Lion
Tagged: animal, animals, cat, mammalLion
Lion once lived in southern Europe, throughout Africa and parts of Asia, but today are confined mainly to African game reserves. About 300 of the Asian subspecies live in the Gir Forest in India. King of Beasts is a well deserved title for this proud and powerful predator. The lion is everyone idea of big cat, equipped with sharp teeth and huge paws to bring down large prey. A threatening roar and the male’s magnificient mane complete the picture. Lions dominate their domain – zebras and antelopes become nervous when they’re near, while cheetahs and leopards back away from their own kills.
Hunting Together
Lions hunt and eat a wide range of animals, from small rodents and reptiles to young hippos, giraffes and even elephants. Their main prey are medium to large mammals such as zebras and antelopes. The lionesses do most of the hunting, working as a team-one may run at a zebras herd to panic its members, while driving a vulnerable, slow-moving animal towards the other lionesses, who move in for the kill. Males join in when the prey is particularly large. Even if the lionesses make the kill, the males always eat first, taking the choicest pieces of meat. Although lions drink water regularly when it is avalaible, they can survive without it, deriving liquids in form of gut contents and blood from their prey. This allows them to survive in arid climates.
Part of bodies
- Great grip-large powerful paws tipped with sharp claws to grip prey
- Sharp teeth and strong jaws tear flesh and crush bone
- Heavy mane asserts male lions dominance and helps protect the head and neck when fighting
- Muscular tail used for balance when chasing prey
- Strong hindlegs designed for running and pouncing on prey
Statistic
- status – vulnerable
- social unit – group
- length – 1.7-2.5 m
- tail – 0.9-1.1 m
- shoulder height – 1.1 m
- weight – 150-250 kg
- sexual maturity – 3-4 years
- breeding season – any times of the year
- gestation period – 110 days
- number of young – 1-6
- breeding interval – 20-30 months
- diet – mainly antelope, buffalo, wildebest, zebra and warthogs
- lifespan – 13-20 years
Myth or fact
One way of identifying individual lions is by the spots on their muzzle. These rows of vibrissae or whisker spots form a unique pattern on each animal. They are present even when the lion is just a cub and they remain the same throughout the animals life.
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