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Facts about the' King of the
Jungle'
Family:
Felidae Species:
Panthera leo
Famously referred to the King of the jungle, they
actually do not inhabit jungles
It is partially true to refer to the lions as 'King
of the beasts'. It is a fact that they really are kings of the predatory
beasts, but they can be easily backed down or killed by elephants and water
buffalo. A pack of hyenas can also back down or even kill a solitary lion.
But they are in themselves packed for the
kill.
They have strong, compact bodies and powerful forelegs, teeth, and jaws for
pulling down and killing prey. Their coats are yellow-gold, and adult males have
long, dark, shaggy manes. Young lions have light spotting on their coats. Their
strength is also reflected during mating whereby can copulate up to as
many as 100 times in a 24 hour period
Male lions grow larger than females,
reaching up to ten feet long (females reach up to nine feet long), plus a two-
to three-foot-long tail. Male lions weigh from 330 to 530 pounds; females weigh
270 to 300 pounds. Lions stand between 3-4 feet tall at the shoulder.
They are the only true social members of the cat
family and live in groups called prides.
All females in a pride are related
All lactating females will allow any cub in their
pride to nurse
Lions run at a rate of 50 mph, and sleep up to 20
hours a day
Tigers are lions' closest relatives. Without their
coats, lion and tiger bodies are so similar that only experts can tell them
apart.
Their roar can be heard up to five miles away.
Male lions can usually only hold on to a pride for
2-4 years before a younger, stronger male or coalition of males throws him out
and takes over.
Many people only think of the females as doing the
hunting, but as males spend much of their lives in search of a pride, they too
must fend for themselves and are quite capable of hunting.
Though grown-up lions have rarely been known to have
spots, there is one male in Masai mara that I have seen time and again that was
born with a huge black patch on the chest and inner front left leg. I have
watched him from birth till he was kicked out of the pride with his brothers.
Definitely he left the vicinity and only hears about his where a bouts from time
to time.
Lions are the only sexually dimorphic members of the
cat family.
Male lions are the only members of the cat family to
have a mane.
They are the only felines with tufts at the ends of
their tails.
Female lions (lioness) reach two thirds of their
adult size by the time they are 2 years old.
Males begin to really grow between 3 and 3 1/2 years
and by 4 will be almost their adult size and weight
Both males and females continue to grow until they
are 6 years old, primarily becoming more massive
Habitat
Lions inhabit a
wide range of habitats, from open plains to thick brush and dry thorn forest.
Diet
Lions eat
primarily large animals, such as zebra and wildebeest, weighing from 100 to
1,000 pounds. In times of shortage, they also catch and eat a variety of smaller
animals from rodents to reptiles. Lions steal kills from hyenas, leopards, and
other predators, but may also lose their catches to hyena groups. Lions may also
feed on domestic livestock, especially in areas near villages.
Reproduction
Female lions
usually give birth to a litter every two years. Females are receptive to mates
for a few days several times a year, unless they are pregnant or nursing. Mating
spurs ovulation. Females give birth to one to five cubs after a gestation of
about three and a half months. Cubs nurse for six months, but start eating meat
at three months. Due to varied dangers, including starvation during times of
food shortage and attacks by male lions taking over prides, up to 80 percent of
lion cubs die within their first two years of life.
Life Span
Zoo lions may
live up to 25 years, while wild lions live about 15 years.
Behavior
Lions live in
groups called prides, which may include from several to 40 individuals. Pride
mates associate in sub-groups within the pride. Female pride mates are related
to each other. Although both males and females defend the pride's territory, the
larger males take on most defense duties, marking territory with roars and scent
marks (urine). Females do most of the hunting. Several females stalk prey from
different angles to within 100 feet before attacking the targeted animal.
Females stay in their mothers' prides for life, unless food scarcity forces them
out. Young males are driven from their prides when they grow large enough to
compete with the dominant males. Young males join in coalitions, usually with
brothers and cousins, and search for a pride to take over. Males entering a new
pride will kill all cubs that cannot run from them. In India, female and male
lions live apart, joining only to mate.
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