LION
The lion is a species in the family
Felidae; it is a muscular, deep-chested cat with a short, rounded head, a
reduced neck and round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is
sexually dimorphic; adult male lions have a prominent mane, which is the most
recognizable feature of the species. With a typical head-to-body length of 184–208 cm (72–82 in)
they are larger than females at 160–184 cm (63–72 in). It is a social species,
forming groups called prides. A lion pride consists of a few adult males,
related females and cubs. Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying
mostly on large ungulates. The lion is an apex and keystone predator, although
some lions scavenge when opportunities occur, and have been known to hunt humans,
although the species typically does not.
Habitat: African lions once roamed
most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe. But the species has disappeared
from 94 percent of its historic range and can only be found today in parts of
sub-Saharan Africa. These lions mainly stick to the grasslands, scrub, or open
woodlands where they can more easily hunt their prey, but they can live in most
habitats aside from tropical rainforests and deserts.
Asiatic lions (Panthera Leo persica)
are a subspecies of African lion, but only one very small population survives
in India's Gir Forest.
Lion prides and hunting: Lions are
the only cats that live in groups, which are called prides—though there is one
population of solitary lions. Prides are family units that may comprise
anywhere from two to 40 lions—including up to to three or four males, a dozen
or so females, and their young. All of a pride's lionesses are related, and
female cubs typically stay with the group as they age. Young males eventually
leave and establish their own prides by taking over a group headed by another
male.
Males defend the pride's territory,
marking the area with urine, roaring menacingly to warn intruders, and chasing
off animals that encroach on their turf.
Female lions are the pride's primary hunters
and leaders. They often work together to prey upon antelopes, zebras,
wildebeest, and other large animals of the open grasslands. Many of these
animals are faster than lions, so teamwork pays off. Female lions also raise
their cubs communally.
After the hunt, the group effort
often degenerates to squabbling over the sharing of the kill, with cubs at the
bottom of the pecking order. Young lions do not help to hunt until they are
about a year old. Lions will hunt alone if the opportunity presents itself, and
they also steal kills from hyenas or wild dogs.
The Asiatic lion is a Panthera leo
leo population in India. Its range is restricted to the Gir National Park and
environs in the Indian state of Gujarat. On the IUCN Red List, it is listed
under its former scientific name Panthera leo persica as Endangered because of
its small population size and area of occupancy
The Barbary lion was a Panthera leo
leo population in North Africa that is regionally extinct today. This
population occurred in Barbary Coastal regions of Maghreb from the Atlas
Mountains to Egypt and was eradicated following the spreading of firearms and
bounties for shooting lion.
