There is no denying that lions are one of the greatest hunters in the animal kingdom. Due to their intimidating status and reputation, they are near the top of the food chain. Generally speaking, lions hunt down their prey using one of two methods. The first is to follow them. If you own cats or watch wildlife documentaries, you’ve probably witnessed this behavior.
They hunt primarily by remaining inconspicuous for as long as possible when close to their prey. Lionesses have an added benefit over males in that their leaner bodies allow them to hide in grass for longer periods of time. When hunting, lionesses cooperate by surrounding prey while hiding it.
But eventually the prey will hear or see the lion approaching, and then it will be a chase for both of them. When the lion caught up with the victim, it tore at it with sharp claws, breaking its neck and paralyzing it so it could be transported back to the lion’s den.
The alternative to lion hunting is a little simpler. At this time, the male lion will hunt together with the lioness. That’s exactly what we’ve seen in a viral video that shows a pair of lions hunting a giant buffalo.

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to kill
A male lion and a lioness approach a buffalo, which quickly begins to flee. Aggressive felines have little trouble keeping up with fleeing animals. The lioness finally stepped aside, and the male immediately jumped on the buffalo’s rear and bit the buffalo’s back with his sharp claws.
The male ends up clamping his teeth around the buffalo’s neck as the female begins tearing at the buffalo’s hind legs. As scary as it may seem, as someone mentions in the video, “it’s just nature.”
More lions started walking towards the fresh prey, but eventually kept their distance. A comment on the video read: “We’re not the only ones surprised by the lion’s ability to kill the buffalo, but even the late males are so confident in their friend that they’ll leave him alone to kill the buffalo Kill him. They release other instincts to go after the female.”
One of the shocking things about this video is the background. When watching, as soon as the buffalo landed, he looked into the distance. You can see the whole herd of buffalo standing still in shock.
Another unbelievable thing about this video is that the male lion is the prey of the game. It is often assumed that women do all the work. This time, the duo split the load and bagged £1,800 worth of dinner!
Next:
- Elephant inadvertently kicks giant buffalo in the head
- Deadliest lion attack in human history
- This Leopard Caught a Warthog, Then a Lion Appeared
- Buffalo tries to walk past 23 lions with predictable results

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.