Have you ever seen a lion stalk its victim? In the video at the end of the short article, these safari-goes got a first-hand view of an amazing hunt by a big male lion.
Filmed near the Monro waterhole in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, this video starts with the male lion trotting towards the safari-goers. The spectacular animal sees something and decreases. As he approaches and moves past the safari vehicle, he pays it no mind. The next scene reveals him smelling the air and standing high to see something. He moves with accuracy and after that starts to trot once again. He reaches a thicket, and it ends up being clear, the lion is stalking victim. Suddenly, he runs. The lion leaps best onto the back of an oryx!
The big antelope isn’t decreasing without a battle, and a battle starts in between predator and victim. The terrific lion makes sure to prevent the oryx’s long, sharp horns. He hangs on tight to use the animal down. We can see long, bloody scratches on the antelope’s flank. This injury is most likely from the lion’s initial stalk and strike. The lion has actually done some substantial damage, however it’s not over yet. The fight goes on for a while. When the lion stands up, we see that one of the horns has actually pierced through the skin on his shoulder. Despite his injury, he does not give up.
The struggle continues for another few minutes, with the lion even trying to eat the oryx alive! Finally, he gets a hold of the beast’s neck and delivers the killing bite. The lion stalked his prey well and is rewarded with a meal. The video ends with the lion taking a rest before he eats his well-earned kill.
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What is an Oryx?
The video shows the male lion stalking an oryx, however what is this animal?
The South African oryx, or gemsbok, is a species of large antelope found in Africa. Other species of oryx include the Scimitar-horned oryx of Northern Africa and the Arabian Oryx, found in the Middle East.
The gemsbok grows to 500 pounds and is about four feet tall, not including their horns. These antelope are herd animals, meaning they live in large family groups. A herd contains only females and young, numbering 10-30 members during the dry season and as many as 200 members during the rainy season. The males live alone, except during breeding. So, the oryx the lion stalked in our video is likely a male. Unfortunately, without the protection of the herd, they can become prey.
Oryx of all species have long, sharp horns they use to defend themselves. They consume grasses and can go without water for long periods of time. These hardy animals number in the hundreds of thousands in Africa and are kept in zoos around the world. The rarer Arabian oryx numbers only 8,000 in total.
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Is a Lion Stalking an Oryx Normal?
Yes! Lions are ambush predators. This means they get as close as they can to their prey prior to launching an attack. That’s what stalking means! Other animals also stalk their prey, like leopards, wolves, and even the common house cat. You may have seen your cat stalking a mouse or bird in the yard.
Oryx are among the many animals that lions will stalk, hunt, and eat. Lions primarily eat zebras and wildebeest, however they will pretty much eat whatever they can catch. When prey is scarce, they will even hunt birds and lizards. Lions occasionally take down prey as big as a water buffalo!
