Witness Chaos on the Savannah as a Lion Fight Breaks Out in the Middle of Hyenas and Elephants

Continue reading for our analysis...

Filmed in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya, Africa, these tourists probably didn’t expect to see a lion fight! The video immediately erupts with chaos. So much so that it’s hard to tell what is happening. There is a huge dust cloud at the center of the frame and many hyenas running around with pieces of meat. A huge bull elephant displays aggressive behavior to the right. It is unclear why both the elephant and the hyenas are on edge or why the dust cloud has formed.

Watch This Lion Fight Break Out!

Suddenly, the camera holder swings to the left, and we see a lioness run onto the scene. The camera holder is distracted by a hyena running away with some meat. When they turn back, several more lionesses enter the scene. They don’t appear to be friends since the two smaller females attack the larger one. Perhaps they are from different prides (or family groups)? The lion fight causes another dust cloud to rise. The bigger lioness submits, sitting down and trying to avoid another scuffle. The smaller lions run off to the right, following a third one.

The attacked female takes this opportunity to get away as the dust begins to settle. Because the other lions are distracted by the angry elephant, now is her chance. She’s a little too late as one of the smaller lions circles back around and heads right for her. She picks up the pace, choosing not to fight. The attacker continues to follow her for some time. Thankfully, the lions don’t fight again.

Wow! What an incredible safari for the tourists to witness. The video below is one you can’t miss!

Why Do Lions Fight?

The internet is full of videos of lions fighting one another, but why do they do this? There are several reasons behind these ferocious battles. Let’s look at the three main causes.

Food

Lions will fight even amongst pride members over food, especially during the dry season when food is scarce. These massive predators need to eat every three to four days in order to survive. Lions follow the law of nature: survival of the fittest. If a lion cannot win its meal, it will starve to death. Lions also take kills from other animals like leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas.

Territory

Battles over territory are common between lions. Usually, these lion fights are between rival prides competing for the same place. In order for lions to thrive, they need territory with plenty of food and water. As the seasons change, these resources change. All animals require water to live. During the dry season, the herds of wildebeest, impala, and other lion food will all move toward the water. This is migration. The lions often follow the migrating herds into the territory of other lions. This results in fights.

Mating

Lion fights between males competing for the right to mate are the most severe. These battles typically end with both lions severely injured. Some fights are to the death. Male lions are massive, weighing up to 570 pounds. These heavyweights bite with a force of up to 1,000 psi. That bite rips through skin, muscle, and bone with ease. When a male lion wants to mate with females, he will attack the resident male. If he wins, the other male will leave (if he lives). This natural fighting behavior helps to ensure genetic diversity.

Is it Normal for Lions to Fight?

It is quite common to see lions fighting each other. As they are highly territorial animals, they are often in competition for mates, areas of land, and resources, especially food which is when they are extremely aggressive. Males will frequently battle over dominance in a pride and if the pride male is challenged, he will assert his superiority to protect his position in the pride. Males will even fight to the death in order to prevent a pride takeover.

Females will wage battles for different reasons. They most often will fight to protect their young cubs and will also fight to the death in order to keep their cubs safe.