Diet Of A Lion

A Lion's Diet

Hunting Technique

• When lions hunt, they move at speeds of almost 50 miles per hour. They use their powerful jaws and teeth to knock down animals before killing them.

Scavenging Technique

• Unlike most cats, lions prefer to scavenge for the already-killed prey of hyenas or leopards. Although lions sometimes steal food from hyenas, hyenas also scavenge lions' leftovers.

  
  

  Large Kills

  • Lions chase wildebeests and zebras, which weigh from 100 to 1,000 pounds---three times larger than a full-grown female lion.

  Small Kills

  • When food is scarce and lions are hungry, they will also feed on rodents and small reptiles. In addition, they frequent the livestock of local farmers.

  Zoo Food

  • Zookeepers feed caged lions beef. Once a week, at least at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, lions are fed horse tails, which exercise their jaws and teeth as bones do for dogs.

  Fasting

  • Lions generally overeat whenever they catch a meal in the wild. Afterward, they lie around and fast, or go without eating, for a period of five days. Caged lions eat daily, with zookeepers setting aside one day or so a week for fasting.

    
    Source:  http://www.ehow.com