What Do Lions Eat? Learn All About The Lion's Diet

Lions are carnivores and eat meat as their major diet. On rare occasions, however, lions have been known to eat fruits or grass. A subspecies of the African lion exists and is known as the Asiatic lion. They can be found in India and are smaller than the African lion.

Let’s take a closer look at what lions eat and their feeding habits.

Contents show

What Kind of Prey Do Lions Hunt?

Lions hunt all kinds of animals but usually prefer to feast on herbivores such as gazelles, zebras and giraffes. They prey on animals ranging from medium-sized mammals such as zebras to larger animals like elephants. They have also been known to feed on other smaller prey such as reptiles, birds, and rodents.

What Is the African Lion’s Favorite Food? – Lion’s Prey List

The African lion’s favorite food is meat due to its carnivorous nature. See the list of the animals they eat below.

Zebras
Hippopotamus
Wildebeest
Antelope
Giraffes
Monkeys

Asiatic Lion Diet

The Asiatic lion’s diet features mammals such as buffaloes, wild boars, deer and antelopes. This specie of lion is smaller than African lions, and they usually eat whatever mammals they can find in their habitat.

Also read: Do Lions Eat Grass? The Answer Might Surprise You!

How Often Do Lions Eat in the Wild – Do Lions Eat Every Day?

Lions do not have to eat every day. These big cats can live up to fourteen days without eating. In the wild, they eat every three to four days, depending on the size of their last meal. Lions consume much food at once and usually only hunt once or twice a week.

Is a Lion a Carnivore, Herbivore, Or Omnivore?

Lions are carnivorous animals meaning that they eat meat to survive. Their diet consists of mammals as small as monkeys to mammals as big as elephants.

How Much Do Lions Eat a Day?

Lions eat an average of about 5 kg (11 lb) per day. Adult male lions, on their part, require up to 8 kg (17 lb) of meat daily, while female lions need around 5 kg (11 lb). Factors that affect how much lion eats are their size and age, especially as younger lions have been known to consume less food than a fully grown lion.

Also read: What Eats Lions? Their Top 5 Natural Enemies

Where Do Lions Eat?

Lions usually eat at the site of their kill. They mostly consume their prey on the spot, but in cases where their kill is large, they can take pieces of its meat back to their pride for all of its members to enjoy.

How Does a Lion Eat?

Lions generally eat by biting off large chunks of flesh from their prey. They can swallow both horns and bones of the animal and usually devour their prey completely from its head to its tail.

Also read: Everything You Need to Know About The Lion’s Tongue

Do Lions Eat Other Lions?

Lions do not typically eat other lions, nor are they known to hunt their own kind. In rare cases, however, they may be forced to feast on a dead lion without other food sources. Lions may kill each other during territorial fights, and the dead may be eaten if proffered foods are scarce.