Lions are the only big cats that regularly live and hunt in groups, so a team of lionesses closing in on a zebra is a real and familiar sight. But a lion group hunt is less a pack chase than a planned ambush, with different lions taking different jobs. Not every lion joins in every time, and how much teamwork a hunt gets depends heavily on what is being hunted.
How Lionesses Divide the Work in a Group Hunt
Most group hunting is done by the lionesses of a pride. A pride is a family group of related females, their cubs, and one or more resident males. The lionesses who hunt together have usually lived side by side all their lives.
Their hunts follow a formation with set roles. In a typical group hunt, some lionesses, called wings, circle around the prey while others, called centres, wait for the prey to come toward them.1Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Cooperative hunting in lions: the role of the individual The wings usually start the attack, rushing in from the sides. The centres move only short distances and most often make the catch as panicked prey flees the wings.2Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. Cooperative hunting in lions: the role of the individual One lion researcher compares this to a rugby team, with wings and centres closing in together around the ball.3Scientific American. Divided We Fall: Cooperation among Lions The lion that makes the kill is often not the one that started the chase.
Splitting roles beats every lion charging at once because lions are powerful sprinters but tire quickly, so a short final dash suits them. Driving prey toward a waiting lion shortens the chase the catcher has to run. And a herd fleeing in one direction is far easier to intercept than one scattering randomly.
The wings are not trying to run the herd to exhaustion. Their job is to push it, shaping where the animals flee. That’s why a wing can look like she is failing when she breaks cover early: her rush sets the escape route the waiting lionesses rely on.
Things also go wrong. If a herd spots a lioness early or catches her scent, it may bolt the wrong way, away from the centres. A wing that rushes before the others are in position lets the herd escape through a gap. Because the catch depends on several lions being in the right places, many group hunts end with no kill, and the lions simply regroup and try again later.
When Lions Team Up and When They Don’t Bother
Big prey pulls lions together. What species a lion targets is the biggest single factor in whether a hunt succeeds.4Journal of Zoology. Factors affecting the hunting success of male and female lions in the Kruger National Park Lions form larger hunting groups when large prey is plentiful, because bringing down big animals takes more cooperation.5Journal of Mammalogy. The influence of social and environmental factors on organization of African lion (Panthera leo) prides in the Okavango Delta Their preference leans toward animals larger than a lone cat could easily handle, a pattern linked to group hunting.6Journal of Zoology. Prey preferences of the lion (<i>Panthera leo</i>)
A buffalo shows why. An adult is far heavier than a lion and can gore or trample attackers. Several lions can grab different parts of the animal and wear it down together. A failed solo attempt on such prey risks serious injury, which can mean starvation later.
On easy prey, some lions hang back. During group hunts, lions are more likely to hold back when the target is easier to catch, such as a warthog, and less likely to when it is a zebra or buffalo.7Animal Behaviour. Group hunting behaviour of lions: a search for cooperation
That cuts against a common myth that lions always hunt as a team. Documentary footage favours dramatic group takedowns, so solo hunts are underrepresented. A lone lioness can catch smaller prey like warthog or antelope herself, and holding back on easy prey saves energy and avoids injury for little loss. Each extra lion adds little to a warthog hunt but adds the risk of a tangle or a scared-off target.
Do Male Lions Hunt Too
Males were long thought to rely on females for food, but tracking shows they hunt for themselves.8NBC News. Male lions do help with the hunting after all Male lions are mostly solitary predators that leap out of thick vegetation to ambush prey.9NBC News. Male lions do help with the hunting after all In one large park, females mostly took medium-sized prey like zebra and wildebeest, while males mainly caught buffalo.10Journal of Zoology. Factors affecting the hunting success of male and female lions in the Kruger National Park
Males hunt differently partly because of how they are built. Their heavy frame and big mane make them easier to spot in open grass, while thick cover lets a male get close enough for one powerful rush. Males also often patrol and defend territory, so they are not always with the hunting females.
The ambush itself is simple. A male waits in thick vegetation and lets prey wander close rather than chasing it across open ground. The attack is a single rush from short range, so everything depends on getting near unnoticed. If it fails, he generally does not pursue far, since lions are poor at long chases. This suits buffalo, which are large and tend to pass through cover, giving a strong male a chance to grab one.
Males also contribute beyond hunting. They cooperate to drive off rival lions that roar near their territory, and respond to intruders reliably whatever their companions do.11Springer Link / PubMed Central. Modes of cooperation during territorial defense by African lions That protection keeps cubs safe and holds the hunting ground for the pride.
The old picture of the lazy male comes from watching him arrive at kills made by lionesses and eat first. That does happen, but he also makes his own kills.
How Cover, Darkness and Wind Shape a Lion Hunt
Lions are stalk-and-ambush hunters, so places to hide strongly affect their success.12PubMed. Can an herbivore affect where a top predator kills its prey by modifying woody vegetation structure? Kills tend to happen right next to good ambush spots compared with nearby ground.13PubMed. Can an herbivore affect where a top predator kills its prey by modifying woody vegetation structure? In thicket country, most kills happen in dense vegetation rather than where lions rest or fail.14PubMed Central. Effects of Vegetation Structure on the Location of Lion Kill Sites in African Thicket Wind direction, moonlight, and grass height all affect whether a hunt succeeds.15Journal of Zoology. Factors affecting the hunting success of male and female lions in the Kruger National Park
Each has a clear logic. Prey smell lions on the breeze, so hunters approach from downwind. A bright moon lets prey spot movement, so dark nights favour lions. Tall grass hides a crouching lioness until she is close enough to charge.
A place where prey are plentiful but there is nowhere to hide is of little use to a stalking lion. A spot with dense cover beside a path or waterhole lets her get close, which counts more than the number of animals in view.
Elephants even play a part. They knock over trees and break up bush, which can create new hiding spots for an ambush.
Lions rest hidden by day and hunt more at night. During the day they sit in spots where they can see only about 2.6 m around them, compared with about 8 m at other times.16Animal Behaviour. Lion hunting behaviour and vegetation structure in an African savanna17PubMed Central. Tradeoffs between resources and risks shape the responses of a large carnivore to human disturbance
Who Eats First After the Kill
Food is not shared evenly. At kills, adult males eat the most on average, about 43 kg per sitting.18PubMed Central. Wild Ungulate Prey Size and Feeding Group Demographic Structure Affect Interactions and Per Capita Food Intake of African Pride Lions in East African Maasai Steppe Adult females average about 32 kg, though single females have eaten up to 140 kg.19PubMed Central. Wild Ungulate Prey Size and Feeding Group Demographic Structure Affect Interactions and Per Capita Food Intake of African Pride Lions in East African Maasai Steppe Subadults average about 18 kg and cubs about 8 kg.20PubMed Central. Wild Ungulate Prey Size and Feeding Group Demographic Structure Affect Interactions and Per Capita Food Intake of African Pride Lions in East African Maasai Steppe A cub’s share shrinks as more cubs and young lions crowd the carcass.21PubMed Central. Wild Ungulate Prey Size and Feeding Group Demographic Structure Affect Interactions and Per Capita Food Intake of African Pride Lions in East African Maasai Steppe These are averages for each sitting, not a fixed ration, so individual lions can eat far more or less depending on who else is at the kill.
The order of the averages follows body size: the bigger the lion, the more it can claim at a crowded carcass. Smaller lions are not excluded by a rule. They lose out when pushing and growling decide who gets access.
The scene is no polite turn-taking. Lions growl, swat and shove for space. The lionesses who made the kill may be pushed aside when males arrive, and cubs often wait or squeeze in at the edges.
Hard times hit cubs first. When prey is scarce, small cubs lose out at crowded kills, which is one reason cub survival drops in lean seasons. A larger kill from a group hunt leaves more for the youngest.
How Young Lions Learn to Hunt
Cubs begin hunting-related activity at only about 6 weeks old, and they learn by closely watching their mothers and other pride lionesses.22San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers. Learning to be lions Yet they depend on the adults for food until at least 16 months old.23San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers. Learning to be lions
The stages run in order. Play-stalking and pouncing on siblings and tails builds basic moves. Older cubs follow hunts and watch from a distance. Young lions then start joining hunts, often clumsily, before becoming reliable.
The long dependence suits a team hunter. Learning a role like wing or centre takes practice, and a mistake can scare off a herd for the whole group. Adults sharing food gives young lions time to learn.
Pride life helps too. Cubs can watch not only their mother but other lionesses, so they see a range of hunts. Seeing different adults take different roles shows a young lion how a group hunt fits together, something a solitary cat’s cubs cannot easily get, because they have fewer adults to watch.
How Lions Compare With True Pack Hunters
African wild dogs cover long distances, about 700 m in the 10 minutes before a chase, flushing prey and chasing it down.24PubMed Central. Energy cost and return for hunting in African wild dogs and cheetahs Stalking cats like cheetahs cover under half that before a chase, setting up the attack instead.25PubMed Central. Energy cost and return for hunting in African wild dogs and cheetahs Wild dogs catch less per individual than cheetahs but make up for it by sharing kills.26PubMed Central. Energy cost and return for hunting in African wild dogs and cheetahs Lions sit closer to the stalking style, adding teamwork to an ambush rather than to a long chase.
In practice, wild dogs flush prey into the open, then follow and run it down, with every dog contributing to the pursuit. A lion group spends its effort getting into position, and the real action is a brief final rush.