African lions are considered the apex predators of the African savanna and grassland habitats. While they sit at the top of the food web, healthy adult lions rarely face a sustained threat of being hunted for food. Lions are still killed by other wildlife, but this mortality is generally a result of resource conflict, territorial disputes, or defensive actions, rather than true predation. Distinguishing between a predator that hunts lions for subsistence and an animal that kills a lion out of competition is necessary to understand what animals kill lions.
Primary Predators of Lion Cubs
The clearest examples of animals actively preying on lions involve vulnerable juveniles. Lion cubs are highly susceptible to predation, especially during their first year of life when they are frequently left unattended while the lionesses hunt. Mortality rates for cubs can be high, often exceeding 60% due to starvation, disease, and attacks by rival carnivores.
Spotted Hyenas are the most significant threat, often actively seeking out and killing young cubs to eliminate future competition for prey. A single hyena can dispatch a cub, and a small group can overwhelm a lioness defending her litter. Leopards also pose a threat, as they are opportunistic and will kill lion cubs they encounter to reduce competition within their shared territory.
African Wild Dogs, known for their cooperative hunting strategy, will also kill lion cubs when they discover a den. This is typically an act of interspecific aggression aimed at removing a competitor from their immediate area. Targeting juveniles serves to reduce the population of a dominant rival, a common ecological strategy in competitive environments.
Lethal Competition Among Apex Carnivores
Mortality among adult lions is primarily driven by aggressive interactions with other large carnivores over contested resources. The rivalry between lions and Spotted Hyenas frequently results in lethal confrontations born out of food disputes or territorial defense, not hunting for food.
While a single adult lion is physically dominant over a hyena, a large clan is capable of mobbing and killing an adult lion, especially a solitary or injured individual. These conflicts are intense and often revolve around a contested carcass. Hyenas will kill lions, and lions will kill hyenas, in a reciprocal cycle of competitive elimination.
Nile Crocodiles are another source of mortality, acting as ambush predators in water sources lions must cross. A large crocodile can seize and drown an adult lion, though this is an opportunistic attack rather than a sustained hunting strategy. Interactions with other large predators, such as different lion prides, are also a major cause of death for male lions, as territorial battles are often fought to the death.
Defensive Killings by Large Herbivores
Ironically, the animals responsible for the most frequent deaths of healthy adult lions are the very ones lions attempt to prey upon. These deaths are exclusively defensive, occurring when the herbivore is protecting its young or its herd from an attack. Cape Buffalo are often cited as causing the most lion fatalities.
An adult Cape Buffalo bull can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and possesses formidable horns, capable of goring a lion instantly. They are highly aggressive and will actively mob and retaliate against lions, using their collective strength to drive off or kill their attackers. Similarly, African Elephants are extremely dangerous, especially matriarchs protecting their young calves.
A kick or stomp from an adult elephant can easily crush a lion, and they will pursue a lion that has been harassing the herd. Hippopotamuses and Rhinos are also capable of inflicting fatal injuries. Hippos are especially territorial in the water, and rhinos use their immense size and horns to defend themselves when threatened. These defensive responses highlight that even the apex predator of the savanna must exercise caution when engaging with its largest prey.