"Unusual" Pictures: Lions vs. Hippo

Lions vs. Hippo
Photograph by Andrew Schoeman, National News/Zuma Press
Two male lions attack a young hippopotamus in recently released pictures—an encounter experts call "unusual."
In 2006 photographer Andrew Schoeman was awoken in South Africa's Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve by distress calls that he soon found out had come from the hippo, which was cornered in shallow water by the big cats.
"Every time the hippo wanted to get away, the lions would go for him, and he would then retreat back into the water," said Schoeman, according to the photo agency Zuma Press. After several hours the lions eventually overcame the hippo, drowning it.
"Lions can kill anything—there are famous areas in Africa where the prides are large and get used to taking down elephants. [But] it still is pretty rare" for the cats to take on hippos, said Luke Hunter, president of the wild cat conservation group Panthera.
The predators "mostly just focus on the obvious prey," such as wildebeest and zebra, said Hunter, whose group collaborates with the National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative. (The Society owns National Geographic News.)
For instance, surveys between 1988 to 2000 in Sabi Sands—part of the greater Kruger National Park ecosystem—identified more than 4,000 kills by large carnivores. Only one was a hippo killed by lions, Hunter said.
Mike Watson, CEO of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, a Kenya-based nonprofit, agreed the interaction is uncommon.
"Lions will not want to put themselves at significant risk of injury in taking on large mammals which can very easily injure them," Watson said by email.
"In my experience, lion are known to go for easiest targets—and hippo, elephant, and [adult] giraffe certainly do not fall into this category."
(Also see "Rare Pictures: Crocodile Attacks Elephant.")
—Christine Dell'Amore
Published July 10, 2012
Bloody Battle
Photograph by Andrew Schoeman, National News/Zuma Press
Bloody scratches on the hippo's back point to a protracted battle with the lion pair.
The pictures refute a common stereotype that male lions are lazy, "letting the females do all the work," Craig Packer, a biologist and lion expert at the University of Minnesota, said via email.
Female lions generally hunt most of the pride's smaller prey, but "male lions are the primary hunters of large prey like Cape buffalo, giraffe—and hippos," said Packer, who has a National Geographic Society/Waitt Grant.
Panthera's Hunter agreed, adding that male lions are "quite good hunters," especially in opportunistic situations such as this one.
It's not easy being a male lion, he added. "Males live a tough, violent life making sure they protect the pride" from other lions.
(See big-cat pictures.)
Published July 10, 2012
"Plucky" Prey
Photograph by Andrew Schoeman, National News/Zuma Press
The "plucky" hippo put up a good fight, charging the lions repeatedly, according to photographer Schoeman.
Packer thinks the hippo may have been ill: "It is very unusual for lions to chase a hippo into deep water—they must have known it was too weak to escape or fight back."
But Hunter suggests the hippo somehow got isolated from its herd, leaving the youngster vulnerable.
What's more, lions are ambush hunters and don't necessarily have time to assess whether an animal is sick before they choose to attack, Hunter said.
By contrast, predators such as wolves will weed out unhealthy animals after running down a herd for miles.
(See more lion pictures.)
Published July 10, 2012
Top Predator
Photograph by Andrew Schoeman, National News/Zuma Press
At one point the lions hid on land until the injured hippo emerged from the water. The predators waited until the hippo got about 160 feet (50 meters) away from the water hole before chasing after him (pictured).
Lions are "ingenious" in developing hunting tactics to take on dangerous prey, noted Lewa's Watson. For instance, he said, Kenya's Borana conservancy has a pride of 18 lions that work together to take down adult giraffes.
(Also see "Pink-Hippo Pictures: Rare Youngster Spotted in Kenya.")
Published July 10, 2012
Fleeing the Attack
Photograph by Andrew Schoeman, National News/Zuma Press
In a bid to get the lions off, the hippo fled back to the water hole (pictured).
The attack's rarity is illustrated by another study done in the Kruger region, which was conducted between 1933 and 1966, Hunter said.
That survey identified 46,181 kills by carnivores—only 6 of which were hippos killed by lions. And four of those had occurred during a severe drought, when the hippos were in poor shape, he said.
(See "Prehistoric Europeans Hunted, Ate Lion?")
Published July 10, 2012
Flipping the Hippo
Photograph by Andrew Schoeman, National News/Zuma Press
The lions—now joined by a third male—attempt to flip over the hippo.
Lions hunt cooperatively when tackling such difficult prey, according to the University of Minnesota's Lion Research Center.
When hunting easier prey, though, the center says, "pride mates typically stay back until their successful companion makes the kill."
(Watch video: "Crocs vs. Lions.")
Published July 10, 2012
In for the Kill
Photograph by Andrew Schoeman, National News/Zuma Press
Eventually the lions flip the hippo, drowning it (pictured).
Panthera's Hunter acknowledged the outcome "seems terrible—but lions have to eat."
(Learn how you can help lions with National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative.)
Published July 10, 2012
More Rare Pictures: Crocodile Attacks Elephant
Photograph courtesy Martin Nyfeler
Published July 10, 2012