It’s down to the different prey types and landscapes in which they hunt. Lions stalk the open savannah in Africa, preying on the zebra, antelope and wildebeest that live in herds. With hundreds of pairs of eyes and ears listening out for danger there are very few places for a hunter to hide. A group can hunt more effectively by stalking the herd from several directions at once, encircling it. Tigers, meanwhile, live in dense jungle where lines of sight are short and it’s much easier to lie in wait for an ambush or creep up within pouncing distance without being seen. Indeed, a group of tigers hunting together would just increase the likelihood of spooking their prey and, unlike some cats, tigers don’t have the stamina for a prolonged chase, so they normally abandon an attack if they are spotted too early.
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