Planet Earth is home to an incredibly huge number of different animals, each species of which differs in habitat, habits and unique abilities. By studying them, people learned to compare their abilities. Scientists and researchers have established the so-called ratings of the strongest, fastest running, jumping, largest and smallest species of land and waterfowl, etc. In turn, a dispute arose about who is faster: a lion or an elk? And we will talk about this in our article.
The lion is an amazing and unusually intelligent animal, one of the few representatives of predators living in a group. Within the group itself, there are certain laws by which the whole flock lives. In the case of a chase, the lions are inferior to the lionesses in agility, they run slower than her here the question is How fast can a lion run. The male, if necessary, reaches a speed of 49 km / h, while the lioness can run at a speed of 52 km /h.
The prides, which are forme by separate groups of lions, compete with each other, lead a fierce struggle for territory, especially if the area is rich in food. At the same time, males are engage in protecting their home, and females perform the function of providing nutrition to the pride. Their way of hunting is always a well-organized work in which each of the lionesses performs a specific task.
How does the speed of a lion change at the start
If a group of hunters are chasing a herd of buffaloes, they do so as if they had no intention of attacking at all. Thus, among the numerous heads of wild cattle, lionesses track down the most vulnerable individuals: weak old people, pregnant women or inexperienced buffaloes. Then there are separate attacks, predators, as it were, “try” the possibilities of their prey, then they drive it, then they lag behind, watching. The tracking period can last for hours, but the culmination of the spectacle unfolds very quickly. When the most suitable option is chosen, the heads of the hunting group make a counterattack, jump on the body, try to fill it with their mass and gnaw the throat of the unfortunate victim.
Who is faster among wild cats?
For almost all representatives of the fauna, the main vital issue is the speed of movement, and predators must hunt and catch up, and their victims must run away. In this regard, in principle, quite legitimate questions arose. Who is the best runner: fox or rabbit? Who is faster: a lion or an elk? Separate categories of outstanding runners are also compared, for example, among artiodactyl animals or predators from the cat family.
So, according to the results of repeated observations, the palm for speed running among wild cats was given to the daytime hunter cheetah. And let’s give him credit before comparing who is faster: a lion or an elk.
With its weight of 45-65 kilograms, the graceful cheetah not only overtook its counterparts, but is rightfully considered the fastest among all land animals in the world! In just 3 seconds, the cheetah accelerates to 120 km / h, and its only weakness is that it cannot run at such a speed for a long time, and after hunting, a tired beast needs half an hour to rest. However, this short time is enough for the predator to catch its prey. And nothing that the cheetah is considered the weakest of the cats, but he is a real sprinter!
What about the king of beasts?
So, in the first place in running among predatory cats was the cheetah. And how are things with the king of beasts? The lion is the heaviest member of its family, its weight can be 125-200 kilograms. Therefore, he takes not the first, but an honorable second place in the ranking of the fastest land animals.
A rival of the cheetah, the lion can run at speeds up to 80 km/h. The lighter females usually hunt, although the males also help drive the prey. The strength of lions is that they get food by uniting in small groups. Predators sneak up close to the herd (30 meters), because they are not able to catch up with the prey for a long time: they quickly run out of steam. Then they fall on the herd, drive their prey into a ring and attack.
Like cheetahs, lions are good short-distance runners. They are incredibly strong animals. And while lion prey, such as antelope, can also compete in speed, they are most often doome to fall prey to predators.
Lion dog friend
The little African lioness is called Cassandra, but the workers affectionately nicknamed her Kasya. She was born four months ago. Kasia’s mother died during childbirth, the livestock specialist is caring for the cub. The methodologist of the Minsk Zoo Olga Kolmakova describes the reason for such an unusual neighborhood :
– In their natural environment, lions live in family packs – prides. Having study the experience of other zoos, we learned that lion cubs get along well with puppies, so we got Kasia a tailed girlfriend named Sky. They have been together since birth.
Sky and Kasia are almost the same age, born two weeks apart. The kids got along quickly and are now inseparable: they eat, sleep, frolic together. As soon as the puppy is out of sight for a couple of minutes, the lioness immediately goes to look for him. Yes, and Sky can no longer live without his girlfriend. Looking at this couple, it’s hard to believe that different types of animals get along so easily in the same territory.
You can watch Kasi and Sky play for hours. Either they run after each other, trying to grab onto the tail or ear, then they chase balls from corner to corner, then they gnaw on a large teddy bear and decorative pillows, and when tired, they peacefully fall asleep, clinging to their sides.
Kasya is fed twice a day. At first, the little lioness ate milk, and when she grew up, she began to eat meat. Now her diet consists of chicken and beef, says Olga Kolmakova:
– For some reason, the lioness likes chicken meat more – she eats it more willingly. As for the puppy, he always has free access to dry food. But he also enjoys eating Kasina’s food, and she doesn’t mind. But the lion cub did not like the dog food. Animals also love to chew on bones.
Whether the unusual friendship is destined to continue when Sky and Kasia grow up, experts will decide, based, among other things, on the experience of colleagues. In the meantime, seeing a little lioness with her four-legged girlfriend is quite real – a couple often gets out of the house to the street to bask in the sun and run around in the fresh air.
The fastest ungulate animal
Before we find out which of the animals runs faster: a lion or an elk, let’s find out which is the fastest artiodactyl animal. Natural prey for large predators of the cat family are gazelles, antelopes, pronghorns, kulans, and occasionally moose.
In the first place in high-speed running is the pronghorn antelope, capable of moving at a speed of 100 km / h. The speed of the animal is explained by physiology: a large heart, a large volume of lungs and a thick trachea. In addition, there are shock absorbers on the front legs – cartilaginous pads that soften running on sharp stones. Such data endow the pronghorn with the ability to move quickly, although this does not always save the lightning cheetah from the claws.
Elk
With its large dimensions, the elk swims well, and runs at a speed of 70-75 km / h, so it rarely becomes a prey for large predators. On the podium among the ten fastest relatives, he is in second place, and among all other animals – in seventh!
This is the largest animal of the deer family, the weight of which in males reaches 600 kilograms. The span of huge 30-kilogram horns is about two meters. On natural pastures, moose feed on grass, berries, moss, as well as mushrooms, leaves and tree bark. It is at such moments that an animal can become a desirable prey for a large predatory cat, for example, a lion. This is where doubts arise, who is faster: a lion or an elk.
By the way, this artiodactyl not only swims well, but can even hold its breath under water for a minute!
Who runs faster: a lion or an elk?
Lions are excellent and powerful hunters, and moose run fast enough. If we compare the speed values, then, deciding which animal is faster: a lion or an elk, it becomes obvious that the lion’s indicator, 80 km / h, at least slightly, but exceeds the elk 70-75 km / h. So the wild cat is the best sprinter.
However, this does not at all mean the hopeless fate of the artiodactyl animal. It’s all about the natural possibilities of both species. While the king of beasts is more agile and fast, in pursuit he can rush about two hundred meters at maximum speed , and then slows down. But the elk will rush for a long time and tediously at a speed of under 80, having killed his pursuer. Moreover, he has horns, which can also be used in close combat to give a confident rebuff. That is why lions are reluctant to attack moose.
So it doesn’t matter who runs faster: a lion or an elk, because the outcome of the competition for life or death depends on many other factors, even such as a lucky break.
