When this lioness heard a rustling in the grass, she approached to investigate. Watch as she tries to deal with this prickly customer.
Heetan Kalan submitted this interesting footage to Latest Sightings. He filmed the action while on a night game drive in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
A lioness in the spotlight
As we join Heetan at the sighting, we see a lioness illuminated by a powerful spotlight. To her left, we see an array of sharp-pointed spikes.
As you’d expect, the spikes belong to a porcupine, specifically a Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis). Africa’s largest rodent, they are found in open habitats across southern and central Africa.
Carefully circling
Wary of its quarry, the lioness continuously circles the porcupine. She is trying to find an opening to attack.
However, when it comes to porcupines, there is only one safe way to do so: from the front. Knowing this, the porcupine turns constantly, ensuring the lion sees only its prickly defences.
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No advantage
As the lioness briefly faces the light, we can see the reflection of her eyes. This reflection is from the lion’s tapetum lucidum, a reflective layer in the eye that significantly improves night vision.
But even with this advantage, the lioness struggles to outmanoeuvre the porcupine. Accordingly, her frustration grows.
Nevertheless, the lioness does well to play it safe. Porcupine quills are covered in microscopic barbs, making them difficult to remove. Should the injury they cause get infected, it could have serious consequences for the lion.
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Dancing to survive
Despite going in circles for some time, the lioness is not about to give up. But when no opening presents itself, she tries swatting at the quills.
And, with that, she makes a mistake. When a quill stabs into her leg, she lies down, trying to pull it out.
A porcupine’s quills are made of compressed hair covered in a layer of hard keratin. Sporting needle-sharp tips, they are a porcupine’s primary defence against predators.
Perhaps out of prior experience, the porcupine doesn’t rush off. Instead, it maintains its position, as if daring the lioness to try her luck again.
Had enough
When the lioness stands, however, she shows no further interest in the porcupine. It seems she has given up.
After walking a few paces, she lies down again. While it is unclear whether the quill still pierces her, it is clearly uncomfortable.
Only now does the porcupine start edging away. Once again, its novel defences have laid waste to the plans of Africa’s apex predator.
As Heetan’s video draws to a close, the lioness hobbles off into the darkness. Let’s hope she thinks twice next time she encounters Africa’s prickliest prey.
