The lioness will stalk the prey until she is close enough to make a quick dash to secure it. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. How does the Transvaal lion acquire its food? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. study What do lions eat? Not sure what college you want to attend yet? Carnivores eat each other as well! After a few lessons, cubs will happily hunt their own small or weak prey, without support. So like a pet dog eating too much grass, the end result is usually a tiny bit of nutrition and a lot of vomit. White lions can hunt and eat like other African lions, if they are protected and given chance to thrive in the wild. They were known to hunt young rhinos, however, that’s very unlikely today given the drastic drop in rhino numbers. Serengeti and Ngorongoro lions mostly eat zebra, a very abundant prey. All rights reserved. Quite an appetite. This is easier to catch, so a mother can gently teach her cubs and involve them in a hunt. It makes absolutely no sense to hand-feed the world’s apex predator with a controlled diet. Lion prides adapt to the seasons as well. Large lion prides have been recorded attacking baby giraffe. Fact Check: What Power Does the President Really Have Over State Governors? Anyone can earn But times can be hard on the African savanna, especially during the long dry season. So most white lions are hand-fed, like all the other captive lions. Why? Lions prefer scavenging over hunting, and over half of a lion's diet consists of scavenged foods. Lions eat zebras, wildebeest, antelopes and other large grassland animals. Note that this is similar to animals like springbok and gerenuk. Why? Cape buffalo are a great example of larger lion prey. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 79,000 When you eat dinner with your family, you might all start eating at the same time. What Foods Do Lions Eat? You can create your menu with paper and colored pencils or markers, or you can create it on the computer. Some animal care companies have created specialized lion food that comes in casing like sausages and contains all the nutrients the lions require. White lions are endemic to the Timbavati region of South Africa, a part of the Greater Kruger National Park area. - Definition & Examples, What is Expanded Form in Math? What a Sea Lion will consume often depends on the time of year and how plentiful the food sources happen to be. If you see a lion eating grass or fruit, it will usually be saving off the feeling of starvation. Lionesses will hunt cooperatively circling likely prey to prevent escape. A single lion kills about 15 large animals each year, filling out its diet with carrion, as well as kills made by other members of the pride. Can you think of an animal that doesn't have to hunt for food in the jungle, eats an enormous 15% of its body weight when food is brought to it, and eats first in its family? What Do Lions Eat In Captivity? To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Learn how your comment data is processed. It is the second largest big cat second only to the tiger. Create your account. The skull (above left) has large surfaces for the insertion of the powerful jaw muscles. To make sure you have everything you need on your menu, use this checklist: Remember to include food that lions like to eat from the lesson. Typically, in the wild more than half their food comes from scavenging. This helps to tide it over during what may be long stretches without access to food. Lions are very large, strong predators who need lots of food. The majority of the hunting is done by the lioness. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'africafreak_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_16',180,'0','0']));Ask what do lions eat and you don’t think of anything green. Young lions do not begin helping the pride hunt food until at least 1 year of age. credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. Lions are the apex predator out on Africa’s savanna but different lions eat different meats. In an ideal world, lions will only eat meat and flesh. I hope you find an answer to your question, but if your don't then please send me your question via email, comment or via Google+ and I'll try and answer it. High grass and thick vegetation makes it easier to lay an ambush and hunt. If you were an apex predator it would make sense to eat big meals, rather than scrapping for fruit or having to queue at the supermarket. Lions eat a variety of animals, which are hunted by the lionesses (or female lions) of the pride, or group of lions. Do they eat vegetation as well? So they must be crafty by taking away as much as possible, before lions sniff the kill. This allows the strongest lioness to pounce on the prey and capture it. Lions also eat animals that died of natural causes. But let’s end on a really positive story. That figure will include the food of lonely old male lions, as well as lions who live in a pride but stumble upon a rare meal. Hi, I'm Tim and I want to welcome you to wanttoknowit.com. Lions are known as the king of the jungle but that’s something invented by children’s stories, then perpetuated by Disney and others. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Our digestive systems also has these enzymes, so we can eat meat as well. Young male lions are often on the verge of starvation, even on the most ungulate-rich landscapes. They don’t have the skills to hunt efficiently when times are scarce. Did you know… We have over 200 college The preferred prey range is from 190 to 550 kg (420 pounds to 1210 pounds) with the favorite prey size being around 350 kg (770 pounds)! So at some times during their life, lions also eat vegetation. It’s easy for us as our human bodies naturally produce these amino acids. Your menu should look professional and include the name of your restaurant, its location, and prices for the meals. More than that, lions are known as obligate carnivores, because flesh and meat make up more than 75% of their diet. They take all their moisture from plants, so they can venture further from waterholes. This animal is the male lion. What Do Sea Lions Eat? They may also hunt and eat young rhinos, hippos or elephants but this is rare as these animals are seen to pose a threat to the safety of the lion. Answers to life's questions, Why are Whale Sharks an Endangered Species, How Many Countries Make up the Commonwealth. Yep, the average lion doesn’t eat a meal every single day. For comparison, an average human eats only about four pounds in a whole day. Lionesses are considerably lighter at up to 130 kg, so they can eat more like 20 kg in one go. Vultures swoop down, caracals steal a bite, and then they all must depart when the lions arrive. (Most prefer their humans raw, with ketchup, mustard, pickles, lettuce and a little mayo on a sesame bun!) Usually nothing. What animals do lions eat? To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page. That’s simply untrue. Tiffany is a certified elementary school teacher. Already registered? What Is Service Intangibility in Marketing? Scavengers may have their fill, but ultimately the last thing that consumes the lion's energy (calories) are decomposers. Lions kill very swiftly, and strangulation is the most common method used. Weighing 200-400 kg, zebra are a hearty meal for an entire pride. Although lions can run at over 80 km/h, they can only run fast for short distances, so they struggle to keep pace with long-distance runners such as springbok. Over 79,000 lessons in all major subjects, {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}}, Endoskeleton & Exoskeleton Lesson for Kids, Dragon Lesson for Kids: History & Stories, Animals that Hatch from Eggs: Lesson for Kids, Rainforest Leopard Facts: Lesson for Kids, Where Do Penguins Live? Lions are lazy cats and can spend up to 20 hours a day doing nothing but rest and sleep. Every mammal needs amino acids for its own survival. Male lions usually leave almost all of the hunting to the females, but once a kill is made, they will sometimes drive off the females and cubs in order to be the first to feed upon the prey. Don’t think that lions only take down vegetarians. Posted by Editorial Team | Interests, Safari, Wildlife | 0. The prey they eat ranges from small animals such as lizards to enormous animals like hippos. She hunts for everyone in the pride, or group of lions that live together - the male, the females, and the babies. Young buffalo will be tucked inside a barrier of fur and horns. Lions cannot take much from vegetation. They search for their prey, which are animals they eat, then stare at them for a while to figure out the best way to hunt them. Lions eat only raw meat the Female lion hunts for the food day and night. An error occurred trying to load this video. In 2015 an American woman was mauled and killed by a lion in Gauteng, South Africa. Although you might like lasagna for dinner, lions prefer something a little more meaty! A lion eats as much as 40 kg (~90 lbs) in a single meal — an incredible amount. My menu has at least three appetizers and three main courses for lions to choose from. A wild lion hunts its own prey and consumes wild, uncooked and unprocessed flesh. Lions are carnivores, which means they are animals that only eat meat. You can test out of the And, of course, they're perfectly happy to eat human beings as well. Decomposer, i.e. But lions and people have coexisted all across Africa for many millennia. Africa’s wild lions adapt to their surroundings and their ability to hunt. A cub will later compete for a lion’s food source, so it’s a tasty snack and chance to protect their own cubs’ future. © copyright 2003-2020 Study.com. Log in here for access. and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you. Lions can hunt almost any prey, but no predators can hunt lions. Typically, a lion kills a large animal by strangulation, biting down on its throat or, sometimes, on its nose and mouth. wildebeest. For example, in India cattle are a staple in a lion's diet. Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. How about another question – why are lions held captive? credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. Talk about a dramatic contrast in lifestyle! Captive lions are usually fed farmyard animals, typically red meat like beef. Yes, the king of the jungle is a powerful and strong protector of his family, but he doesn't have to do much to find food to eat. Or a lioness laying in a tree eating some fresh figs. Instead of guarding the meat they will simply abandon it. Before you start, look at some takeout menus at your house, or look up some menus online. In this activity we will be creating a professional restaurant menu for a pride of lions. However, white lions are also apex predators. The African lion will prey on mammals such as wildebeest, warthogs, zebras, buffalo and various types of antelope. Considering big male lions weigh up to 200 kg (440 lbs), that’s a whopping 30 kg (66 lbs) of meat and flesh in just one meal! Now there are less than 300 of them in the world.