Anybody seen the Battle of Kruger video? It’s long, eight minutes or so, but truly fascinating. A group of lions takes down a buffalo calf, almost loses it to a crocodile (or two?), then does lose it when the buffalo herd stages a rescue.

I thought the lions’ defense tactics were interesting. They stayed down on the ground and tight together. Reminds me of the Roman Legions’ square formation. Mutual defense through interlocking shields, in this case claws. The down on the ground posture of the lions may seem odd, but it keeps the buffalo from hooking and throwing a lion with it’s horns. Look for the great example this maneuver by at about six minutes in when a buffalo catches on of the big cats on it’s feet. The buffalo in the end manage to peel away one lion at a time, and the lions’ defense fails. It looks like it almost worked though.

h/t Bloggers Blog: The Battle at Kruger