I’ll tell you at least two things you didn’t know yet.
One:
There is significant genetic variation within lion subspecies.
The largest living subspecies are the lions of southwestern Africa.
Within that subspecies, there’s a famous group of lions that live in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.
These lions have adapted to living in wetlands and can swim:
But what’s most interesting is that they feed almost exclusively on one of the toughest prey species, the African Cape buffalo, which are strong, stubborn, and resilient.
As a result, they are massive, powerfully built lions with thick legs, backs, and necks. They are the largest and strongest lions in the world.
Two:
It’s no secret that male lions hate hyenas.
But their aggression isn’t uniform; it operates on a continuum.
Some males simply chase hyenas away when they get too close.
Others take it to the extreme, patrolling areas, seeking out hyenas to kill, feeding their violent hatred.
They also engage in strategic killings.
Videographers documented an alpha lion, Ntwadumela (en-twy-de-maylay)—which means “He Who Greets with Fire”—carrying out a common tactic among these males:
He would hide near groups of feeding hyenas, observing to figure out who the queen was.
Then, he would attack, attack, attack, and break the alpha’s back, inflicting as much damage as possible before chasing others to kill.
This would throw the hyena clan into disarray, further securing his territory.
Hyenas quickly learn to recognize these males and are terrified of them.