This Giant Rhino Killing and Destroying Lions
Transcript
00:00 The mighty lion, the king of the jungle.
00:04 These magnificent creatures are absolutely awesome.
00:08 From their powerful roars to their ability to take down large prey with their razor-sharp
00:13 claws, muscular bodies, and huge fangs.
00:18 Lions attract curious visitors from around the world to the plains of Africa, just to
00:23 catch a glimpse of the deadly predators.
00:26 Only so often, if they're really lucky, visitors get to watch something like this.
00:34 Although lions are tough, ferocious, and fearsome, there are at least five animals that not only
00:40 have the ability to defend themselves against a hungry pack of lions, but have been known
00:45 to even kill lions.
00:52 Let's take a look at the five animals that can destroy lions.
01:06 Meet the mighty rhino.
01:09 These absolute behemoths are not to be trifled with.
01:12 Standing around 5.5 feet tall at the shoulders and weighing in at a whopping 2,500 pounds,
01:19 these hulks of Africa are some of the most powerful animals in the entire world.
01:24 Just look at those tusks!
01:26 They can grow anywhere from 20 to 100 centimeters and are as thick as your leg.
01:32 Rhinos would be a scary sight for an animal if the rhinos were on the defense, but get
01:37 this.
01:38 Rhinos are known for being openly hostile to other animals.
01:41 They often attack on sight.
01:44 They even attack elephants if they feel threatened.
01:47 The only natural predator of the rhinoceros is the king of the jungle himself, the lion.
01:54 Though lions usually won't take any chances with a rhino unless it's old, sick, injured,
02:00 or young, going after a healthy rhinoceros is a huge gamble, one that could have deadly
02:07 consequences.
02:08 Rhinos have terrible eyesight, which might be why they are a little edgy at times.
02:13 But if a rhino senses that a lion is getting too close for comfort, especially if there
02:18 is a calf around, they've been known to charge, gore, and even kill several lions at once.
02:25 Check this out!
02:30 Next on our list is one that we're all familiar with.
02:33 These giant beasts are the largest mammals that walk the earth, the majestic African
02:38 elephant.
02:39 Food is scarce in the wild lands of Africa, and many lions have perished for lack of food
02:45 during the dry season.
02:46 Throughout the year, food shortages will often cause lions to hunt riskier and riskier prey,
02:52 sometimes even elephants.
02:56 African elephants have been known to weigh up to 14,000 pounds, which is about the size
03:01 of three SUVs.
03:03 Whoa!
03:04 If an elephant feels threatened, they charge at the threat with their massive trunk swinging
03:09 and their tusks ready to gore any lion that gets in their way.
03:13 One elephant can kill an entire pack of lions if the lions aren't careful.
03:18 A single kick or stomp can break a lion's back.
03:22 Check out this elephant on a rampage.
03:25 This big boy just can't be stopped.
03:27 A large elephant has the power of 130 human beings.
03:31 Imagine 130 human beings just rampaged through a pack of lions.
03:36 That's only one elephant.
03:40 Although elephants can kill lions, lions kill elephants all the time.
03:45 The promise of a massive meal is just too tempting.
03:49 Lions typically go after the young calves or smaller female elephants, but researchers
03:55 once observed a single male lion take down a six-year-old male elephant.
04:00 That's a really risky move for a lion and probably means that the lion was really hungry.
04:08 Now for our third animal on the list.
04:10 We've seen the mighty elephant, we've witnessed the raw power of the rhinoceros, now we take
04:15 a look at...
04:17 The hippo?
04:18 Huh?
04:19 That's right, the hippopotamus.
04:22 Although goofy-looking, it's one of Africa's most fearsome animals.
04:27 Hippos kill more people each year than lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, and rhinos
04:33 combined.
04:34 They're probably the grumpiest creatures in all of Africa and have been known to charge
04:40 at humans and other animals for seemingly no reason.
04:49 Hippos spend up to 16 hours per day underwater.
04:52 It's where they feel safe and it helps keep their skin moist and hydrated.
04:57 Lions, on occasion, have been known to take a chance at killing a hippo, usually a baby.
05:03 A baby hippo is no match for a hungry lion, but lurking just below the surface, although
05:11 they look fat and slow, hippos can run 48 kilometers per hour and have massive sharp
05:18 tusks that can kill a lion in a single bite.
05:22 Considering a hippo can open its mouth 180 degrees, you don't want to be anywhere near
05:26 a hippo when it decides to chomp down.
05:34 There are few animals in the world that look weirder than the giraffe.
05:39 It kind of looks like a giant silly horse with a massively long neck.
05:43 Although they're beautiful to look at, giraffes are not to be messed with.
05:48 Up to 14 feet tall and weighing in at 1,500 pounds, giraffes are massive creatures with
05:54 weapons that most people never think of.
06:01 Giraffes are a tempting meal for a hungry pack of lions.
06:05 They're big, lanky, and a bit awkward.
06:08 Once they're brought down, it's hard for them to get back up quickly enough to escape
06:13 a hungry pack.
06:14 Those long legs have a lot of meat on them.
06:18 But there's also the giraffe's secret weapon.
06:21 One kick from a giraffe has been known to take a lion's head right off.
06:26 So a lion's only chance against a giraffe is the element of surprise.
06:31 Catching a giraffe off guard is not easy to do.
06:35 They've adapted to be able to gulp their water down quickly and only sleep five minutes
06:40 at a time standing up.
06:43 A giraffe's stomp, kick, or trample can easily kill a lion.
06:48 But their heads are extremely powerful too.
06:51 Here we can see two giraffes fighting for supremacy, swinging their massive heads at
06:56 each other.
06:59 A giraffe's neck alone can weigh 600 pounds, which means their head swings have a serious
07:05 amount of power behind them which can kill a lion easily.
07:11 Last on our list, but certainly not least, is the mighty African buffalo.
07:17 These beasts are one of the most plentiful sources of food in the entire African continent,
07:22 traveling across vast distances in herds of up to 500 buffalo.
07:27 During the rainy season, herd numbers can shoot up well into the thousands.
07:32 This is when lions start getting the thought of a juicy steak on their minds.
07:36 In herds of that size, there's often wounded, sick, dying, or young buffalo that would make
07:43 a quick meal for a hungry pack of big cats.
07:47 Look at this big buffalo.
07:49 He probably weighs somewhere around 1,700 pounds.
07:53 That's a hefty meal, but not one that should be taken lightly.
07:57 Buffalo are the number one killer of hunters in Africa and the number one killer of lions
08:03 too.
08:04 Even though they seem somewhat defenseless, they're angry, and with those massive horns,
08:09 they can gore a lion to death if it's not careful.
08:13 As you can see, the lions usually go after the back side of a buffalo to avoid those
08:19 deadly horns.
08:21 But one wrong move, and they'll end up with a massive hole in their body.
08:26 And with so many buffalo in one place to contend with, hunting them can be a seriously dangerous
08:32 game, even for a large pack of lions.
08:36 In the plains of Africa, there is no such thing as an easy meal.
08:41 Even if you're at the top of the food chain, lions, although deadly, are not the most powerful
08:47 creatures in the animal kingdom.
08:49 Many of their African neighbors can kill them in a heartbeat.
08:53 Elephants can trample them to death, rhinos can gore an entire pack in a single charge,
08:58 hippos can chomp down and crush a lion in one bite, a giraffe can take the head clean
09:04 off a lion in a single kick, and a herd of buffalo can stomp, gore, and maim a lion if
09:10 they're not careful.
09:35 (upbeat music)