Lions are known as the ultimate apex predator, able to take down animals much larger and stronger than themselves, including giraffes, buffalo, and even elephants.
However, lions are far from invincible. Read on to find out about the often tenacious animals that are able to take on ‘the king of the jungle’ and win. Some of these do so in self-defence, others for a meal, and some for strategic reasons.
10 animals that can kill a lion
Other lions
As with many species (humans included), lions can be their own worst enemy. Interspecies killings are very common in lion prides, and is often strategic. Males may fight each other to the death over valuable territory (and cannibalism can, though uncommonly, follow). Territory is not the only valuable resource worth killing for however.
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When a male lion takes over a pride from another he will frequently kill any cubs that were fathered by the usurped male. The purpose of this infanticide is thought to be to gain more immediate access to females in the pride, who, if no longer lactating, will become sexually receptive and able to bear the offspring of the new male. In this way he can establish his dominance right away and increase his own reproductive success, rather than ‘wasting’ any resources on the offspring of a rival male.
Hyenas
Hyenas and lions occupy very similar ecological niches – that is, they play similar roles in their ecosystem, including hunting for the same prey. This means that they are very often in competition with each other, which can lead to deadly conflicts.
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Although lions are much larger and stronger than hyenas, hyenas may sometimes win out when they heavily outnumber a lion, or if a lion is vulnerable. Although they would very rarely hunt lions for food, hyenas in packs have been known to prey on lion cubs or even weakened adults.
Elephants
And now for something that truly does best a lion in terms of size and strength. Although elephants are herbivores, eating only plant matter, that does not mean they are always gentle. In fact, they can become incredibly aggressive, particularly when feeling threatened.
Lions are known to target elephant calves as prey, but this can be a very bad move, and they may end up with a maternally enraged elephant on their tail. Elephants are well equipped to cause deadly harm, with their sharp tusks, powerful trunks, and large feet capable of stomping and trampling.
Cape buffalo
Cape buffalo are a very robust species of bovid, with a very stocky build and standing up to 5 foot 6 inches at the shoulder. As such they are a force to be reckoned with, even by an animal as powerful as a lion.
Although it is more often the other way around, with prides of lions regularly hunting and killing buffalo, these bovids can defend themselves and have been known to seriously injure and even kill lions when threatened. Their large size and formidable horns mean that they are not always an easy meal.
African wild dogs
Like hyenas, African wild dogs have similar ecological niches to lions, and because of this compete with them for food. Lions are a bigger threat to wild dogs than they are to lions, with the big cats constituting a major cause of mortality for this species – adults and pups alike.
Lions are in general much larger and stronger than African wild dogs. However, as pack animals, wild dogs have strength in numbers and there are some reported cases of old and injured lions falling prey to groups of wild dogs.
Hippopotamus
Despite the lion being named ‘king of the jungle’, hippos are in fact much more powerful and dangerous. Hippopotamus’ are the number one deadliest large land mammal, killing an estimated 500 people per year in Africa.
They are known to be extremely aggressive and unpredictable, with very big teeth – a lethal combo! Therefore, although a large pride of lions might be able to take down a hippo, they would rarely give it a go, and in a one-to-one combat my money would definitely be on the hippo.
Nile crocodile
Another animal that competes with lions for prey is the Nile crocodile, an apex predator that can grow up to 5 metres in length, dwarfing even the biggest of big cats.
Nile crocodiles can be found in 26 countries of Africa, and so coexist alongside lions in many places, feeding on much of the same prey animals – zebras, antelopes, and young cape buffalo, for example. They are also sometimes known to prey on lion cubs.
Crocodiles may also steal food from lions and vice versa, and when in great need a pride of lions may attempt to take down a crocodile. In general however, lions and crocodiles have a policy of mutual avoidance, perhaps an acknowledgement of the other’s predatory skill.
Black rhinoceros
Due to their size and considerable armoury and weaponry – their thick skin and long, lethal horns – adult black rhinos do not tend to have any natural predators. However, inexperienced or very hungry lions may give it a go on occasion, and sometimes find that they have bitten off more than they can chew.
When threatened by lions, black rhinos have been known to lash out defensively with their horns, and sometimes to deadly effect. Black rhino horns have been known to grow to an astonishing 4.9 foot in length – well suited for goring an unlucky lion.
Porcupines
I bet you didn't expect to see a rodent on this list – albeit a very spiky one! African porcupines, although nowhere near as big and powerful as some on this list, are remarkably good at defending themselves.
When threatened, they puff up their formidable quills and charge backwards towards their attacker, stabbing them with the thickest and shortest spikes. These quills are barbed and are also not firmly attached to their bodies, so easily get stuck in a would-be predator – which occasionally is a lion.
A 2019 study found recorded evidence of 50 lions that had been injured or killed as a result of encounters with porcupines since the 17th century. They also found that older male, and female, lions tended to know better than to mess with porcupines, and that those more likely to be killed were suffering from “young foolish male syndrome”.
Humans
As much as we might see lions as dangerous to us (they kill about 22 people a year on average), we are much more deadly to them. As few as 20,000 lions remain in Africa; humans are estimated to be responsible for around 600 lion deaths a year, although it is impossible to know the true number.
