A method of killing that large predators, usually cats such as Panthera leo, the lion

Lion

The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...

, Panthera pardus, the leopard

Leopard

The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...

, and Uncia uncia, the snow leopard

Snow Leopard

The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...

, use. It requires the subduing of prey, usually completely on the ground and pinned by the predator, and the engulfing of the muzzle

Muzzle

A muzzle may be:* the snout of an animal* Muzzle , a device that covers an animal's snout* Muzzle , the mouth of a firearm* Muzzle , a song on The Smashing Pumpkins album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness...

 of the prey in the mouth of the predator, blocking respiration

Respiration (physiology)

'In physiology, respiration is defined as the transport of oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues, and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction...

 through either the mouth or nose.

Usage

It is generally easier for large, social carnivores to use this method with large prey when there are multiple individuals holding the prey still while it suffocates, in the case of the lion, or for solitary carnivores killing weak or small animals. It is not as common as the throat clamp

Throat clamp

Throat clamp is method of subduing often seen in predatory felids and occasionally canids and hyaenids. It involves the predator grasping the throat of the prey and clamping tight so that the windpipe is either crushed or blocked. Cats use this to kill prey while dogs and hyenas use this to weaken...

 with cats. It is also a calculated measure not seen often because most predators are known, especially canids and hyaenids, for eating the prey while it's still alive and letting it die of loss of blood and/or shock, not bothering with killing it first. This method also silences the prey for the most part and can be used by solitary

Solitary

Solitary is the state of being alone. The term may refer to:* shortened form of solitary confinement in jail* Solitary but social, a type of social organization in biology where individuals forage alone but share sleeping space...

 animals to keep the noise down as not to attract other predators with the commotion.

Anatomy

canines that are strong and not too long are generally essential for this method because any rapid movement of the head of the prey can break long or fragile canines and canines that are too short won't penetrate into the muscle and skin of the muzzle far enough and the prey can pull free. The predator cannot breath through its mouth when applying a muzzle clamp and must resort to breathing through the nose, which causes the issue of not enough oxygen if the predator is exhausted since panting through the mouth is much more efficient than breathing through the nose for most predators. If the predator is too tired, it may resort to another method of killing or withhold from finishing the prey off until it catches its breath.