Book 11, Question 55
How Do Lionesses Hunt as a Team?
Lionesses hunt as a team because working together works better than going alone! Each lioness plays a different role in the hunt. A team has a much better chance of success.
More fun facts
- A scientist in Namibia's Etosha National Park studied 486 group hunts by lionesses to see how they work as a team.
- In those hunts, some lionesses called wings circled the prey while others called centres waited for the prey to run toward them.
- The scientist borrowed the names wing and centre from team sports like soccer and rugby.
- Wings stalked about 320 meters on average, while centres moved only about 30 meters before the chase.
- Wings often started the attack, but centres most often caught the prey as it fled from the others.
- Each lioness kept taking the same position, and hunts where most lionesses were in their favorite spots had a high chance of success.
- Lions usually hunt in groups, but the actual kill is done by one lion, and they often bring down prey much bigger than themselves.
- In Tanzania's Serengeti, lions show little sign of teamwork while hunting, except when they go after big Cape buffalo.
Sources: link.springer.com, animaldiversity.org, National Institutes of Health
Questions kids ask
Why are lionesses better hunters than male lions?
Male lions are big and showy, so prey can spot them more easily, which makes hunting harder for them than for females.
Do lions always hunt as a team?
No. Teamwork depends on the place and the prey. Lions in Etosha used clear team positions, while Serengeti lions mostly teamed up for big buffalo.