As the African lions watch, the lechwe is gradually passing to the right in this photograph. The lechwe is in the foreground, the lion and lioness in the middle ground, and large bushy trees in the background. The lion and lioness are lying lazily on the green grass as the morning sun begins its journey up. Lechwe is a species of antelopes. You find them in floodplains. They are quite clumsy runners but can jump superbly in the plains.
Both lions and lionesses can eat up to 15% of their body weight in just one sitting. After a huge meal, they will sleep a lot and feel very lazy. Lions we know are greedy animals and will even hunt when they are full.
Because they cannot run extremely fast or for long, the lions watch their prey and silently creep up to them on their haunches until they feel close enough to pounce. When going for smaller prey, they will often ankle-tap the animal so that they trip. That causes them to stumble and slow down, allowing the lion more chance of catching it. On the other hand, if their prey is large, they will jump on the animals’ backs to bring it down. This usually happens when the males join in, as they are stronger.
The lion, Panthera Leo, is classified as vulnerable in the IUCN red list.
Please explore our African wildlife photographs when you like the ‘Lions watch Lechwe passing’.
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Olivier –
Nicely captured scene… it looks as if the lechwe tried to tease the lions…
Anette Mossbacher –
Oh yes, this antelope had for sure its fine with this. Thanks so much, Olivier. Ciao Anette