- Baboon
- Buffalo
- Bushbuck
- Cheetah
- Duiker
- Eland
- Elephant
- Giraffe
- Grysbok
- Hippopotamus
- Hyena (Spotted)
- Impala
- Jackal (Black-Backed)
- Klipspringer
- Kudu
- Leopards
- Lion
- Mongoose (Banded)
- Nyala
- Porcupine
- Rhino
- Roan Antelope
- Sable Antelope
- Smaller Carnivores
- Steenbok
- Tssessebe
- Vervet Monkey
- Warthog
- Waterbuck
- Wilderbeest (Blue)
- Wild Dog
- Zebra
Lion (Panthera leo)
THE LARGER CARNIVORES
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Lions remain, without doubt, the single species of animal which visitors most wish to see. All the hours and kilometers of driving under a hot sun are made worthwhile when confronted with the quiet dignity and raw power of these predators.
About 1 500 lions are scattered throughout the Park, but they are most abundant in the central district and around the Lower Sabie/ Crocodile Bridge area. This coincides with the area most abounding in zebra and wildebeest which are their favored prey.
Although they occasionally make daylight kills, lions are mainly nocturnal hunters, preferring to laze under shady trees by day. Unlikely as it may seem, large animals such as buffalo and giraffe are frequently attacked and killed by these exceptionally powerful cats.
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Research in Kruger Park has shown that lions are territorial animals, each pride having a fairly defined area in which it will hunt and live. They are normally found in prides two to six strong, although unusually large groups of 15 to 20 lions are seen occasionally.
When ready for mating, a male and female lion will withdraw from the remainder of the pride for several days, during which time they will couple repeatedly, neither hunting nor searching for food. The males especially become irritable and aggressive during this 'honey moon' stage and need little provocation to attack any intruders.
The females give birth to between two and five cubs, but there is a high mortality rate amongst the young. An over-eager cub feeding at a kill among the adults may easily be clubbed aside by an irate male - often resulting in the ravenous youngster's death. In general, how ever, the cubs are well looked after. They may sometimes be seen playing affectionately with a resting mother, either snatching and pawing at her twitching tail, walking and rolling over her prostrate body, or quietly enjoying a maternal lick.
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