Man V. Lion | Full Episode

foreign [Music] Smith has worked in the harshest conditions imaginable tracking the most elusive cats on the planet but now he has a new mission that will bring us closer to the action than ever before thank you all my life I've dreamed of being in the middle of wild lions and they're killed just to see what these guys are truly capable of this could be my big chance if it stays in one piece over the next hour I'll break down each stage of Alliance kill so I can prepare for the ultimate test locking myself inside a specially engineered four by seven foot clear acrylic box inches from Wild Lions we'll find out exactly what makes the African Lion reign supreme from the initial stocking strategy to their high-speed Pursuit and they're astounding leap they're powerful takedowns and finally the feast test in the Box welcome to the nambiti game reserve in the heart of zulu Land South Africa here 22 000 Acres of rugged terrain are a Battleground for over 40 species of game [Music] but within the constant fight for survival there is one Predator that has evolved and fine-tuned its hunting ability to become one of the most feared Warriors in the land the African Lion [Music] [Music] 's here on this Reserve I've been tracking three of them all morning their tracks are right here that big truck right there that's big and Dotty he's the dominant male and he's just over the edge right here just down the hill from him or his two younger brothers blonding and mohawk these three are known as the name Beatty Brothers you can hear him right there that's big and donut and he's calling there's a new female in the area and I got a hunch that's who he's trying to find it's clear that right now big and Dot is the dominant male but Mohawk has a sized him up you can see he's gonna be a big cat and really soon he's gonna challenge to be the dominant male here as well lions are unique amongst all big cats because they form Dynamic social groups the most well-known form is the pride usually consisting of multiple females they're Cubs and an alpha male while the females of the pride usually do most of the hunting the male's role is that of protector and patriarch to maintain his status the alpha male must continuously assert his dominance over any Challenger the Exiles maturing males from the pride and those Lions will sometimes band together to form what is called a coalition together they can become one of the most fearsome forces in the African bush [Music] the nambiti brothers are exactly that they watch each other's backs and work as a team to survive now their long-standing bond will be put to the test with a new female in the area competition for mating rights will be fierce but until that day comes our brothers will continue to hunt together and as night falls [Music] their hunger grows [Music] Lions can make kills during the day but they're way more active at night [Music] they take advantage of the cooler temperatures and the cover of Darkness to stop their friend tonight we'll track the MPD brothers from the sky cutting through the darkness to give you an extraordinary view of their attack strategy this is the first stage of a lion's kill the stalk to track these guys nocturnal Behavior we'll deploy this a drone equipped with military grade clear thermal imaging not only will we have our eye in the sky but we'll also have clear thermal imaging on the ground and hopefully we'll be able to capture some of their hunting strategies the brothers are in the area so we're going to track them down and sea of the Hunt is on with our bird in the air it's like we're switching on a light revealing the Battleground that exists in the dead of night while we rely on cutting-edge technology for our night vision the Lions rely on their sophisticated adaptations a strip of white fur underneath the eye helps reflect extra Moonlight into the lens there's also a mirror-like membrane at the back of each eye that reflects light into a high concentration of Rod cells in their retina this means the light coming into their eyes is magnified when exposed to the retina allowing them to see in the dark giving the Coalition a real Edge over their prey hey there there I got them the two younger brothers [Music] they're heading right up this hill what looks like a herd of wildebeest I think Lions use highly developed teamwork when they hunt spreading out each lion takes a position for a strategic attack Blondie takes The High Ground while Mohawk closes in on the opposite side of the herd team leader big and dada will lead the charge down the middle with the two brothers flanking it appears their plan is to scatter the herd allowing them to pinpoint an individual [Music] Springs into action he runs straight at the center of the herd the plan appears to be working as the three wildebeest break away from the crew but their success is not long-lived the prey manages to regroup and outrun the brothers foreign the sun's coming up in about an hour but these guys are definitely in hunting mode so we're gonna see if we can keep up with them and see what they get into [Music] the Sun in the sky means they've lost the advantage of Darkness we've been tracking the Lions all morning we just saw them come across right here lions the brothers find a new Target hippos [Music] check them out they're flanking out they're gonna make it go on the hippos right here they're gonna make it go at him they use the same attack strategy we saw last night but this time the alpha male big and Dada flanks the herd while Mohawk takes the center position foreign [Music] [Music] gets into the box for the ultimate test [Music] we're in the heart of South Africa tracking the nambiti brothers a coalition of three male lions and along the way breaking down each stage of a lion's Gill to prepare for the ultimate test the Box big cat tracker Boone Smith will be inches away from Wild Lions breaking down their social dynamics the only thing I'm wondering is well this box hold big and Dot and his brothers show up [Music] right now we followed them to a watering hole they've crossed paths with an animal responsible for the most human fatalities in Africa hippos Mohawk launches the attack from the center big and daughter in bloody who flank from the outside they leave no Escape those Lions locked under those hippos it was like flipping a switch the burst of speed the acceleration it was vast how quick they moved this high-speed Pursuit is the second stage of a lion's kill [Music] hey Greg let's step right here this place is perfect I'm heading off the reserve to see exactly what I'll be up against when I enter the Box in this controlled environment we'll reveal one of the abilities that truly make lions king of their domain speed what we've got here is a high speed winch like the ones used to tow wakeboarders winch will pull a piece of piece of bait through a clearing and the lions will chase it down I'll measure the line's speed with this radar gun and we'll use slow motion photography to analyze the mechanics of the Lion's run all from the safety of this blind since both males and females might show up at the Box we're testing the speed of a four-year-old male and a two-year-old lioness okay lines up that's a big female 31 miles an hour that cat is flying boom one big Power lunge and all of a sudden she was at full stride at the start of a lion's run the goal is to achieve maximum acceleration the Lioness coils her body into position like a sprinter on a starting block then she uses her hind legs together to Spring Forward achieving top speed in a few short bursts the acceleration is just ridiculous how fast they're from zero to 31. once she's up to speed the Lioness begins her gallop there is a circular pattern to her foot bones the right Four Paw is followed by the left then the left heinpaw is followed by the right this is known as a rotary gallop and it's a powerful method for rocketing forward and chasing down prey it's the same type of gallop used by the Lion's distant cousins the cheetah the fastest land animal in the world she's at top speed in about five yards so the power and the acceleration is what's really amazing on this now let's compare the lionesses run with our adult male a line this size is what I'll be facing inside the box if big and Dada or one of his brothers shows up he's got to be close to 500 pounds uh here we go [Music] [Music] that was awesome big guys are so much heavier so much more muscle but yeah 29 miles an hour in the wild the Lion's top speed has been clocked at over 45 miles per hour that's not as fast as a cheetah but it is faster than a Kentucky Derby Thoroughbred it's obvious that no human can outrun a lion but after seeing that acceleration in action it's clear that even the fastest prey doesn't stand a chance if taken by surprise [Music] back on the reserve the nambiti brothers continue their search for sukhazi a lioness that is new to the area and ready to raise her own lion cubs [Music] while the brothers have spent most of their adult lives together their Primal instincts compel them to breed and start their own Prides the oldest brother big and Dada leads and protects his younger brothers Mohawk and Blondie [Music] but sukazi's presence on the reserve might finally break the nambiti brothers Bond [Music] along with a local guide Boon track sukazi and her sister if he can find her he can anticipate where the brothers will go next he sees something yeah and find the ideal place to set up the box [Music] no on the rocky section there they're lying there right next to each other Boone locates sukhazi and her sister they're golden yellow coats blend them into the Tall Grass the perfect camouflage for stalking prey right now sukazi's doing what few apex predators do taking on an animal more than three times her size one kick from a giraffe's powerful long legs can crush a lion's skull tsukasi's best chance for success is to strike before the giraffe knows she's there now that the giraffe sees her sukhazi has only two choices back down or risk a death blow by attacking coming up we'll see how high we can get these lines to jump we break down the third stage of the attack oh wow at the end of the hour I'll be face to face with wild Lions and the only thing between us would be one inch of acrylic [Applause] [Music] deep in the African bush of the nambiti game reserve we prepare for the ultimate test big cat tracker Boone Smith will lock himself inside a box just inches away from Wild Lions to see what he's really up we're breaking down the stages of a lion's kill revealing the powers that make them the ultimate predator now we track a lioness named sukhazi as she stalks a giraffe this herd of adult giraffes outweighs ukazi by thousands of pounds she plays it safe and calls off the hunt usually it takes many lions to bring down an animal as big as a giraffe and to do it they have to get airborne this leaping ability is critical to their dominance in the wild how high a lion can jump and what other threats Boone May encounter while in the Box we head off the reserve again to work with lions in a controlled environment to get these Lions leaping I'm going to climb up this tree and hang a bait for the first attempt the bait is set seven feet above the ground wow she's coming in hot she's right under it [Music] as the Lioness reaches the height of her jump in instinctively a retractable claws extend [Music] in a hunt this would be the point of contact penetrating the thick hide of her prey just before she delivers a devastating bite [Music] that was at seven feet and Jehovah was no problem whatsoever boom when a lion jumps they generate explosive force this is made possible by fast twitch muscle fibers these fibers contract very quickly giving them powerful bursts of energy [Music] the seven foot jump was easy so we raised the bait to nine feet at this height sukhazi could have easily reached the hindquarters of the giraffe she encountered all right so here she comes [Music] thinking about it right here I wanted to see if I get a little higher we Max this out foreign [Music] just barely missed it she was way up over the bait on that mist that's enough height to get on the back of any animal she'd encounter in the wild as our test lion reaches maximum height her paw swipe clears the bait by 10 inches making this her best jump nearly 10 feet so she's trying to figure out what to do oh wow and that's Ingenuity there this whole idea that Lions don't climb trees not the case whatsoever you know this is a great example of of what happens in a hunting scenario it wasn't working like you wanted so she's adapted on the Fly utilize something else here the tree and still end it up with what you wanted the chunk of meat so not only powerful but super intelligent as well these claw marks are amazing they're like a quarter inch deep in here if it's that easy for her to get up this tree can't imagine how easy it's going to be for these lines to get up on top of the box back on the reserve we're on the hunt again we've been tracking these two female lionesses all morning and they just crossed and disappeared here into the tall grass [Music] oh she's killing something right now [Music] just gotta work hard coming up stage four of a lion's hunt the takedown and kill bind and later Boone comes face to face with an ambiti Brothers we're in the heart of South Africa tracking the nambiti brothers a coalition of three male lions they are following a lioness named sukasi she's ready for Cubs and the competition to claim her as a mate could disrupt the brothers Alliance right there I think I think I see one I think I see one oh she's killing something right now she's gotta work hard [Music] I can see the Tusk that's a great big board it's got away close to 200 pounds and she is on him believe how effortlessly she just picked up that warthog by the throat and was just walking around with it it makes you wonder how strong these cats really are the true power of the African Lion is revealed during the fourth stage of the kill the takedown measuring the strength of a lion will give us a better idea of whether or not the Box will hold when Boone's inside to find out we will attach bait to the end of a heavy duty digital scale when a lion enters and grabs the bait we'll determine exactly how much he can pull all right he's out here he comes guys give him a little fight back right here and see if I can get him to really lean on it thank you [Music] watch out watch out 1500 pounds right there on just that the secret behind the Lion's Incredible strength is revealed in their muscle anatomy compared to a human's a lion's muscle fibers can be half the size allowing them to pack in more per square inch and not only can the density be higher each fiber is 2.6 times more powerful if this lone male can pull 1500 pounds what could the combined power of the nambiti brothers do to strength that these guys have with the the muscle structure plus the the fiber strength because it's just mind-boggling [Music] Lions use their Incredible strength to take down prey that can be more than three times their size but ultimately the killing blow is delivered with a bite they use their powerful jaws to clamp down on their praised throat crushing the trachea and suffocating them to death [Music] back on the reserve we're hot on the trail of big and Donna he's been following sukazi for hours and it seems as though she's playing hard to get I got some right here going through the grass right here off the right side hey this is it this is the line this line we got a line right here right here on our three o'clock Devin get a light on it okazi and and he's acting cautious [Music] she spots big and daughter and heads in his Direction [Music] [Music] foreign [Music] but big and daughter isn't giving up [Music] so you guys are definitely getting up and starting to go on the move right now while big and daughter courts sukazi his younger brothers Mohawk and Blondie watch from afar [Music] sukazi accepts big and Dada by raising her tail a sign of submission but now Mohawk approaches big and daughter will not stand for the presence of a second male even if it's his brother the bond between these three dominant Predators is about to be put to the test they're locked up seriously they are locked up coming up the power struggle between the brothers intensifies oh as boom finally enters the Box we're in South Africa tracking the nambiti brothers a coalition of male lions that are following a lioness named sukhazi last night things got intense when all four cats crossed paths holy cow now a New Day brings a new alliance vegan daughter Remains by sukazi's side for now he's left his younger brothers Mohawk and Blondie to fend for themselves but tonight the bond between the brothers will be tested as we reveal the final stage of a lion's kill the feast and for that I prepared something special a state-of-the-art clear acrylic cage nine transparent panels are bolted together with marine grade steel we machined eight inch filming ports on each side and my entry point a stainless steel brick secured by four quick release latches with this box I'll have my own seat at the dinner table put me inches away from the Lions while they feed I'll be able to see the most minute facial expressions and literally feel an infrasonic vocalizations between the cats this test will put their social dynamics under a microscope I'm gonna bait the area to lure the Lion's in and the main course a fresh wildebeest carcass strapped to the top of the box oh so we've just locked ourselves in the Box we know that we've got at least two lines very close to us and now it's kind of the Moment of Truth as the sun sets Boone and his cameraman Devin wait for the Lions to arrive I can do the lines Ward [Applause] I know they're close there's a good chance they're gonna come I'm gonna slide back here and position and hide and see what happens here [Music] foreign looks like a female wait wait you see that she's not alone big guy if big and daughter is here with sukazi his younger brothers can't be far behind is coming away in front of your right you hear that scratching that club scratching the glass on my side [Music] um foreign [Music] situation with a fresh kill big and daughter the alpha male would eat first but with sukazi present something has clearly changed foreign the brothers position themselves behind the box their focus is not on the carcass they're more curious about what's inside that was intense man [Music] foreign still hunker down behind boom yeah Alliance all four cats surround the box at last the hierarchy amongst the Coalition will be revealed [Music] get ready it's gonna get wild [Music] because she's coming back with the lure bait gone and all the lions around it's time to serve the main course in a feeding situation like this we'll be able to see exactly how sukazi's presence affects the social Dynamic within the coalition touching the Box ES watch this video right here above my head we have feeding that it should be his brother shut his whole head in there big and daughter stays by sukkazi's side not leaving her exposed to his brothers that is unreal awesome [Music] but will it stay in one piece it's the dead of night on the nambiti game reserve and we're throwing a very unusual dinner party right now our guests are getting rowdy oh we're getting crushed against the tree here of Houston we have a problem so they're trying to take the kill and move and move it and when they pulled it the cable hooked on the the middle brace on the bottom I'm talking over 1200 pounds and they're just spinning it effortlessly man literally three feet from line to floating on the cargo's right here oh man vegan daughter takes position 10 feet behind his brothers and sukhazi normally the dominant male big and daughter would be the first to eat [Music] but tonight his younger brother's Blondie and Mohawk claimed the kill my gosh though he's pissed [Music] watching this ball about to find out where the hierarchy really stands big and Dada must decide assert his dominance over his brothers or stay by sukazi side [Music] thank you so the two brothers have laid claim to the carcass and I came in and tried to feed and he's been The Hobbit all night he's been the dominant male he's random feathers away from the female but one thing and Donnie came in to try and feed they teamed up at the carcass and now between the two of them there's no competition they're not fighting they're not competing they're both just gorgeous fast as they can on this carcass big and Dada chooses not to fight his focus is on the continuation of his bloodline for now he lets his brothers dine alone all the tests we've done have led up to this right here feast the final stage of a lion's kill where we truly see what makes the African Lion unique in the world of big cats they rule the African plains for one very simple reason their social structures in a pride or a coalition their unique bonds give them an advantage from Cooperative hunting to protecting each other they have strength in numbers this combined with their incredible physical abilities makes the African Lion Supreme thank you foreign [Music]

Channel: Nat Geo WILD

Views: 1,201,307

Keywords: Nat Geo, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, National Geographic WILD, Communication, science, discover, nature, documentary, wildlife, animals, photography, wild, full episode, wildlife documentary 2022, wildlife documentary, wildlife videos, full episodes, national geographic wild full episodes, wildlife documentary 4k, wildlife 4k, Red Hawk Down, Nat Geo Wild, Full Episode, Man vs Lion, national geographic full episodes

Id: FIEehp7WVSI

Length: 44min 27sec (2667 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 13 2022