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             Lions, known as king of beasts, are at the top of the food chain. You may already know that lions regularly live in social groups, collaboratively hunting their prey. But you might not know how they employ their terrific tactics to catch their prey. When it comes to large-sized animal like buffalos, giraffes or zebras, a pride of lions will adopt strategies and work together. This article is going to show you how they hunt. Typically, there are three steps in lions’ hunting process.

             Initially, lions stalk their favored prey as long as needed. This part is particularly crucial to them because of their comparatively small lung and heart, which is the reason why they are only able to sustain a full-speed-run for a very short distance. They usually keep a crouched position with their head outstretched, sneaking toward their prey in a very slow movement. During this process, they are extremely patient since any sudden attack can result in a loss of the meal. Normally they will stalk the prey until it gets close enough, usually within 30 meters, and then they will prepare for a brief sprint to spring toward its prey. Stalking is the virtually important part of the whole process as it makes up for their lack of endurance in running.

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             Next, Lions will encircle their intended prey. As was mentioned, they are known for hunting together to ensure a higher rate of success when it comes to large-sized prey. Once the target has been selected, one lion from the pride would start stalking it just as mentioned in the first step. Right after that, others would take their positions respectively, hiding themselves behind the scenes and ambushing the intended target. This encircling pattern works in the way that the lion will stalk the prey and corner it to the position where an ambush has been set up. When the prey is pushed close enough, the others will show up and surround it. This kind of scene in which three to four lions encircle one prey is never rare. This co-operative working pattern compensates their natural shortcomings and it is what distinguishes them from the others in the cat family.                                      

 

 

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

            Lastly, lions capture and kill the prey. Usually when the target is encircled, it is nearly impossible to escape. One lion will initiate the fight by attacking it incessantly. When the prey is overly focused on the lion that is attacking, it becomes completely vulnerable to the other lions. No sooner had the lions seen the chance than they jump up to the back of the prey. One will break its neck or clench the jaw around its throat to suffocate it while others will bite the backbone marrow and the end of the spinal cord. When the prey slows down, you know what comes afterwards. The prey is captured and becomes a fancy meal to the lions.

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            Lions are said to be the only cats that predate collaboratively. Their hunting process evidences that where one will stalk the target in patience; the others take their own position waiting for it, and then working together to knock it down. For lions, it is always harder to catch their prey rather than to kill it. Strategies, among others, are an essentially important key to their hunting. After all it is not their physical advantages but how they wisely make up for their disadvantages that makes them king of the jungle.