The African lion and the African elephant represent two dramatically different evolutionary paths. An adult male lion, weighing around 400 pounds, stands in stark contrast to an adult elephant cow, which can easily exceed 6,000 pounds, and a bull that may weigh over 14,000 pounds. This profound disparity in size and power sets the stage for one of the most extreme predator-prey dynamics observed in the natural world. Subduing a thick-skinned mega-herbivore requires specialized, high-risk strategies far beyond a typical hunt.
The Simple Answer: Is it Common?
Lions do attack elephants, but this behavior is not a standard part of their diet across the African continent; it remains a rare and highly localized phenomenon. The enormous risk of injury or death to the predators makes a healthy, fully-grown elephant an uneconomical target when easier prey like zebra, wildebeest, or buffalo are available. Predation on elephants is often considered an opportunistic or necessity-driven behavior, typically seen in specific regions where environmental pressures or a unique history have taught certain prides to master the technique. In areas like the Savuti region of Botswana, however, this specialized hunting has become a learned tradition, increasing in frequency during periods when conventional prey is scarce.
Selection Criteria for Prey
The successful predation of an elephant is predicated entirely on vulnerability, meaning the vast majority of targets are not healthy adults. The most frequently targeted age group are juveniles and sub-adults, often falling between four and fifteen years old. This demographic is typically past the most protective stage of maternal care, yet still lacks the full defensive size and experience of a mature adult. This deliberate selection suggests a calculated risk-to-reward ratio. Lions also target individuals isolated from the herd, such as an orphaned calf or a sick, injured, or elderly elephant whose compromised physical state makes it a manageable risk.
Specialized Hunting Techniques
Overcoming the elephant’s sheer size requires a highly coordinated, large-scale hunting effort that is fundamentally different from a typical lion hunt. Successful elephant hunting prides are often “mega-prides,” consisting of 15 to 30 or more individuals, as the probability of a successful kill dramatically increases when the hunting group exceeds 25 lions. The hunt is almost always initiated under the cover of darkness, leveraging the lions’ superior nocturnal vision against the elephant’s poor night sight. The immense size of the prey demands a protracted and energy-intensive attack, which can often last for several hours.
The initial strategy involves isolating a target from its protective herd, with lionesses often storming the group to cause confusion and single out the chosen individual. Once the elephant is isolated, the pride employs a multi-pronged attack to neutralize its mobility and defenses. Multiple lions will lunge at the elephant’s hindquarters and hind legs, using their claws to dig in while attempting to sever tendons or cause deep wounds to immobilize the massive limbs. Other lions may attempt to clamp down on the trunk or aim for the eyes, which are the elephant’s most sensitive and least protected areas. The goal is not a quick kill, but rather a slow, draining process of incapacitation until the elephant collapses from exhaustion, blood loss, or spinal trauma.
Environmental and Pride Factors
The decision to attempt a high-risk elephant hunt is usually driven by dire environmental circumstances that shift the lions’ risk-reward calculation. The strongest correlation exists with the late dry season, typically between August and November, when water sources dry up and the migratory herds of conventional prey move out of the area. This scarcity of easier prey, combined with the presence of a sedentary, non-migratory elephant population, forces the lions to turn to the only large calorie source available. The environment essentially dictates the specialization of a few select prides.
A large pride size acts as a contributing factor, as these groups require a massive, consistent intake of calories to sustain their numbers. When smaller, more common prey is insufficient to feed such a large group, the enormous carcass of an elephant becomes a necessary survival resource. This combination of environmental pressure and the need to feed a large pride creates the unique conditions for this dangerous, learned behavior to persist in specific regions.