Hunter Becomes the Hunted as a Lioness Sneaks Up on a Leopard While It’s Eating

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Lioness Sneaks Up on an Unassuming Leopard to Turn Predator to Prey!

In the incredible nature clip at the top of the page, a feeding leopard is suddenly surprised and chased by a lioness! The video opens to a tranquil scene, the leopard feeding on a fallen topi that it successfully hunted. The leopard keeps cautiously looking around the scene, seemingly aware of nearby danger. A nearby lioness heard the commotion from the kill and instantly began making its way to the sound. The leopard takes a few glances in the direction of the lioness, but can’t see the big cat concealing itself. 

The lioness makes its way closer and closer to the leopard, before suddenly leaping out towards its smaller feline cousin! The leopard is caught by surprise, but its reactions are lightning fast! The leopard dashes away from the carcass, but the lioness continues chasing it down a small hill! As the lioness catches the leopard in a few strides, the smaller cat flips onto its back in a submissive and defensive position! Furious roars and an obscured fight shows that these two distinct cousins have no love lost! Lionesses will kill leopards at any opportunity, considering leopards are one of the biggest killers of lion cubs!

The lioness takes a breath, and the leopard decides to take the opportunity to make a dash towards a nearby tree. Jumping up to its feet and sprinting off away from the lioness, the bullying big cat chases it down. But the leopard is able to reach the tree just before the lioness catches it, and it shoots up the tree trunk like a squirrel! The lioness waits at the base of the tree for a moment, before making its way to the fallen topi to feed.

Big Cat Cousins: The Violence Between Lions and Leopards!

In the highly competitive African wilderness, lions and leopards have a tense and competitive relationship. It shows off a complex tapestry of coexistence and rivalry. Two apex predators, both sharing in the continent’s diverse landscapes, their habitat spanning countries like Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. Both populations are particularly dense within national parks such as the renowned Serengeti, due to their needs .

Their prey, including impalas, zebras, and wildebeests, becomes a focal point of contention. Specific species are contested in overlapping territories. Amidst the acacia covered savannas and denser bush, lions and leopards compete for a similar spot in the ecosystem. The conflict between the two only intensifies when their vulnerable young are involved. Leopards are notorious for killing lion cubs, not wanting to give the weak cubs a chance to grow up. On the flip side, whenever a fully grown lion and a leopard encounter each other, the leopard never has a chance.