Male Lions Adopt Ambush Style Hunting: Study

There has always been a misconception that male lions don't hunt and are the virtual parasites living off females, because lionesses, which more aggressive in nature and do the hunting for their pride, are successful in their task. But the latest study confirms that male lions are infact successful hunters in their own right.

The study, conducted by a team of researchers from Carnegie's Scott Loarie and Greg Asner, shows how male lions adopt the ambush style of hunting in Africa using the dense savanna vegetation as an aid.

It is because of the cooperative strategies the female lions use to hunt their prey that they are known as successful hunters. Some studies have revealed that male lions are as capable of hunting as females and unlike female lions, they are less cooperative. So what is the mystery behind the male lions' successful hunting?

The researchers predict that the lions use vegetation for ambushing prey. In order to observe the male lions, they used three different types of technology to study the predator-prey interactions on seven lions in South Africa's Kruger National Park.

Initially, they created 3-D maps of the savanna vegetation with the help of laser pulses that sweep across the African plains. They did this with the help of a Light Detection and Ranging scanner (LiDAR). They combined the 3-D habitat maps with GPS data.

They noticed that the real difference in hunting emerged during the night.  Female lions rested and hunted during the night in areas with large viewsheds (line of sight), whereas the male lions hunted in dense vegetation where prey is highly susceptible.  

Based on these observations, the researchers conclude that the male lion's successful prey hunting is associated with ambushing prey from behind vegetation, despite the lack of cooperative strategies.

"By strongly linking male lion hunting behavior to dense vegetation, this study suggests that changes to vegetation structure, such as through fire management, could greatly alter the balance of predators and prey," Loarie said in a press statement.  

The study is published in the journal Animal Behavior.