Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Subfamily: Pantherinae Genus Panthera Species: Panthera leo

Geographic Range

Ethiopian: These creatures once ranged throughout Africa and from Europe to Iran and India.

Physical Characteristics

Mass: 150 to 260 kg.

Males range from 172 to 250 cm in body length, females from 158 to 192 cm. Tail length varies between 60 and 100 cm in length. Females are 45 to 68 kilograms lighter than the average-size male, but have an equal muscle mass. Males weigh between 150 and 260 kg while females weigh between 122 and 182 kg

Lions have a broad face, rounded ears, and a relatively short neck. Male lions have a mane, which varies in color. It usually is a silverish-grey or a yellowish-red. The darker the mane the older the lion. Captive lions are known to have longer and fuller manes than wild lions. The underside of males is a buff color, while the females' underside is whitish in color. Both sexes have sharp retractable claws on each paw and powerful shoulders, which they use to bring down their prey. Hinge-like jaws containing 5 centimeter canines also aid the lion in hunting and catching their prey.

Food Habits

Lions are carnivores; their diet consists of a variety of meats ranging from small insects to large herbivores such as giraffes. The lionesses are the hunters in the pride, hunting either in the morning or at night. Packs of lionesses form within a single pride. The lionesses hide in small groups to ambush their prey. As soon as one of the lionesses spot the prey and is in postion, she begins her attack. by sinking her teeth into the neck area of the prey and cuting off the air supply. Some prey animals are so large that as the lioness anchors her teeth into the neck, other lionesses come and start biting the animal. Soon it is helpless and can do nothing. Lions can run up to 60 kilometers per hour (30 mph), and they tackle prey that might outweigh them by 27 to 32 kilograms

After they feed, they may not hunt again for several days. When the lions feast, they eat all of the prey at once. Sometimes when the lioness makes the kill, she secretly hides the carcass behind tall or bushy vegetation and eats it there to keep other predators from stealing her kill. If live prey is not available, then lions will scavenge for food.

Reproduction

Lions are polygamous, and in the wild they breed every two years. During the females estrous period, the male and the female mate once every 20 minutes for 5 days. During this time if the dominant male is not around, she will breeding with other males in his pride. These animals have a gestation period between100 to 120 days. Litters occur in 20-month intervals and consist of 3 cubs. Cubs are blind at birth and require nurturing care from their mother. In appearance they look something like a little ball of hair, but once they reach 2 years of age they weigh 100 kilograms and are not treated like cubs any longer. Males reach sexual maturity at the age of 3 years and females become sexually active at the age of 3 or 4 years. By this time the males are ready live on their own and the females are ready to start looking for a mate. Lions that are held in captivity have a life expectancy of 25 years or more. The life expectancy in the wild is more like 9 to 10 years, because of diseases and famine, injuries sustained during a hunt, and fighting with other lions.

Behavior

Prides consist of one or more family units. A family unit contains 1 or 2 males with a number of females and cubs. There can be as many as 30 to 40 members in one pride.

Males spray urine on tree trunks or bushes as a form of warning for other males to stay out of that particular territory, and also, as a way to attract females. Both sexes use a form of "roaring" to attract each other and warn other predators of their presence. One of the few animals that prey on lions is the hyenas, which will attack an injured lion, or if food is scarce, will occasionally attack a healthy one. Lions and hyenas also have been known to kill each other in fights over carcasses. Younger males usually stay with their mothers until they reach the age of 3 years, at which time they are expelled from the pride. Young males are nomadic for a time as they mature and gain experience. Then they start competing with other males to head a pride. Males are more aggressive than females, although in the heat of mating females are can be quite aggressive.

When a male takes over a pride, it kills most of the cubs. Loss of nursing cubs causes the females to come into estrus earlier than they otherwise would, and it reduces competition for future offspring. Lions sometimes attack their prey and then let it go just before killing it. This action may serve as a teaching tool for the cubs and also a form of practice for the adults.

Grooming, rubbing, and tail chasing are all common behaviors among lions.

Pride territories range from 40 to 400 square miles.

These cats use their black and white vision to stalk their prey. The prides usually lay low in the day time but when night falls their keen eyesight and hearing always aids them in making a kill. Lions travel about 500 meters from their habitat to the water holes or salt licks.

Habitat

Most lion prides are found in the open plains of Africa and Asia. Lions climb trees to rest and cool off, or sometimes to escape stampedes. During the day, lions rest by water holes or salt licks, but at night these places are usually reserved for hunting.

Biomes: tropical savanna & grasslands

Positive

Lions are some of the most revered animals in human history. Lions were thought of as a God in many ancient civilizations. Pelts, claws, fur, teeth, and other animal products were sold for money. Some people hunt lions for sport, and some animals are held captive in zoos.

Negative

Attacks on humans and livestock have been reported. Occasionally, people who go to see these creatures get too close and tempt these beasts.

Conservation

Status: threatened

By 100 AD no lions remained in Greece. By 1900, they were scarce in Syria; today Eurasian wild lions are limited to the Gir sanctuary in India. Lions are also limited in areas in Kenya and Tanzania. Some still may be found in South West Asia, but no recent sightings have been reported. A great portion of the lions roam the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and in the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

All wild cats receive some protection under the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species CITES. Within the National parks, lion populations tend to be very stable, but outside they fluctuate with food supplies and human intervention. Because these large prides live in open savannas, they serve as easy targets for poachers and hunters. In some sanctuaries tourists come to observe these beasts' behaviors, and within such confines their survival is not endangered.

Hollywild Animal Park
Inman, South Carolina
http://www.hollywild.com