Do lions kill their prey quickly?

Small prey probably succumbs quickly, but larger prey often dies from strangulation, suffocation or loss of blood, processes which can last some time.

A buffalo bull can sometimes ward off a lion attack for an hour or longer before the lions manage to get hold of a vulnerable part of its body. As one lion attacks the throat, the others usually start to tear the animal apart resulting in death through loss of blood rather than through strangulation or suffocation.