National Geographic: Lions of the African Night Page #2

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but a dead tree is a handy refuge

when 30 lions pass by.

Now he can resume his nightly search

for fruits, insects,

and the smaller animals he preys on.

When the cub catches up

with the others,

she must endure the rough bullying

that young lions inflict on one another

especially on those with any disability

There is usually a little comfort

to be had from one of the adults.

Besides, cubs are remarkably resilient

the have to be

and this one will soon recover

to torment in turn some other poor cub

Unless driven by hunger,

the hunt proceeds at a leisurely pace.

At intervals through the night

the pride will stop to rest

and sometimes even to sleep soundly

for a few hours.

Supreme masters of relaxed living,

lions are seldom on their feet

for more than four or five hours 24.

These are the tiny tracks made

by the larvae of ant lions.

It is only at night that these small

insects wander about,

moving backwards, in search of places

to dig their traps.

The head of the ant-lion larva

is dominated

by large hollow jaws through

which it sucks the juices of its prey.

In a patch of fine, soft sand

the ant lion digs in

and begins to excavate the unique trap

which it will catch its

prey usually ants.

But it could well be any small insect.

Turning in ever decreasing circles,

the ant lion uses its head

and jaws as a shovel to throw the sand

and small pebbles out

of the steep-sided pit that it digs.

The trap is ready.

The ant lion buries itself

in the bottom

with only its jaws exposed and waits.

The ant struggles free

from the ant lion's jaws.

But the ant lion has another strategy

that makes escape almost impossible.

It throws up a steady shower

of sand that dislodges

the ant from the steep

sides of the trap

and brings it once again within reach

of the great jaws.

Now, held securely, the ant is dragged

below the sand to be devoured.

Roars in the night can mean danger

for the pride.

These come from a group of males that

have been trying to take over the pride

and its territory for some months.

But the intruders are shunned

by the pride,

for males tend to kill cubs

they have not sired,

and they always appropriate

and prey killed within their hearing.

So the pride departs

in another direction

and won't relax or resume the hunt

until out of range of the big males.

Dawn finds them safe and asleep,

several miles from the troubles

of the night.

Most nights the pride will walk

about five miles,

but when foiled in their hunt

or to avoid other lions,

they may cover twice that distance.

The unpredictable wrath of this bull

elephant takes the lions by surprise.

There is no point contesting the matter

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