regardless of their teeth loss.
Eating habits of lions in captivity
In custody, lions eat meat on daily basis according to their body weight. They eat a variety of food such as chicken, rabbit, mutton, beef, goats, and many others. They normally eat 4 to 10 kg of meat per day. People offer supplemental food to their pets such as bones which are the sources of extra calcium for them.
These lions can survive on less food as compared to wild lions because their activity is less related to hunting and most of their energy remain stored. They kill their time mostly by resting and digesting their food.
Rare eating habits of lions
Lions are at the higher rank of the food chain, they can even kill other predators such as leopards, cheetahs, or hyenas upon need. They do not eat their meat with lavishly, but to fulfill their body’s needs.
They leave the spare meat to scavengers. Lions exceptionally kill each other to get command of any area or territory. In some rare cases, lions kill their female partner if she refuses to mate. The only animal who dares to attack a lion is the hyena.
Cubs
Newborn babies of lions are small and their eyes remain closed until 1 to 3 weeks. The babies are highly susceptible in this period. The females try to protect their babies from poisonous snakes, lions, and other dangerous predators.
Some females of a group raise their kids together. The males rarely contribute to parenting but also protect their kids from danger. The little ones are dependent on their mothers for milk for almost 6 months. They use milk for the first 3 months then they start eating some soft meat then gradually shift to proper flesh.
In this period, mothers taught their cubs hunting lessons. It takes them almost 2 years to become professional hunters.
Water requirements
Lions are normally not fond of drinking water, but they often prefer to live near streams, rivers, waterholes, or other resources of water. The reason behind this is that they know their prey will visit the water source sooner or later.
They can wait easily for their prey. Some areas with more water often flood and lions jump into the deep or superficial water to catch their prey.
