In this very diverse part of the world, we have the giraffe, a tall herbivore that just wants to be left alone. Unfortunately, the giraffe’s deadliest predator is the lion, a predator whose peak has been dubbed the “king of the jungle”. So, what happens in the fight between giraffes and lions? You may think you have an easy answer, but the truth is more complicated.
Source: TOP ANIMALS
Giraffe vs Lion: Dimensions
Giraffes are much larger than lions, standing 20ft taller than lions 4ft and weighing 4,000lbs compared to 550lbs lions. Lions may be huge among cat-like creatures, but they’re only a quarter the size of giraffes.
Giraffes have a size advantage over lions.
Giraffe vs Lion: Speed and Movement
Lions are faster than giraffes. Most lions have a top running speed of 35 mph, the speed they use to get close to their enemies and bring them to the ground. Although they are slightly faster than giraffes, the difference in speed is not significant. Giraffes can run at a speed of 30 mph and they use that speed to lunge at their enemies and trample them under their feet.
Lions have the advantage of speed.
Giraffe vs Lion: The Senses
Lions are apex predators with an extensive sensory toolkit to help them locate any threat. They have an amazing vision that helps them locate their prey during the day or at night. Moreover, they have very keen hearing to detect other creatures from miles away. Although their sense of smell is considered good, it is no better than most other cats.
Giraffes have excellent hearing along with large ears that help them locate predators before it’s too late to react. They also have a great vision that allows them to see from a mile away
Lions have a sensory advantage over giraffes.
Giraffe vs Lion: Physical Defense
A fully grown giraffe benefits from its large size to keep it safe from predators. Very few creatures want to attack something but only need to use its body weight to kill them. Giraffes also have an amazing speed to keep them safe thanks to their long legs and large stride. Of course, another benefit to them is that their head and neck are too far off the ground for predators to reach easily.
Lions have their pack, called pride, to keep them safe along with their relatively large size. A lion can hold off some smaller animals, like hyenas. Furthermore, they can outrun most other animals on the savanna if they need to.
Giraffes have better physical defenses as individuals, so they have an advantage.
Giraffe vs Lion: Fighting Skills
Lions are born killers. They will use their paws to hit their enemies while also being able to deliver severe slashes from their sharp claws. To finish off their enemies, they will bite around the neck, strangle the creature, or bleed so horribly that their prey dies.
Of course, not many animals see all of this coming. Lions are ambush predators, although they use persistent group hunting when taking down large prey.
Giraffes use their extremely powerful legs to fend off predators, and they can also use their necks and horns as a scale to lunge at enemies. This is a simple but effective form of combat, used only to kill people in dire situations; They want to drive away their enemies.
A giraffe will win the fight against the lion. Note that we said a giraffe would beat a lion if they were both adults. Lions mainly kill giraffes when they are young, and they often use their pride to kill a larger giraffe.
However, in a one-on-one match, the lion loses many advantages over the giraffe. A lion will have the almost insurmountable task of attacking a giraffe in a potentially fatal way. That’s hard to do when most of the target’s body is a few feet above your head.
The lion may try to attack from below, but the giraffe can trample it. The best bet is to strike from behind, claw at its flanks, then go to the tall animal’s neck. Of course, there are a number of supposedly documented cases in which a giraffe decapitated a lion with a kick for attempting such a feat.
We also have records of giraffes found in the wild with claw marks from when a lion tried to take them down. When you put this information together, a fully grown giraffe poses a greater threat. Even if it only lands on a lion, it can kill the creature. It can also use its head and neck to crush, crush, or kick to death.
Meanwhile, a lion has to perform all kinds of dangerous, exhausting work without missing a single step. The more likely result is a lion that ends up with a large hoof imprint in its skull.
