GENERAL DATA
Scientific name: Panthera leo
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivorous
Family: Felidae
Food: Carnivorous; mainly medium and large animals such as wildebeest, impalas, and other antelopes, zebras, giraffes, buffaloes, and also carrion.
Habitat: Savanna, open forests, and shrub areas.
Litter: 1 to 6 young
Gestation: 109 days
Longevity: 29 years in captivity
Current situation: Vulnerable
Geographic Distribution: Central and Eastern Africa.
The lion is characterized by the clear sexual dimorphism that it presents. The male is larger and has a huge and thick mane of variable coloration, depending on the age of the individual, since the young have it in a yellow, brown, or reddish-brown tone, while the old have it much darker and can be completely black. The female is smaller and has no mane. The general coloration of the body is golden, although the ventral region is white or lighter in color. The tip of the tail is black. The length of the body in males varies from 1.7 to 2.5 m., While that of the tail can be 90 to 105 cm., And the weight ranges from 150 to 250 kg. The total body length of females It varies from 1.4 to 1.75 m., its tail measures from 70 to 100 cm and the weight ranges from 120 to 182 kg.
It travels at a speed of 4 km/hr but can develop speeds of 50 to 60 km/hr for a short distance. Jumps of more than 12 m have been recorded.
To climb trees, the lion jumps, although he is not a good climber. The senses of smell, hearing, and sight are all thought to be excellent. Its activity is carried out at any time, but it is mainly nocturnal and twilight. The period of inactivity is 20 to 21 hours a day on average. Some populations are nomads who follow the migrations of herds of ungulates. The lion generally hunts by slow stalking, alternating stall, and forward movements, crawling. Use any object that provides cover. Then he makes a final run and jumps on his chosen prey. If the victim cannot be caught in a 50 to 100 m chase, the lion gets tired and abandons the hunt. However, chases of up to 500m have been seen. small prey is slapped to death, but larger prey are bitten on the neck, tearing over the mouth and nostrils. Sometimes two lions approach prey from opposite directions, if one misses, the other tries to catch it when it runs away. An entire herd can attack in an unfolded fan formation, and then corner prey from all sides. It has been proven that when acting as a team, the lion has twice the chances of capture than acting individually.
Most of the attempts fail, of 61 observed stalks only 10 were successful. The lion, in reality, captures and eats whatever prey it can capture, but it depends largely on animals whose weights fluctuate between 50 and 300 kg. An adult male can devour up to 40 kg of meat in a single meal. After the slaughter, a lion can rest in the vicinity of the remains for several days. Each lion kills 10 to 20 large animals per year.
Numerous adult males often associate and may meet together with a group of females and young. The males cooperatively defend the herd against the approach of males from a herd being driven out by others.
There is a hierarchical organization among the females, and one of them is the dominant one, even in the presence of the male. But when it comes to food distribution, the male dominates over all the females. The females carry out almost all the hunting activities, open areas or with little vegetation cover, but they are expelled from the prey by the males on some occasions. Lions behave asocially when they eat, as there are many disputes and they show little tolerance towards cubs and individuals of lower rank.
The lion has at least 9 different vocalizations, including a series of growls that apparently serve to maintain contact when a herd separates. The roar can be heard by the human ear 9 or more km away, it is usually emitted shortly after the sun has set. They also do it after hunting or eating. Apparently, they have a territorial function. The territory, on the other hand, is equally marked by urine, excrement, or by rubbing the head on a bush.
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