Do lions like human meat? A hungry lion is an angry lion but only hungry, ill, and elderly lions feed on human flesh. Thus, lions do not prefer human meat. Lions are carnivorous by nature and typically hunt both large and small mammals.
An adult lion has 30 teeth, including molars used for chewing, canines for tearing food, and incisors for biting. Sometimes, they act as scavengers, intimidating other animal species to drop their catch.
In such cases, hyenas become bold but ultimately lose out to the kings of the wild, as lions move in groups, making overpowering them very difficult.
These carnivores can consume more food than humans, eating up to 70 pounds in a single sitting at times, without leaving leftovers.
Animals that lions feed on
Lions feed on the following prey:
- Livestock, which lions particularly favor: According to research by animal specialists in 2011, which entailed five years of observation, livestock made up 53% of the lion’s diet, while wild animals accounted for the remaining 47%. Specific examples of livestock and wild prey in the lion’s diet include goats at 3%, cattle at 31%, buffalo at 16%, wild pigs at 6%, nilgai at 3%, camels at 2%, chital at 28%, and many others. A group of lions can take down a cow and tear it into pieces to feed the entire pride.
- Buffalo: Lions are used to stalking buffaloes at drinking points and in the morning hours when they come out to quench their thirst. However, buffaloes have grown wiser and formed huge herds. Lionesses keep a close eye on these animals, but the buffaloes stay vigilant, positioning their horns facing outward as an impenetrable barrier to prevent the starving lions from dining on them.
- Elephants: These are the world’s largest mammals, herbivores that feed on green plants. Male elephants stand up to 3 meters high and can weigh up to 6,000 kg, with males reaching their full size at around 35-40 years. Elephants have a lifespan of 70 years, and their babies are called calves, weighing around 120 kg. There are three species of lions: African savanna, African forest, and Asian. African elephants are characterized by their big ears, shaped like their continent. It takes a courageous group of lions to take down a huge elephant, with some lions leaving the hunting ground injured, and others killed. Once they locate the elephant’s weakest point and kill it, its meat can feed the entire pride.
- Hyenas: Lions kill hyenas to assert their dominance and show other animals that they are the kings of the jungle. They don’t eat the hyenas but rather leave their dead bodies for other animals to feast on. In a tit-for-tat game, hyenas take advantage of sick and weak lions by killing them and not leaving their cubs in peace. Other animal species that lions feed on include rhinos, giraffes, antelopes, zebras, and many others.
In the animal kingdom, man-eaters also include tigers, leopards, crocodiles, polar bears, wolves, sharks, alligators, dingoes, brown bears, and many more.