Hunting and Diet
The lioness is the hunter of the pride. One of her most important responsibilities is bringing food to the pride that she lives in. This is very important for the pride, because without food, they will starve to death. This is why the female role is just as important as the male role. When the lioness hunts, it can reach upto speeds of 40 mph, but only for a short period of time. There are many fast animals in the wild that are the prey of the lions, but to catch them, the lioness has to be very sneaky in it's approach to its prey. When it reaches its prey, it quickly pounces on it and uses it strong jaws to tear apart the meat. Sometimes, a pride of lionesses may a group of prey they want to eat.
A female lioness needs about 11 pounds of meat per day, and a male lion needs about 15.4 pounds of meat meat per day. They usually eat a prey that is between 420-1210 pounds. Some of their prey they eat are, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, elephants, wildebeest, cheetahs, buffalos, zebra, warthhogs, wild boar, and hyenas.
