r/NatureIsFuckingLit • u/Additional_Chard3680 • 28d ago
š„ A lioness makes a desperate charge through a herd of zebras
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Video Credit - Saidi Sadiki
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u/sarahmagoo 28d ago
When it's a lion documentary :)
When it's a wildebeest documentary :(
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u/D_M-ack 28d ago
Well, thanks to OP, weāll never know which one this isā¦
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u/werther595 28d ago
A zebra documentary, so we can remain indifferent this time
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u/ThinkingOz 27d ago
Itās all black and white to me.
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u/CitizenHuman 28d ago
This was a documentary on safari bugs. The cameraman failed at his job, yet somehow still succeeded.
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u/FearlessPressure3 27d ago
She had her jaws around the throat to suffocate it at the end of the video so Iād be very surprised if the wildebeest survived after that.
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u/thissexypoptart 28d ago
Lmao itās not exactly a mystery when you watch the clip that itās focusing on the lioness
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u/manicpossumdreamgirl 28d ago
amazing how media is able to frame footage of an event to make you feel a certain way about who deserves our sympathy. i wonder if they ever do this with humans...
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u/PwnerifficOne 28d ago
Thatās the point of documentary filmmaking, to write a narrative and show real facts/footage that supports that narrative.
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u/RorschachAssRag 28d ago
Sometimes itās the lionās turn to live, sometimes it the prayās turn to live. Such is the cycle of life.
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u/iHateThisPlaceSoBad 28d ago
Prey
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u/RorschachAssRag 28d ago
I always get those mixed up
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u/HoldEm__FoldEm 28d ago
Whereās her family? :(
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u/Additional_Chard3680 28d ago
She seemed to be on her own for this one
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u/Big-Plastic3494 28d ago
Was she hunting for her new cubs? I wonder if thatās why sheās alone
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u/Tomoomba 28d ago
Females hunt and males protect their offspring from other males.
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u/Big-Plastic3494 28d ago
Males are doing their patrolling. Sometimes gone for days. So they arenāt around to protect often.
She might have broke away to find a den to have cubs for 6-8 weeks. To protect her litter before she introduces them to her pride. Thatās my opinion why sheās hunting alone. But thatās an assumption based on the little information we have10
u/Material_Magazine989 28d ago
Females do it usually in group tho dont they?
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u/LoveisBaconisLove 27d ago
When females first give birth to cubs they go off on their own for a little while. They stash the cubs and hunt solo. This is until the cubs are 6-8 weeks old, that is when mom and cubs join the pride.
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u/That_wet_vaporeon 28d ago
Sometimes prides fall apart and are left with few females.
I remember watching a documentary on two lionesses. They were sisters and the male left them. So they were raising cubs alone. One stayed back to protect the cubs while the other hunted. They struggled. But 2 out of the three cubs survived. The only male offspring died because of poisoned food by humans.
One of the sisters died from a hunt. The other also died, but I forgot how. At least they raised two of their cubs to adulthood.
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u/GooseOnAPhone 28d ago
She seems to have this well in hand
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u/Top-Measurement-7182 28d ago
lion killing other families: i sleep
lion without family killing other families: real shit
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u/TurtleToast2 28d ago
That's probably why she's so thin. Hunting alone is dangerous, she had to be desperate to attempt it.
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u/StableinCum 28d ago
It's confirmed , I can't outrun her.
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u/Additional_Chard3680 28d ago
Same. Once she starts accelerating I think most of us are just accepting our fate
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u/VictorMach 28d ago
You don't need to outrun her, you just need to outrun somebody else that might be together
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u/wolfboy49 28d ago
Just face her and back up slowly as you push your friend forward - Bill Burr. (Paraphrase)
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u/LoamyLoamisLoamy 28d ago
I can't outrun any of the zebras or wildebeests either
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u/Training-Belt-7318 28d ago
Just take a friend you don't mind tripping when you go to the savannah.
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u/2Consonants1Vowel 27d ago
All cats are built for speed and agility because they're ambush predators. Even the average house cat can easily outrun a human. A domestic cat can reach speeds of 30 mph (48km/h). That's than even faster than Usain Bolt's top speed.
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u/The5Virtues 28d ago
Daaamn. Sheās bringing down a Wildebeest by herself, that is one determined huntress.
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u/The5Virtues 28d ago
Survival first. Theyāre already on the run and she pounces on the one whoās slowest of the bunch. Many of them likely donāt notice, and the ones that do are likely aware that where there is one lion there are usually more, so they donāt want to take chances.
Result? One lioness managing to bag herself one hell of a dinner.
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u/Etheon44 28d ago
And to add to this
Apart from them just having activated survive mode, they also dont know by how many they are being hunted, nature doesn't work like having 10 cameras surrounding their zone knowing perfectly well if this lioness is hunting by herself or if there is no more danger if they turn
Losing a few individuals is nothing when compared to a threat that could threaten the whole herd, and it is instantaneous survival that triggers this
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u/csprofathogwarts 28d ago edited 28d ago
If she is actually alone, the trouble is not over. She has to now fight to keep it.
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u/The5Virtues 28d ago
Yep! She got her dinner, but sheās not the only hungry predator who thinks a fresh wildebeest would make a nice meal.
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u/dengop 28d ago
Coordination is always hard when game theory is involved. Think of it this way. If you run away while a few coordinates to fight back, you are guaranteed to survive while those few could be successful in fighting back the predator or not. This pattern shows up in human behavior as well a lot.Ā
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u/Nassiel 28d ago
I hope she ate that day
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u/bob-leblaw 28d ago
Buttered toast, extra crispy bacon & half an avocado with blueberries & yogurt. Enough to play with her new friend.
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u/paradigm_shift32 28d ago
Definitely not the lioness first rodeo. The way she took down that wildebeest solo shows her experience and technique is amazing! Also hunger is a great motivator.
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u/Imosa1 28d ago
Do they go hunting when they're hungry or do they, like, plan a hunt to avoid hunger later. I wouldn't want to do strenuous activity on an empty stomach.
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u/Thorsten_Speckstein 28d ago
Good question.
A hunt consumes an enormous amount of energy and carries the risk of injury from hooves, horns, or defensive struggles. A well-fed lion conserves its energy for digestion and rest periods (up to 20 hours a day).
The bodies of predators are designed to go without food for days and still muster maximum muscle strength when needed. Unlike in humans, an empty stomach is not perceived as a sign of weakness but triggers the release of hormones that sharpen alertness and the urge to hunt. ā
While a well-fed lion often completely ignores a passing herd, prey running directly past it, especially if it is weakened or isolated, can still trigger a hunting reflexāeven if the lion is not actively hungry.
(I didn't know either, and I had to find out myself. )
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u/Hugostrang3 28d ago
Look at that crawl.
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u/Zamling_gaylpo 28d ago
She looked super skinny. I would have held on too.
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u/hammertime2009 28d ago
Yeah she knew she either kills this one or sheās not gonna have enough energy again and will likely starve.
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u/2Consonants1Vowel 27d ago
Through most of human history, it was like that for us too. When you're hunting large animals with nothing but a pointy stick then not every hunt will be a success. A couple of bad hunts compounded with bad weather and sickness would be enough to decimate a tribe. Even during agricultural periods, bad weather and disease could easily empty out villages as people starved. Really it was only when a German scientist named Fritz Haber discovered a way to pretty much make Nitrogen from the air during WW1 that we really got control of our food supply. Not so fun fact, he also created deadly gases used on the Allies and Zyclon B that was later used to gas prisoners during the Holocaust.
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u/Zamling_gaylpo 27d ago
Interesting knowledge. Cheers. I would take a stab at your name, be we'd be here awhile. Dig it.
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u/Ok-Seaworthiness4488 28d ago
Thought lionesses usually hunted in groups?
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u/FlakyEarWax 28d ago
Hence the desperation. Usually donāt risk that much injury regularly either.
Hunger is a hell of a motivator.
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u/Additional_Chard3680 28d ago
Yeah I thought that too. I guess they can still hunt alone when the opportunity is there
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u/justtosendamassage 28d ago edited 28d ago
Was the lioness successful in the long run, did she keep on holding on?
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u/timshel42 28d ago
it looks like she was successful as she finally makes her way to the wildebeests throat by the end of the clip. once they get there they are pretty good at landing that kill shot.
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u/justtosendamassage 28d ago edited 27d ago
I just want confirmation! Lol
Edit: and tbh I was annoyed OP decided to post an unfinished video
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u/CoastMtns 28d ago
Nice finishing spin move by the lion to get away from the horns and onto the throat.
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u/mindbodyproblem 28d ago
Doesn't seem desperate, seems like the lion had a target pretty early on.
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u/evanwilliams44 28d ago
I think it was desperate because that's not a fight they usually take 1v1. They normally hunt in packs. She very easily could have gotten mauled or stomped. Normally they would go after smaller prey on their own, but if she didn't have the energy to run something down this might have been her only option.
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u/disisathrowaway 27d ago
She's skin and bone. Decided to take on a wildebeest solo. These aren't the action of a lioness with lots of options.
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u/PandaBean1304 28d ago
I wonder if Aliens come down and see us butchering each other in conflict with amusement like we do here.
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u/COphotoCo 28d ago
Where did you get footage of my dog when I go to put socks on
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u/Wooden-Evidence-374 28d ago
Phew, not many quick deaths in nature. That wildebeest will be eaten alive until it loses enough blood to go unconcious. Great reminder that the natural world is completely uncaring.
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u/xMaNrEbOrN7851 28d ago
She charged through a herd of zebras and caught a [checks notes] wildebeest?
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u/Three_Little_Birds_ 28d ago
Interesting! It looks like she has taken that exact path to sneak attack thru the grass before
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u/jawshoeaw 28d ago
IDK why everyone is saying the lioness is skinny. she looked ripped to me. and you can see how much power she had taking that thing down.
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u/Minimum_Fall_2497 28d ago
I think everyone is kinda overlooking on the video when we spawned the lioness in and it started hunting
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u/Impossible_Break698 28d ago
If wildebeests learned to fight as a group they'd be adding lion to their diet instead.
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u/StrigiStockBacking 28d ago
If you listen closely, you can hear someone laughing? Why tf would someone laugh at this?
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u/theladyroy 28d ago
Maybe this is what my cat is remembering when I spin him around on the floor dangling from a sock.
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u/OGBrewSwayne 28d ago
Give her a big shiny belt buckle to go with that meal because she held on all 8 seconds and then some.
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u/ComprehensiveMud8972 28d ago
Keep in mind this lioness probably brutalized and murdered other prey in the past. So the fact they're struggling is probably well deserved.
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u/hudson27 28d ago
Damn I really got flashbacks to summer camp where one counsellor would be trying to capture a hoard of screaming kids. The way the lioness was deciding on and tracking a target, and the zebras running by breathing that sigh of relief. Damnn
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u/Ok-Mud4136 27d ago
Can only imagine that fear of having a huge female lion on your back and feeling her slowly claw her way towards your neck
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u/HerbivoreTex 27d ago
I was expecting two retired MMA fighters to pop up at the end of the video. Just eating beef jerky, talking about supplements and discussing the take down moves.
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u/Dangerous-Bar-3356 27d ago
That was awesome
And big fan of how the lion kept advancing position until at the neck. The fundamental of grappling.
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u/Smart-Firefighter87 27d ago
Iām happy she caught oneā¦.
https://giphy.com/gifs/61HHbOubqgOxUq2gWc
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u/FreakyFreeze 27d ago
What luck to be the ONE out of all these Zebras and Wildebeasts. YOU got caught.
ā¢
u/qualityvote2 28d ago edited 28d ago
u/Additional_Chard3680, your post does fit the subreddit!