I know that lions can be scared away when they see humans approaching without fear, but what if they’re ambushed? How about a tiger, or a polar bear? If I manage to sneak up on one of these apex predators, and jump out, screaming, and running at it, will it run? Or will it just turn around and kill me? I guess I’m wondering if apex predators have a fight or flight reflex, and how strong it is if they do. Do they tend to resort to fighting more often if they’re the baddest tiger in the jungle vs the runt of the litter? Do they quickly assess the threat and respond accordingly, or does a flight instinct kick in and send them running?
Aren’t we apex predators? We still have fight/flight/freeze instincts, so my unscientific guess is lions are scaredy cats.
ETA: mandatory don’t mess with lions you will die
Not these guys. But what I’m not clear on is what would happen if they jumped out of the bushes behind them and yelled “BOO!”. Also, lions are pretty tame and predictable compared to tigers. Tigers have a much lower bullshit tolerance.