Lions Run For Their Lives After Rhinos Wake Them Up From a Snooze

Lions may be the kings of the jungle, but even lions can get taken by surprise on occasion. A video out of South Africa shows what happens when a rhino family happens upon some snoozing lions. Although the rhinos appeared to be equally surprised by the presence of the lions, they never backed down. The sleepy lions flee the rhinos, not sticking around for a fight. Is this normal behavior? Find out how lions and rhinos interact in the African wilderness.

Sometimes Lions Flee Rhinos Rather Than Fight

In a YouTube video posted by the Tekweni channel, a male lion and lioness are sleeping peacefully together on a forest path. There is very little movement from them, other than when the male briefly lifts his head and twitches his tail. They are completely unaware as a massive rhino mother with her young calf comes lumbering up the trail.

At first, the rhino doesn’t seem to sense the presence of the lions. Perhaps their sleeping forms are hidden in the tall grass. Despite their size, the rhinos don’t make much noise, and the lions continue to sleep. Then, all at once, the male lion wakes up, sees the rhinos, and leaps to his feet. His female companion rises next to him. They sit for a moment, appearing to shake off sleep and get their bearings. The mother rhino doesn’t hesitate. After all, she has her young to protect. The rhino charges towards the lion pair, head lowered and snorting. Both lions flee the rhinos without a fight.

Why Do These Lions Flee Rather Than Engage in a Fight?

Lions are stealthy hunters. They work in groups to surround their prey as they stay hidden. But these lions were sleeping peacefully and weren’t ready for conflict, especially with a massive opponent that sports a long and sharp horn. It made a lot more sense for the lions to take off than to stick around and fight with this large rhino mother.

Do Lions Hunt Rhinos?

Lions are apex predators at the top of the food chain. They hunt many animals, including water buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, ostriches, gazelles, and warthogs. But rhinos are one of the few African mammals that are not on their list. That is, fully grown adult rhinos. A lion pride will target smaller, juvenile rhinos, and also older or injured rhinos that don’t have the strength to fight back as the adults do. However, lions don’t have much of a chance to attack the young rhinos because usually a larger mother is in the area and will protect her young.

According to the Kariega Game Reserve blog in South Africa, they sometimes see a mother rhino leading her babies toward a pride of lions. This may seem like reckless behavior, but it has a purpose. If the lions charge the baby, the mother rhino will attack the lions. It could be the mother rhino’s way of teaching her young what lions are and that the little one needs to be wary.

How Do Rhinos Defend Themselves From Lions?

Rhinos may be herbivores, but they have several things going for them to keep them protected against lion attacks. First of all, they have long and sharp horns which they use to establish dominance and defend themselves from predators. If another animal were to get gored by a rhino’s horn, it would most likely be fatal.

Rhinos also have incredibly tough skin that is two inches thick. It’s unique in that it’s made from a dense crosslinked network of collagen fibers. Unlike a wildebeest hide, a rhino’s skin is very hard for a lion’s teeth to penetrate.

And finally, rhinos have size on their side. White rhinos are the second-largest land mammal in the world and weigh between 4,000 and 6,000 pounds. Lions, on the other hand, can weigh up to 600 pounds.

In a Fight Between Rhinos and Lions, Who Would Win?

Lions have sharp teeth and claws and are intelligent, stealthy hunters. Rhinos are massive with armor-like skin and sharp, powerful horns. If an adult lion faced off against an adult rhino, it would likely be a tough fight for both animals.

There are a few witness reports of lions attacking rhinos. It’s usually a pride of lions targeting a lone injured or juvenile rhino. It may also occur when a young, inexperienced lion overestimates its hunting ability. Finally, if resources were scarce, it might force a lion to take a riskier chance. But if the game is plentiful, a lion would much rather hunt easier prey. In the end, if a healthy adult lion took on a healthy adult rhino, the rhino would probably emerge as the victor. Rhinos are so large with such thick skin that it would be hard for a lion to get the advantage.

The post Lions Run For Their Lives After Rhinos Wake Them Up From a Snooze appeared first on A-Z Animals.