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A Strange Visitor Crawls Into Cub Territory
While lounging on the sandy ground of MalaMala Game Reserve, three lion cubs suddenly became fixated on an unexpected intruder: a massive millipede. Game ranger Nic Nel couldn’t help but film this adorable and hilarious encounter when he came across the cubs in 2023.
The long, many-legged insect slowly crawled across the earth in between the cubs but was heading straight toward one of the young ones in particular. At first, the cubs simply stared, mesmerized by the unfamiliar movement, but their body language quickly shifted as they were not quite sure what to make of the creeping creature.
Every time the millipede got too close to one of the three cubs, they would get up, pivot away, and settle again in a new position only to resume the intense stare. There was never any attempt to pounce or kill; instead, their reaction was simply a cautious fascination (the kind reserved for something new and just a bit too weird).
It was clear these cubs were learning about their world, and that included the unsettling sensation of too many legs approaching their paws.
Why Insects Bug Big Cats
Despite their strength and size, big cats like lions can be surprisingly delicate when it comes to insects. Some creatures like millipedes release chemical defences that smell or taste unpleasant, deterring curious predators.
Though not dangerous, their strange movement and smell are likely enough to trigger discomfort or suspicion in animals unfamiliar with them. Lions, especially young cubs, often don’t know what to make of these squirmy intruders and prefer to watch from a safe distance.
While they’ll fearlessly confront buffalo and hyenas, a harmless bug with an odd smell can send them retreating. It’s a humorous reminder that even the fiercest animals have their quirks, and sometimes, bravery has nothing to do with size or power.
Big cats often show this kind of avoidance behaviour when dealing with unthreatening but weird animals, it’s a classic “better safe than sorry” instinct at work. For lion cubs, everything in their environment is a learning opportunity, and much of that learning is sensory.
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Their developing eyesight, acute hearing, and highly sensitive noses all play a role in how they interact with the world. The millipede, with its odd appearance and likely strong scent, would have been a full-on sensory experience for the cubs, it’s no wonder they couldn’t look away!
The cubs’ refusal to touch it though, was possibly a sign that their noses told them something their instincts couldn’t quite explain yet.
A Gentle Encounter in the Wild
Unlike most interactions between predator and prey, this one ended peacefully and hilariously. The millipede lived to crawl another day, and the cubs gained a new, slightly unsettling story in their growing library of life experiences.
There’s something sweet about watching powerful predators in training recoil at a bug barely the size of their paw. In the vast and often brutal wilderness, it’s easy to forget that apex predators start as wide-eyed explorers.
This charming moment reminds us that even lions, icons of power and dominance, go through a phase of innocent discovery. As these cubs one day grow into fearsome adults, scenes like this offer a rare glimpse into their softer beginnings full of wonder, caution, and the occasional creepy-crawly surprise.