Lion

Lion

                   The lion is one of the five big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. The commonly used term African lion collectively denotes the several subspecies found in Africa. For all of their roaring, growling, and ferociousness, lions are family animals and truly social in their own communities. They usually live in groups of 15 or more animals called prides. Prides can be as small as 3 or as big as 40 animals. In a pride, lions hunt prey, raise cubs, and defend their territory together. In prides the females do most of the hunting and cub rearing. Usually all the lionesses in the pride are related—mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and sisters. Many of the females in the pride give birth at about the same time. A cub may nurse from other females as well as its mother. Each pride generally will have no more than two adult males.

Common name: Lion

Scientific name: Panthera leo
Higher classification: Roaring cats
Conservation status: Vulnerable (Population decreasing)
Mass: Male: 190 kg (Adult), Female: 130 kg (Adult)
Height: Male: 1.2 m (Adult, At Shoulder), Female: 1.1 m (Adult, At Shoulder).

Bite force :  PSI: 691

Characteristics:

Weight: Males 150-250 kg and females 120-180 kg.

Length: Males 170-250 cm and females 140-175 cm.

Longevity: Free lions 15 and 20 years and captivity lions 20- 30 years.

Habitat: Savanna.

Population: The lions are disapearing. The most lions live in Africa and Asia, or in national parks and reserves. The best known are Etosha National Park (Namibia), Serengeti National Park (Tanzania) and the Kruger National Park (South Africa).

Feeding: Lions are carnivores. They need to hunt for food. Lions eat primarily herbivorous mammals such as zebras, gazelles, wild boar, wildebeest, giraffes, impalas, buffalo and deer, depends on the area where they live.

Reproduction: The gestation has 110 days. Lion cubs are born blind and can not see until a week passes. They weigh 1200-2100 grams.

Relationships:

Intraespecific:

Lions are very family. They live in groups from 3 to 40 animals.

An adult male is the leader and the rest are females and young puppies male descendants of the leader. In a herd all lionesses are mothers, daughters, grandmothers and sisters and the lionesses of other herbs are considered intrusive. The famale lionesses give birth to their pups at the same time (3-4 lioness) for help with raising children.

When the male cub gets older must leave the group and if the male becomes leader, it kills all the cubs of the pack to eliminate his predecessor and ensure that all puppies have their own genes.

                                                                                         The males lions in a herd defends the territory.

The lion is a calm animal that spends more than 20 hours a day resting. They are very social animals and showing affection. In addition to the ferocious roar and growl also they purr to communicate.

Interspecific:

Lions relationship with other animals is that they are predators.
The lionesses hunt and the males defend the territory.
Lionsses hunt at night or early morning. As the lion is not a very fast or stays very still waiting for its prey distracted or hiding in bushes to attack by surprise animal.

Depending on their prey lions kill biting, strangulation, or even with a kick.
Although females go hunting the male lion is always the first to eat and what he is left will be for the lionesses.

                                                                                                    The lion is endangered and they are inside the red list of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). The reason is their habitat destruction, people are making their homes in areas of agriculture and livestock and are invading their territory, the hunting because the skin and flesh are valuable and humans kill them because they are afraid they kill their livestock or themselves.

Fun facts:

*Female lionesses hunt because the male lions can not hide their hair.

*A lion can be between 5-6 days without drinking.

*The roar of a lion can be heard at 8 km away.

*They eat 7 kilograms of meat per day for males and 5 females.

*They can run up to 58 kilometres per hour but are considered slow.

*In South Africa there is a type of white lion.

Other fun facts:

# Why the lion is the king of the jungle: In the Holy Bible the lion was the animal of kings and is a symbol of Christ. It becomes part of the attire of gentlemen. It is the most common animal in the banners and shields of knight of the Middle Ages.

# In the past many people thought that eating meat lion was more courageous.

# The lion has been represented in painting, literature and actualy in cinema the lion usually represents the courage and strength. For example the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz is convinced that is not brave and ask the magician that value.

# Disney Lion King was the first film in which no human does not appear.
Simba is a Swahili word of lion and its means king, strong, and aggressive.