The encircling lions launch the attack, seemingly to drive the prey towards the others who ambush from their cover position. The group fans out, with certain lions stalking at a greater distance to encircle the prey. When the group spots the prey a hunt is often initiated by a single lion looking at it, to which the other lions respond by looking in the same direction – the only clear form of “communication” evidenced in the hunting process. Studies of the tactics of group hunting by lions give a similar basic plan of the hunting process. Females are significantly more likely to stalk anything.Ĭooperative hunting brings a greater probability of success in lion hunts, but a question exists on whether pre-planned cooperation is taking place or that lions are making use of opportunities brought about by the presence of other lions. However, lions are more likely to stalk impala and medium-sized species, whereas they are less likely to stalk small-sized prey. The opposite is true for small-sized prey species. Hunts of impala and medium-sized prey are significantly more likely to be successful when the lions do not stalk their prey but rather chase them immediately upon detection. Generally speaking, if a lion misses its target on the first run it usually abandons the chase.

Secondly, the lion’s charge is generally launched directly at its quarry and it rarely alters the path of attack, as do other cats. One reason for lions’ relatively low hunting success rate is that lions do not take into account wind direction when hunting they often approach prey from an upwind direction thereby alerting the prey and ending the hunt. Most successful hunts are on dark nights in dense cover against a single prey animal. Lions hunting singly by daylight have a success rate of 17 – 19%, but are the equal of groups at night reopening the debate as to why lions became the only sociable cat maybe it is to control exclusive hunting grounds. Lions hunting in pairs and groups have a success rate of c. Of 1,300 hunts observed in the Serengeti, 48% involved only one lion, 20% involved two, and the remainder involved a group of three – eight (up to 14).įemales do the majority of the hunting, and males who tag along with the hunt usually stay back until a kill is made. This happens mainly during daylight when stalking prey is more difficult. Lions stalk their prey, although ambush behaviour has been observed. As such, lions rely on stalking their prey and seldom charge until they are within 30m unless the prey is facing away and cannot see the charge. With relatively small hearts and lungs, lions are not fast runners a maximum speed of 60kph, nor do they have the stamina to keep this pace for more than a 100 – 200m.

When does killing stalking update