lion
)
Lions can sleep for over 18 hours a day, particularly after a large kill. Unlike other cats, lions live and hunt in groups (prides). Usually they kill only once or twice a week, hunting ruminants such as gazelles, zebra, and wildebeest.
)
Lion and lioness in the sun. The male is easily identified by its shaggy mane; the female is slightly smaller in stature and has no mane.
)
The colour of an adult male lion's mane can range from a light beige to a brown so dark as to be almost black. On an adult male lion in captivity, the mane is generally far more extensive over the head and shoulders than on a wild lion. No satisfactory explanation has been provided for such variations.
Large wild cat with a tawny coat. The young have darker spot markings to camouflage them; these usually disappear with adulthood. The male has a heavy mane and a tuft at the end of the tail. Head and body measure about 2 m/6 ft, plus 1 m/3 ft of tail; lionesses are slightly smaller. Lions produce litters of two to six cubs, and often live in groups (prides) of several adult males and females with young. They are carnivores and are found only in Africa, south of the Sahara desert, and in the Gir Forest of northwest India.
Behaviour
Capable of short bursts of speed, lionesses do most of the hunting, working together to run down grazing animals. Females remain with the pride permanently; young males remain until they about three years old and one or more adult males (usually brothers) stay a couple of years or so until they are supplanted by a competing coalition of males. The incoming males, or male, kill all the cubs in a pride so that the lionesses become ready to breed again. When not hunting, lions spend most of their time dozing and sleeping. The average lifespan of a lion is 15–20 years in the wild and 20–25 years in captivity.They belong to the cat family, Felidae, genus Panthera (which also includes tigers, leopards, and jaguars), species P. Leo.
| The Asiatic lion is listed on CITES Appendix 1 (endangered); its total population numbered only 250–300 in 1996. In April 2001, there were estimated to be fewer than 15,000 lions in the wild worldwide. |
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|
?Sign in  |
|---|