Yes, they do.

Contrary to popular belief, lions are not picky eaters, but rather opportunistic feeders that will gladly hunt and eat anything unfortunate enough to come across them, no matter how large or dangerous or small or simply insignificant – thus said, an ostrich would be a snack craved for!

However, lions can only eat an ostrich if they manage to catch one – let’s not forget, ostriches are not only the world’s largest birds, but they are also among the fastest on earth, since they can reach whopping speeds of 70 km/h (in contrast with the lion’s maximum of 60 km/h) thanks to their tendon that lets them maintain high speeds for longer periods of time; whereas lions (like all big cats) lack endurance, and will quickly stop running to prevent death from over-heating.

Not only that, ostriches are also unexpectedly dangerous, for they will readily defend themselves or protect their young against predatory threats, including lions – sure enough, ostriches are aggressive if threatened, and have long, dagger-like claws at the end of their long feet; one kick from these claws is enough to inflict a whole amount of damage, or even kill a lion!

But there are times in which lions manage to overpower an ostrich and eventually kill it, given that they stalk their prey cautiously through the long grass, without uttering a single sound – which sometimes renders the ostrich completely oblivious to the approaching menace –, and that they have superior size, strength, stealth and power, as well as teamwork, to take down the bulkiest of prey, such as ostriches.

And needless to say, ostrich eggs are a much easier target than fully-grown adults. When a nest is left unsupervised, a lion will step in and feast itself on yummy, delicious ostrich eggs, but it must eat quickly and make sure that the ostrich guarding the nest doesn’t return – otherwise, that lion will have to face a giant, bad-tempered bird that will not hesitate to attack mercilessly.