Watch This Leopard Race up a Tree to Escape a Grumpy Lion - A-Z Animals

We don’t know what the leopard in this clip has done to wind the lion up, but it must have been pretty bad! The larger feline has no hesitation in chasing the leopard through the grass and looks as if it is gaining on it. Luckily for the leopard, there is a tree in exactly the right place to save the day. Leopards are more agile than lions and within seconds the leopard has reached the safety of the higher branches. It happened so quickly that the lion is left at the bottom of the tree wondering where on earth the leopard has gone! All the leopard needs to do now is leave it for an hour or so until it is safe to come back down.

Watch the Action Now

Do Lions Normally Attack Leopards?

Lions are carnivores with high protein needs so they need to eat a lot of meat to stay healthy. They are willing to eat a large variety of prey and this includes buffalos, zebras, and giraffes. They will also eat smaller mammals such as mice and foxes. If they find themselves close to agricultural settlements, they are also willing to steal cattle, sheep, goats, and even horses and donkeys.

Leopards would not normally be on the lion’s list of prey. This is because herbivores provide more suitable nutrition and more energy for lions. Also, eating another predator can be risky in terms of contracting diseases and parasites. Having said that, if a lion could find no other prey, it would not turn down a leopard meal if that would stop it from dying of starvation.

Why Do Lions Normally Attack Leopards?

Lions see leopards as competition. Whilst both lions and leopards are accomplished hunters, they are also opportunists. If they get a chance to steal a carcass from another predator, then they will do so. Lions are very protective of their kills and do not want to share them with leopards! If this leopard was hanging around the carcass it is perfectly normal for a lion to chase the leopard away.

It is also not unusual for lions to kill leopards. As far as they are concerned, they are eliminating competition for food and establishing their territory. In this regard, lions are quite hypocritical. Whilst they don’t like having their food stolen by leopards, they are perfectly willing to steal a kill from a leopard if they get the chance!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/RichLindie