Have you ever wondered why lions curiously lick their prey after a kill? This peculiar feline behavior may seem puzzling, but it actually serves several important purposes for lions. Keep reading to uncover why lions lick their prey and what functions this strange ritual provides for these big cats.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Lions lick their prey to rehydrate with blood and body fluids, to groom the fur for eating, and to claim ownership over the kill from other predators.
Rehydrating and Ingesting Fluids
Lions lick their prey for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones is to rehydrate themselves by ingesting the fluids from the animal’s body. Here’s a more in-depth look at why lions lick their prey as a means of getting water:
Replenishing Lost Fluids
When lions take down prey after an intense chase or fight, they expend a great deal of energy and lose a lot of water through sweating and heavy breathing. Licking their kill enables them to replenish some of those lost bodily fluids and rehydrate themselves.
The blood, tissue fluids, and saliva of the dead animal all contain water that can be absorbed by the lion’s tongue.
Preventing Dehydration
Dehydration is a serious risk for lions, especially those living in hot, dry areas of Africa and India. They need to drink regularly, but water sources can be scarce in the wild. Licking moisture from a fresh kill allows lions to get the fluids they need to avoid becoming dehydrated between drinks at watering holes or rivers.
Obtaining Electrolytes
In addition to water, the bodily fluids of prey contain essential electrolytes like sodium and potassium that get depleted during strenuous physical activity. By licking their kills, lions can ingest those electrolytes and restore their chemical balance.
This helps their muscles recover and function properly.
Efficiency
Large prey like buffalo or wildebeest can provide lions with over 30 gallons of fluid when licked thoroughly. That’s often more rehydrating than a drink from a water source. Licking is also generally faster and more convenient for lions than finding and travelling to water.
The fluids are right there in front of them with the fresh kill.
So in short, lions lick their prey primarily to hydrate themselves efficiently after expending energy on the hunt. It allows them to replenish the water and electrolytes lost while chasing down food under hot African sun. This instinctive behavior is key to their survival in the wild.
Grooming the Fur for Easier Eating
Lions, as apex predators, have unique behaviors when it comes to handling their prey. One interesting behavior that often puzzles people is why lions will lick the fur of their prey before eating it. There are a few key reasons lions do this.
Removing Dirt and Debris
Lions typically eat prey like zebras, buffaloes, and antelopes that have very dirty, matted fur from living most of their lives out in the wild. By licking the fur, lions are essentially “cleaning” it to remove some of the dirt, dust, twigs, leaves, and other debris so they don’t ingest all that unwanted material.
Exposing the Skin
A lion’s tongue is covered in small, hook-like papillae that help scrape and tear off fur. Their thick, muscular tongues and special papillae make them very effective at removing fur. This exposes the clean skin and flesh underneath so lions can better bite into and grip the meat.
Testing Blood Mineral Levels
There is also evidence lions may use licking to test the mineral levels in the prey’s blood. A few licks gives them a “taste test” to determine if the prey is a sufficient source of essential nutrients like sodium, potassium, and calcium. If the blood tastes acceptable, the lion will continue eating.
Dominance and Territorial Marking
Male lions sometimes excessively lick the fur and skin of prey kills, even long after the meat has been consumed. Researchers believe this may be a visual display to signal their dominance over a territory. The excessive grooming marks the kill site with the lion’s scent.
Establishing Ownership and Keeping Competitors Away
Lions lick their prey for a few key reasons related to establishing ownership and keeping competitors away. Here’s an in-depth look at some of the science and reasoning behind this behavior:
Marking Their Territory
One of the main reasons lions lick their prey is to mark it with their scent. A lion’s tongue is covered in tiny,backward-facing hooks called papillae which help scrape meat off bones. These papillae also pick up saliva which contains pheromones unique to each lion.
By licking a carcass, a lion deposits its scent onto the prey to let other lions know it has claimed that food. This is a way for lions to define their territory and send a “hands off” warning to potential competitors.
Freshening the Meat
In addition to marking territory, licking serves to freshen the meat for lions. Their saliva helps moisten the carcass which can become dry and tough in the African heat. Softening the meat through licking makes it easier for lion cubs and elders with weaker jaws to eat their share.
It also allows the lions to begin eating the choicest parts of the carcass right away instead of waiting for it to soften on its own.
Removing Hair and Dirt
A third function of licking is to clean the prey item before eating. A lion’s tongue is able to remove debris like dirt, sand, and hair from the carcass before it is consumed. This helps improve the taste and texture of the meal along with ensuring no foreign matter is ingested by the lions.
It’s not uncommon to see lions licking furiously at prey in order to peel off the hide and hair before they begin feeding in earnest.
A Social Bonding Activity
Lastly, licking serves as a social bonding activity for lion prides. Sharing in the licking duties strengthens social connections and reinforces cooperative relationships between members of the pride. Licking is often initiated by cubs and mimicked by other lions.
Many zoologists theorize communal licking releases endorphins that forge positive associations between the lions.
Conclusion
In summary, lions lick their prey for several key reasons. They hydrate with blood and fluids, groom the fur off the carcass for easier eating access to meat, and leave territorial marking scents from their saliva to lay claim over the kill.
Better understanding this eccentric lion behavior sheds light on the instincitive survival strategies these apex feline predators employ on the African savannas.
