We tell you everything about the lion, where it lives and how it reproduces. Also, how it is fed and its characteristics.
The lion
The lion (scientific name panthera leo) It is a large carnivorous feline. It is native to Sub-Saharan Africa and certain regions of India, where it is the largest predator in the food chain. It is one of the wild animals best known and feared by humanity, due to its fierceness, but also admired and represented in symbols, stories and sculptures.
The ancestors of lions appeared 4.1 to 5.9 million years ago, and all four species of the genus are derived from them. panthera: the tiger, the jaguar, the lion and the leopard. These last two separated evolutionarily 1.25 million years ago, and emerged as we know them today in Africa between 1 million and 800,000 years ago.
During the Upper Pleistocene they spread throughout the five continents, thus giving rise to the extinct American lion and the puma, until in the last ice age, 10,000 years ago, they became extinct in Europe, America and almost all of Asia.
Humanity has had contact with lions since ancient times, and has seen in them a symbol of nobility, ferocity and masculinity. For this reason, it is common to find them in ancient stories, on country flags, on family shields and even as a symbol of one of the four biblical gospels.
Despite this and being powerful predators, Lions are among the vulnerable species and susceptible to extinction. In recent decades, their populations have suffered a decline of between 30 and 50%, making their life not viable outside of the delimited ecological reserves.
The loss of its habitat and conflicts with human populations are partly responsible for this phenomenon, which is why numerous zoologists around the world are collaborating to try to increase the numbers of the species in captivity.
See also: Endangered species
Characteristics of lions
Like all felines, lions They are quadrupeds and mammals. They have a long tail, short, yellowish fur, as well as a blonde or dark mane around the neck in the case of males. With an exclusively carnivorous diet, they are ferocious hunters capable of holding prey with their claws and tearing large portions of meat with their sharp fangs.
Along with tigers, they are the largest felines that exist: can measure about 2 to 3 meters (males) or 1.80 to 2.7 meters (females) in length and reaching a weight of 160 to 260 kg (males) or 120 to 182 kg (females).
On the other hand, his temperament is rather sleepy: dedicate about 20 hours a day to rest and inactivity instead having their socialization periods at dusk and their hunting hours, generally, during the night. They spend about two hours a day walking and about 50 minutes a day eating.
Lions, unlike the rest of the felines, are quite sociable creatures, who usually form herds. Traditionally, females with some family ties and a smaller number of males are brought together, along with the offspring of the former.
It is common to see them giving each other affection through licking and rubbing, as well as marking their territory through urine and through the intimidating presence of the dominant male and his ferocious roars.
See also: Carnivorous Animals
Where do lions live?
Lions became a very widespread species in Africa and the Near East, as well as the Indian subcontinent. Nowadays, however, it is known that wild lions inhabit very restricted regions of southeastern and central Africa as well as in very specific regions of northwest India.
By nature prefer grasslands and savannahs rarely entering forested regions.
What do lions eat?
These are eminently carnivorous creatures, great hunters of the African plains. The hunt takes place through coordinated attacks and in packs, trying to isolate and besiege the prey as quickly as possible, since they do not have particularly high physical resistance. In fact, they can reach speeds of up to 60 kmph, but only over short distances.
Their favorite prey are usually large mammals such as wildebeest, buffalo, impala, zebra, wild boar, deer or young giraffe, and even seals, if they manage to find one on the coast of Namibia. If they live near herds of cattle, it is likely that they also take a beef from time to time.
The hunt is organized by sex: females hunt together with occasional help from the males, but the product of said hunt will be for them and the offspring; males must hunt on their own the food.
Finally, lions are not very prone to cannibalism, but it is always possible that isolated events occur. In general terms, lions have much more to fear than humans.
How do lions reproduce?
The lions they reproduce sexually like all mammals, and they are viviparous animals. In each pregnancy a female can give birth between one and four offspring in a den isolated from the rest of the herd. Females have several mating seasons a year, during which they can mate with several lions, then having a gestation of 110 days on average.
When the pups are old enough, the females reintegrate into the herd. There the cubs play and learn to hunt and take their place in the social hierarchy. Once they reach adulthood, many of the old offspring are expelled by the herd to look for their own territory.
How long do lions live?
Lions have relatively short lives. In ideal conditions and in a protected environment, such as National Parks, a lioness can reach 12 to 14 years of age while males rarely exceed 8. However, there are known cases of particularly long-lived lionesses, which reached almost 20 years in the wild.
References
- “Panthera Leo” on Wikipedia.
- “Lion” in Pangea Animals.
- “León” in BioEncyclopedia.
- “Lion” at AZ Animals.
- “Lion” on National Geographic Kids.
- “Lion (mammal)” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
