Unstoppable Rhino: Wild Video Captures Its Courageous Stand Against an Entire Lion Pride

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An amazing video filmed by a traveler in South Africa depicts a wild showdown between a large male rhino and a pride of lions. In the video, uploaded by Finch Wildlife Videos, the lions can be seen circling a large rhino. A short distance away, we also see several herds of animals watching the show. Is it usual behavior for lions to take on fully grown rhinos, or did this video capture something unusual?

How Big Are Rhinos Vs. Lions?

There are two species of rhinos living in Africa, the black rhino and the white rhino. The rhino in the video above appears to be a white rhino. White rhinos are more common in South Africa and are larger than black rhinos. You can also tell them apart by their ears and mouth shape. White rhinos have flat and wide lips for grazing grass and their ears are tubular and long.

Adult male rhinos can weigh over 5,000 pounds. An adult male lion, on the other hand, can weigh up to 550 pounds. That’s a big size difference, which is one of the reasons why you aren’t likely to see a single lion take on a fully grown rhino.

Do Lions Prey on Rhinos?

With their massive size, tough skin, and sharp horns, rhinos don’t have many natural predators. Wildlife experts tell us that lions typically won’t hunt full-grown, healthy adult rhinos. They will, however, target smaller, younger individuals, and also old, sick, or weakened adults.

In the above video, a large number of lions take on one big, male rhino. Without further details, it’s hard to know why the pride of lions decided to take on the massive beast. Perhaps there is information that we’re missing, such as an injury or illness in the rhino. Or maybe the lions were testing the rhino to see if he had any weaknesses.

Another interesting peek at animal behavior we get to witness in the video is when the camera pans over to reveal several groups of prey animals standing calmly and watching the interaction. It’s hard to know why those animals didn’t think they needed to get a wider distance between themselves and the lions. Maybe they sensed the lions were busy with other matters, and they were safe, at least for the moment.

How Do Rhinos Protect Themselves?

Aside from their size, rhinos have very thick skin which makes it hard even for sharp lion teeth to penetrate. It can be up to two inches thick, creating a type of armor for the rhino. Rhinos also use their large horns to intimidate predators. They will lower their horns to the ground and charge. The animal unfortunate enough to get caught in a rhino’s charge is likely to be severely damaged.

Rhinos are also less vulnerable when they live in groups. A rhino group is called a crash and it’s usually made up of an adult female, or several females, and young. Male rhinos, on the other hand, typically live alone unless they are mating with a female. The young rhinos are smaller and much more enticing to lions and other predators, such as hyenas. But mother rhinos are fiercely protective of their young, and don’t let calves stray far from the group.

How Do Lions Hunt Large Prey?

As we see in the video above, lions work in groups to take down large prey animals. While a single lion can easily take down smaller animals, it takes the pride working together to bring down large animals, such as giraffes and buffalo.

Lions are intelligent animals and they hunt strategically based on what type of prey they are after. The strategies they use for running animals, like wildebeests, are completely different than what they do to attack a lone rhino.

Studies have shown that lions hunt in formation, like people on a sports team. Similar to rugby names, scientists call these patterns “wings” and “centers.” With the wing pattern, the lions break into two groups, circling their prey and trapping it. In centers, one group of lions stays in the middle, while others in the group chase from the sides.

Other Animals That Prey on African Rhinos

Other than lions, rhinos may face danger from crocodiles and possibly hyenas. Although it’s generally going to be a juvenile rhino that’s in danger, and not a full-grown adult. Sadly, humans are the number one predator of rhinos. Poachers kill rhinos for their horns, which they sell on the black market. There are only two northern white rhinos left in the world, and they live in Kenya’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Conservation efforts have helped to restore the populations of the southern white rhino, but they are still listed as near threatened.