c1054.txt

They mainly range from woodland and open savanna to desert and arid areas, wherever sufficient prey can be found. Lions are the largest predators in Africa. Females do most of the hunting, although males do hunt at times. The prides usually hunt together. At any kill of a pride, the dominant will feed first, following other males, and then the females. The cubs will feed last when the others had their fill. Loins hunt by stealth - they stalk their prey or wait in the ambush near the water until the prey animal is close enough to pounce upon. Lions often are opportunistic hunters in the sense that they will kill when the opportunity arise. Lions are opportunistic hunters. They will eat anything from termites to an elephant if they can. Depending on their territory and species of prey available in the area, they usually hunt medium to large sized animals like wildebeest, impala, zebra, waterbuck, kudu, buffalo and giraffe amongst others and even in some cases hippos, young rhinos and elephants. Giraffe have been known to inflict serious injuries to lions and often kill lions, while defending themselves by kicking at the lions especially with hind legs. Lions are often found following large or smaller herds of buffalo while waiting for chances to catch and kill one, although buffaloes are not that easy to catch and kill due to the fact that they will not always run away – they will group together (often forming a circle around the young) and try to stand their ground in an effort to defend themselves and their young ones against the lions. Lions are also often injured or killed by buffaloes, especially by the bulls, which can cause a lot of damage with their horns as well as by stomping on the lions with their hard hooves.