#Giraffe predators and prey how to#
#Giraffe predators and prey skin#

When lions attack giraffe calves they probably always succeed with their hunt. No claw marks were found of giraffe calves. This may be because it easier for giraffes to see lions in open areas than in woodlands where the lions can better hide. There are more claw marks on giraffes in more densely wooded areas of the Serengeti than in open grassland areas.

#Giraffe predators and prey skin#

This makes sense because giraffes have thick skin on their neck and fronts that is difficult for lions to penetrate. Most of the lion claw marks are found on the hindquarters of giraffes, confirming that lions attack giraffes from behind. Scientists can learn several things about how lions attack giraffes based on the claw marks that lions inflict during failed hunts. (Imagine dragging your fingernails through the mud.)” As a lion drags its claws along the skin of its prey, it leaves a pretty distinctive set of parallel incisions. “Whereas hyenas, which prey on young giraffes, grab hold of prey with their strong teeth and jaws, leaving puncture wounds. “Lions, like other felids, rely on powerful forelimbs and retractable claws to grab hold of prey,” she said.

#Giraffe predators and prey how to#

The first question that Megan faced was how to tell that the claw marks she observed on the giraffes were really from lions. “I did some reading and discovered that marine biologists use predation scars observed on living whales and dolphins to learn about their predators, so I thought this would be an exciting new method to apply to giraffes.” “When I examined the scars through my binoculars and zoomed in on digital photographs, it was clear that these scars were caused by lions,” she said. She noticed some interesting scars on the bodies of the giraffes in her study population and wondered what caused them. She has photographed hundreds of individual giraffes. Megan Strauss studies the ecology and behavior of giraffes in the Serengeti ecosystem in Tanzania. If lion attacks on giraffes are rarely witnessed, then how can scientists learn about how often they happen and how successful they are? George Schaller, a famous biologist, observed only 10 lion attacks on giraffes in his three-year study of lions in the Serengeti. Lions hunt subadult and adult giraffes also, although people rarely see these attacks. More than half of giraffe calves never reach adulthood and lion predation may be the leading cause of death. They attack both giraffe calves and adults. Lions are the main predators of giraffes. The giraffe manages to break the hold of the lion’s paws and run away to safety – for now. A struggle ensues as the giraffe bucks and shakes, kicking at the lion with its sharp hooves. The lion launches itself at the giraffe, attacking the giraffe’s hindquarters with its massive paws and grasping it with its claws. The giraffe does not see the golden cat in the tall yellow grass, nor does it hear or smell it until it is too late to run. A lion creeps towards the giraffe from the rear. This time though, he does not see or hear danger slinking towards him. He has superb eyesight and hearing and these senses are mounted on the tallest watchtower in the animal kingdom. He wraps his long, flexible tongue around the sharp thorns of the tree branch and plucks it clean, leaf-by-leaf. A quick bite to the neck of the animal will immobilize the prey or kill it instantly.Sometimes the lions win…and sometimes they don’t.Ī male giraffe contentedly strips leaves from an acacia tree on the Serengeti plains. This gives the lion a better grip on the prey. Wildebeast and zebra have devastating kicks, so the lions try to use their wait to pin the animal to the ground. They will all gang up on that animal and bring it down. When lions attack they will go for the animal that is injured or the weakest of the herd. They position themselves downwind so that the animal or herd of animals that they are hunting can't smell them.

The lionessess (females) do all the hunting in a pride (group) of lions. Lions rely entirely on team work to catch their prey and therefore survive. Lions are preyed upon by no other animal except man. Animals that have their eyes more to the side are ones that need to look in a larger area to avoid being caught. Animals that have their eyes set in the front of their heads are animals that prey on others. Cows have flat teeth that are designed to grind their food. Their teeth are designed to cut through meat much like ours. They have sharp claws and canine teeth that are designed to grab and hold their prey.