Lions on the Hunt

Lions on the Hunt — page 1 — 1 chapter on the hunt It's evening on the African savanna A gentle breeze sweeps through the tall grass A lioness raises her head from the grass where she is resting She sniffs deeply catching a whiff of wildebeests A watering hole lies in the distance A herd of thirsty wildebeests is drinking Their tongues lap the cool water Some are full grown Others are young The lioness spots its prey and will join other lions to hunt together Why might lions hunt

Lions on the Hunt — page 2 — The lioness is hungry So is the rest of the pride A pride of lions is a group that lives and hunts together Hunting together helps them take down large prey The lionesses in the pride look for a sick or old wildebeest that will be easier to kill though they will hunt a healthy animal too They spot one with an injured leg The lionesses waste no time They are ready for action A few lionesses stalk through the grass With their padded paws they move almost silently They creep closer and closer to where the wildebeests are drinking The lionesses creep toward the herd looking for its weakest member 5

Lions on the Hunt — page 3 — A lion's powerful jaws help it kill prey The Hunt The other lionesses spread out in a fan shaped formation Some of them head directly for the prey This forces the injured wildebeest to make its way toward the grass where the lionesses are waiting The other wildebeests make a hasty retreat When the lone wildebeest is close three lionesses bolt out of hiding They bite and scratch the wildebeest They surround and pin the prey so it can't escape One lioness bites down and the wildebeest struggles before it still goes completely

Lions on the Hunt — page 4 — Male Lions as Hunters While the lionesses do most of the hunting male lions are also good hunters But they are not as fast at chasing down prey They are heavier and less agile than female lions Males are also less likely to cooperate with other lions when hunting Yet because of their greater size and strength male lions kill larger prey than lionesses They tend to ambush their prey in areas with dense vegetation like tall grass buffalo A male lion attacks a bull

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