In the Shamwari Game Reserve located 47 miles outside Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, South Africa, a pair of hungry lionesses demonstrate why lions are among the world’s most feared predators.
Lionesses hunting antelope work together to efficiently capture their quick-moving prize. One lioness scares an antelope down a hill and the other catches the animal in mid-air.
If the lions had been pursuing a human, the chase would’ve been over before it even started. While antelope are adapted to flee and evade predators such as lions, even the fastest humans wouldn’t stand a chance against these intelligent animals.
Despite their efficiency, lions do not always seek out live prey. In fact, they prefer to scavenge for food, since it’s less likely to deplete energy or cause injury, and over 50% of their diet consists of carrion. They generally steal animal carcasses killed by hyenas or natural causes. Nevertheless, as this dramatic struggle between antelope and lion portrays, lions are still very much a predatory species.
Watch the full video of this amazing predatory behavior below.
