Lioness Hunting Wildebeests
A lion hunts by sneaking up close to its prey and then rushing at it.
The lioness does most of the hunting for lion families.
A race for life
When you run in a race, it’s just for fun. But many kinds of animals run
in races that often mean life or death for one of them.
When a lion hunts a wildebeest it tries to creep as close as it can. If
the lion gets close enough, it can jump on the wildebeest’s back and
kill it. But if the wildebeest sees or smells the lion, it dashes away.
Then the race begins!
Both animals run for their lives. The lion must catch the wildebeest so
it can eat. The wildebeest must escape so it can go on living. If the
wildebeest gets a quick start, or if the lion is old and slow, the
wildebeest may get away. But if the lion is young and fast it will
probably catch the wildebeest and kill it.
Animals that get their food by chasing other animals are fast runners. A
person could never win a race against them. Foxes and wolves can run
about twice as fast as a person. And a cheetah can run at least three
times as fast as a person. It’s the fastest of all land animals.
The kinds of animals that lions, wolves, and other hunting animals eat
are fast runners, too. Gazelles can run faster than race horses. Jack
rabbits and zebras are nearly as fast as gazelles. Even big,
clumsy-looking giraffes can run much faster than a person.
Lions, leopards, and cheetahs chase antelopes, wildebeests, and zebras.
Wolves chase deer and elk. Coyotes and foxes chase rabbits. The hunter
runs so it can eat. The animal it chases runs to keep from being eaten.
The animal that wins the race is the one that stays alive.
