Lions may be some of the most majestic creatures on the planet and the king of the jungle, that doesn’t mean that they’re the apex predator everywhere they go. There are a bunch of species that have, over the centuries, reached a point where they no longer accept the royal status that lions have been given and have attacked, injured, and even successfully killed them.
Let’s take a look at some animals that are capable of killing lions.
Black Mambas
Despite both species knowing to avoid one another, sometimes things happen. And when things happen between a black mamba and a lion, it’ll usually be the former that wins, purely for the potency and speed of its venom.
Hyenas
The Lion King already taught us that spotted hyenas are no laughing matter, but the reality is far more brutal. When these bad boys gang up on something, even lions themselves aren’t safe from their aggression. They’re vicious creatures that will simply gang up on and overwhelm their prey.
Hippos
The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures on the planet and due to its sheer force and size, it can easily overpower even a lion. The lions will usually target the hippo calves but will soon run into a full-grown hippo to teach them the error of their ways.
Crocodiles
More specifically the Nile crocodiles have no quarrel with attacking a lion while it’s drinking in a waterhole. While the croc attacks aren’t exactly what you’d call a brave assault, their sneak attacks have been lethal to lions on more than one occasion.
Mosquitoes
Oh, boy, do these spread some diseases or what? And yes, they can even spread lethal diseases to lions, thereby being annoying to pretty much every species on the planet. There are over 3500 species of mosquito on the planet and they all make that annoying buzzing sound when flying near you. With how lethal these are, we should be thankful that they’re at least giving us a warning first.
Elephants
We all know how elephants are: you annoy them, they run you over. Even a lion can’t take that kind of punishment. Lion prides that have taken to hunting elephants have not done so unless they outnumber the elephants by a factor of about 30, because anything less than that pretty much means that the elephants will just stomp them silly.
Rhinos
While rhinos aren’t exactly known for being avid hunters, they are some of the more territorial animals out there. And even a lion would know better to stay away from a rhino’s territory, as their angry charges can thoroughly reduce a lion’s life span.
