Massive Lion Climbs Straight Up a Tree and Yanks a Meal From A Leopard
When we think of the thieves of the animal kingdom, we typically think of hyenas. They are notorious for stealing the kills of other animals in the wild. We see this in the other video, “Watch This Hyena Realize Its Made a Big Mistake When It Tries to Mooch a Lion’s Lunch,” where a hyena attempted to steal from a whole pride of lions!
And while, yes, hyenas are at the top of the “thief chain,” they are not the only animal that steals. We see a lion stealing from a leopard in this video!
Leopard and Lion Sighting in South Africa
The next YouTube video posted at the bottom of this blog post takes us to South Africa. We are in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. This video was uploaded and shared by the Mapogo Lions YouTube page. This channel regularly follows and provides updates on six Mapogo lions and their domination of the Sabi Sand landscape according to their description.
Leopard Vs. Lion
At the start of this video below, we see a lion climbing a tree. But let’s back up a little to provide some context. A leopard has gone through the great trouble of hunting, chasing, and killing another animal. And it’s not unusual to see a leopard leave part or all of its kill high up in a tree to finish later. In fact, not only is it not unusual, it is quite normal to see.
Unfortunately, from this leopard, other predators, such as this lion, know their routines and what they do. So, this large lion knew to keep his eyes up when looking for prey. Because sometimes the trees can hold plenty of food. And he was lucky enough to find one that held a prey that was already caught and carved up for him. Making it a very easy meal for his pleasure.
If we pause the video posted below at seven seconds, we just want to appreciate how far up this lion climbed and his strength and ability to hang on tight. It is just quite amazing to see how animals in the wild can do this!
What is it Called When Animals Steal Food?
©kingma photos/Shutterstock.com
Since stealing food from other animals is such a common occurrence, there must be a name for it, right? Well, you’re in luck there actually is! The name that is used for when animals steal food from other animals is referred to as “kleptoparasitism.” Big word, right? Well, Science Direct offers a great definition for it below.
“Kleptoparasitism, literally meaning parasitism by theft, is a form of resource acquisition where one animal takes resources from another. Although kleptoparasitism of food (i.e., kleptoparasitic foraging) is the best known example, the stolen resources may be food or another resource such as nesting materials.”
You might hear the term “klepto” used as well, that is short for kleptoparasitism. Hyenas, penguins, lions, sperm whales, bumble bees, blue jays, and chipmunks are some animals known to steal in the animal kingdom.
