key point:
- Lions usually hunt at night and sleep during the day.
- Buffaloes have been known to fend off lion attacks for hours before giving up from exhaustion and blood loss.
- Lions suffocate their victims by clamping their jaws around their throats or smashing their necks.
- Lionesses do most of their hunting for the pride.
Although they are generally active at dawn and dusk and on cooler days, lions generally hunt at night and rest during the day. They sleep under thorn bushes during the day, often near water sources. A video shows what happens when lions hunt in the Masai Mara during the day.

©Adalbert Dragon/Shutterstock.com
The shot begins with six lionesses attacking a buffalo. One of the lions wrapped its sharp claws around the buffalo’s neck while the other was on the buffalo’s back, trying to pin him to the ground. Depending on the situation, the lion will clamp the victim’s throat with its jaws or break its neck, suffocating the victim to death.
Lions often access carcasses through the stomach, as it is usually the easiest place to enter. Additionally, it gives them easy access to some of the most nutritious organs such as the liver and kidneys of their prey. After eating their first meal, lions typically take a short nap while still staying close to their prey so they can protect it from scavengers.
As hard as the lionesses are trying to wipe out the buffalo in this video, it’s not enough. The buffalo fought hard, allowing the chief of the pride to intervene. That’s when we see a beautiful male lion join the fray, seemingly out of nowhere.

©Michael Zeitner/Shutterstock.com
capture prey
A good hunt involves knocking the victim out, throwing it off balance, dragging it down, and killing it with a bite on the throat or back of the neck. A kill can sometimes involve a long and bloody process. Buffaloes have been known to fend off lion attacks for hours before giving up from exhaustion and blood loss. The largest male lion will eat first, and then the rest of the pride will follow. The lioness eats next, and the rest goes to the cubs.
Eventually, one of the lionesses put her powerful jaws on the buffalo’s mouth and her claws on the buffalo’s neck. Meanwhile, the male lion is struggling to get the organ, as the buffalo is still alive, lying on its back. Let’s just say we’re glad we’re not Savannah buffalo!
Comments on the lens are pure gold. one said, “The man who keeps his mouth shut is courageous and a great leader.” This is real! Lionesses lead the fight and often get the job done without the pride leader getting involved.
Another read, “The lioness who grabs the face really deserves all the credit. If it wasn’t for her, the buffalo would try to attack everyone with their horns. The male lions are great, but the lioness is in charge of the meal most of the time.”
You just have to see for yourself. Check out the wild video below!
Next:
- Elephant inadvertently kicks giant buffalo’s head: You don’t think Elephant is a bully. Maybe it has a good reason!
- The buffalo tried to walk past 23 lions at random, and the result is predictable: maybe this is the buffalo that was kicked in the head by an elephant!
- Watch an entire herd of buffalo defend itself from a lion attack: sometimes the prey come forward!
- This buffalo failed the evolutionary test and went straight to lion hunting: again, maybe it got kicked in the head too many times!

I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.