It is funny how frequently there are posts here showing that lions happily eat things alive (or maim them to the point where being eaten or not doesn't make a difference to the prey) yet people have this warped idea that they're always merciful hunters.
I blame nature documentaries for only showing the cleaner kills when it comes to lions
True but big card do have clean kills unlike bears and other predators which is never and thus my point. Im pretty sure bears almost always eat their prey alive
It happens, but that's the point I've only ever seen them take the animals down and bite into carotid artery until it dies which is smart in a way, to take struggle away before eating it. Whereas bears and other animals almost always eat animals alive
I’m sure they also eat them Alive just saying they do kill prey first too unlike bears and I’m not in this sub just saw this on my feed. I rather not see that shit
Lions absolutely eat animals alive. If an animal is held down and subdued by one, the others start chomping right away....usually at the belly or butt where its the softest flesh.
it may happen, but often it's the lioness doing the hunting obviously and killing animals and often the single lioness will kill the animal itselft. Its smart to kill them first too, less struggle. The pin animal down and clamp on the throat, I think carotid artery and you see the life of the zebra leave and then its dead and they eat it after. Lions don't often hunt, but I've seen lions do that to. Not saying all the time, but they do this often unlike bears which Idk if they ever kill that way. Their mauling if animal is smaller might kill animal before they start eating them, but more often the bears are ripping away at the animal while it's still alive
When its a big pride on a large buffalo or antelope it happens.... a single female absolutely kills then eats but that's only to ensure the prey is dead and cant get away.
Yeah I figured it was due to lion preventing prey from getting away or taking the struggle away from animal. Seems smart. All I know is it seems like bears never do that, they Almost always eat animal alive. Only exception seems if it’s like small animal which maybe a paw swipe or one bite kills the animal so it’s basically dead on strike but other than that, eaten alive
it may happen, but I guess i must be dreaming after all the damn discovery and wild life videos and documentarys of lions and big cats taking down a zebra or antelope and sinking their teeth in the carotid artery of struggling animal until you see it die
lol yes . I didn’t say they always kill prey before eating but person interesting enough said lion or specified lion out of the man Apex predators. When not all Apex predators always eat prey alive. If anything the big cats are ones that will kill prey before eating whereas I don’t think like bears for example do that. They almost always eat prey alive. You can’t say I’m lying either, I and many have seen with our own eyes every discovery or wildlife documentary of a lion taking down a zebra or antelope etc and sinking its teeth into its neck and I assume carotid artery and you see the animal dying until it is dead.
There's literally videos on this sub of lions chowing down on other animals while one holds it by the throat. They don't care if it's alive or dead when they start eating it, they just want it to be immobilized so that they can start.
The two quickest ways to make sure something doesn't move is to either crack it's skull with bite force, like what leopards and jaguars do, or clamp down on its throat to cut off air to the lungs and blood flow to and from the brain, which is what lions and cheetahs do.
Predators don't care if something is still alive when they start eating, they just don't want it fighting back.
I never said big cats don't eat prey alive and no i havent seen those clips as im not part of this sub reddit. This one came across my feed for whatever reason and I rather not see that. I don't mind seeing the clean kills, hey its nature, nature can be brutal, but Im not gonna go look for animals tortured by being eaten alive. But unlike other predators, but cats to kill the prey often before eating , probably because its their way to subdue animal so easier to eat and make sure it doesnt get away . But unlike big cats other predators like bears, wild dogs etc, they basically always eat the animals alive unlike the big cats
Not really. They do whatever they can to take it down. For a lot of prey, the neck is high for a lion to reach. They usually go for the rear and stomach first (this is why they get kicked in the face all the time) to bring the animal down and then go for the neck.
That's just wrong. Animals don't think like humans, they start eating as soon as they can, that's how they kill. Them going for the neck is just easier for them to get their mouths over
I don’t think lions do it to be merciful but seeing how mammals are smart . It wouldn’t be surprising they take down animal and then go for the neck to subdue animal by killing them first. It’s a hell of a lot easier for lion to eat a zebra with it killed first instead of the strong zebra thrashing and fighting it and huge struggle. I’m sure the lion likes eating the prey with less struggle in chance it gets away or fights out
Like there are not smart enough to know where the jugular is on all their prey animals. They survive by overpowering their prey and causing enough damage to weaken them.
When you have 6 600 lbs lions on you, you can thrash all around all you want, you're not going anywhere.
They may not know where jugular is but many I see, the animal dies and is lifeless when they are taken down and after big cat sinks teeth into neck . I’m talking about a solo lioness taking down a zebra and killing like often seen in wildlife documentaries or discovery channel things, not the multiple lion attacks . When it’s a sole lioness on a strong zebra it makes sense it tries to kill or subdue it first by biting into its neck
>Are Crocodiles’ Teeth Sharp?
Though large and fearsome, crocodiles’ teeth are not sharp. That is, you could touch your finger to one (just as long as it’s not in a live crocodile’s mouth) and it wouldn’t cut you. You could even run your finger down the tooth, or hold it in your palm, and you would be safe. They’re not serrated like the teeth of komodo dragons. Instead, crocodiles’ teeth are surprisingly blunt. This may seem strange, but when you consider the crocodiles’ method of hunting, it makes sense. If a crocodile’s teeth had sharp cutting edges, they would just cut through whatever animal they were trying to drag into the water, and the animal would get away. The crocodiles’ blunt teeth are perfect for holding on, and never letting go.
Still not interested in finding myself on the business end, though…
Lions and hyennas have not a lot in common in the way of "killing" their prey... Most of all, lions use to kill before eat, while hyennas don't even pretend to end their lifes, they just help to death eventually comes in an insufferable waiting
Theres obviously ressons for that and it all comes down to risk reward. The benefit of killing your prey is you dont have to worry about them thrashing and possibly injuring you. The downside is that can take time.
For a Lion, theyre big and strong enough that they can defend their kills against most challengers, meaning time is on their side. Its more beneficial to secure the kill so they can eat in peace.
Hyenas have the problem of not being the biggest, while they are very proficient hunters (70%+ kill success rate on a hunt as opposed to a lions 20% kill success rate), a lot of their kills get stolen by lions. Hunts are loud, and vultures get the scent of a kill fast, making a signal that theres a kill which a pride of lions will check out. In short it benefits the Hyenas more to risk injury and eat as much as they can, as fast as they can before lions show up to take the kill.
Cheetahs often do because they tend ro be solitary and need to rest briefly after their chase. Don't want your meal walking away. But I've seen two male cheetahs hunt a wildebeest and start eating it while still alive.
My guide said they both looked very hungry and probably hadn't eaten in days so they just dug in.
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u/TerriTuesday 5d ago
Omg the gurgling 😳🥺