A male lion pulls a dead hyena while feasting on its carcass. You’ll get shivers from witnessing an apex predator murder another person!
Victoria Craddock, a 26-year-old safari guide, was able to photograph this sighting and provided it to LatestSightings.com.
“It had been raining for a few days, and before they left, my guests were hoping to witness some extraordinary sightings. In an effort to locate a male leopard, we had intended to travel to a more isolated area, but destiny had other plans for us. A radio call announced the discovery of lions in a mating ritual. Another call that the male lion was chasing a spotted hyena came in as we were getting closer to the location.
“As soon as we got at the location, the gorgeous Ndhzenga male lion welcomed us and proudly displayed his unusual prey. It was both amazing and unsettling to see the male lion carrying the lifeless carcass of the hyena toward us. Being that predators rarely consume other predators despite the fact that they kill one another, it was amazing to witness one drag the other’s body.
The male’s strange conduct as he dragged the carcass erratically, changing directions every 10 to 20 meters, was noticeable. The sensory experience was enhanced by the crack of dawn and the sparkling dew, making it unforgettable. We observed the male lion trying to further secure the hyena’s throat for the following fifteen minutes while it was still alive but had already suffered fatal wounds.
“At last, the lion found a spot in a raisin bush and started consuming the carcass. As predators rarely eat other predators, this was even another unusual behavior. I drove by the place two hours later and saw no trace of the carcass. The female was unable to be found, and the male had relocated to a little pan.
In the video, it seems that the lions including 3 lionesses and their cubs have defeated a wild buffalo and are enjoying the “party”.
However, the presence of a pack of hyenas with nearly 20 members made the atmosphere tense. They surround, close to lions, and constantly emit threatening calls to snatch their prey. However, the lions refused to give up.
At the climax, a lioness suddenly lunges at her opponent. With its strength and speed, it quickly knocked over a hyena, and at the same time grabbed it by the neck, causing the animal to suffer serious injuries. Witnessing the incident, other hyenas quickly surrounded and put the lion in danger.
However, the other two lionesses in the herd quickly rushed to the reinforcements. In the following segments, the hyenas and lions are constantly eating tit-for-tat, with no one giving up.
When the battle seemed to have no end, suddenly out of nowhere appeared a male lion leisurely rushing forward. The male lion’s undeniable dominance immediately brought about a change, as the entire grassland fell silent.
Gradually, one by one, the hyenas ran away and only dared to watch their prey from afar. Meanwhile, the lionesses do not dare to come close to compete for prey with the leader. At that time, the male lion quietly enjoyed his party.
Lions are sexually dimorphic, with males being larger than females and also having absolute power. On average, they weigh between 150 and 250 kg, and females only from 120 to 182 kg.
Male lions can be easily recognized from a distance by their mane. This is also the most recognizable feature of the species. In particular, the length of the mane, the color of the mane all reflect the success in conflicting relationships between males as well as their strength.
The main purpose of the mane is said to be to protect the neck and throat during territorial battles with opponents. This is also the typical lifestyle of male lions, whether they belong to a pack or not.
They are great warriors, as the mane is an evolution to suit skirmishes, resisting bites and scratches that can be very dangerous to life. However, due to their large mane and difficulty in hiding, male lions are often ineffective in hunting.
As a result, males attached to a flock tend to stay on the fringes, and constantly patrol their territory from “invaders”. Meanwhile, the lioness will take care of hunting and rearing the cubs.
When a prey is successfully hunted, there is also a pre-determined rank, which all lions follow. It is the male lions that will eat first, followed by the females, and finally the young and old lions.
In it, the injustice can be seen when the cubs suffer the most when food is scarce, and sometimes can only live on leftovers, eating scavengers.