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LION (Panthera leo)      

 

     
Taxonomy/Classification:
 
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Panthera
Species: leo

DID YOU KNOW ...

  

Mass (adult): male: 150-240 kg,
female: 120-180 kg.
Shoulder Height: 1 - 1,2 m.
Gestation: 3 months.
Birth: Usually 1 - 4 cubs
Birth Mass: +- 1,5 kg.
Longevity: 20 to 30 years (10-16 years in wild).
Distribution: Africa & Gir Forest (India).
Surviving: +- 50 000 but declining.
  • The lion is Africa's largest carnivore.
  • The lion is the only cat species in the world that live and hunt in groups.
  • Lions are good swimmers and are able to climb trees.
  • Both males and females are able to roar (audible for as far as 8 km), and both also defend the prides'
       territory. The maximum speed an adult lion can reach over a short distance is 60 to 80 km/hour.
  • It is more advantageous that lionesses rather than lions do the hunting because females are lighter, smaller    and without a conspicuous mane.

  • The horny papillae on a lion's tongue are used to scrape the flesh from bones and through the skin of prey;     lapping up water, and removing parasites during grooming.
  • Although they sometimes hunt during the day, +- 88% of all successful hunting attempts are at night.
       A strip of tissue in the eye behind the retina (known as the Tapetum lucidum), which intensifies bad light by    reflecting it back into the retina, causes the eyes of a predator such as the lion, to reflect brightly at night.

  • Only adult males have a mane, usually with an average length of +- 16 cm.
  • Stress, from lack of food or injuries is usually the cause for the loss of an adult male's mane.
  • Males of the Senegalese lion (P. l. senegalensis) of West Africa have almost no mane, whilst the famous    man-eating lions of Tsavo in east Africa were all adult mane-less male lions.

  • The Asian lion (Panthera leo persica) is presently threatened with extinction in the wild.
  • Lions had previously been found in the wild in Europe and North Africa but are now extinct in these areas.    The last wild European lion was killed +- 100 AD in Greece.
  • The three main reasons why a lion will attack a human are: hunger, fear and to protect its cubs.

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    BIG CATS, such as lions, differ from smaller cat species in the following ways:   Name in other languages:
    Afrikaans: Leeu
    Tswana, Sotho, Lozi, Pedi: Tau
    Shona: Shumba
    Swahili: Simba
    Venda: Ndau
    Zulu: Ngonyama
    Damara: Xamm
    Somali: Kibaax
    French: Lion
    German: Löwe
    Spanish: León
    Portugese: Leao
  • Big cats don't bury their faeces like most smaller cat species do;
  • Big cats usually lie down to feed whilst smaller cat species feed in a crouched position;
  • Big cats rest with their paws in front of the body, tail extended straight backwards, whilst small cats tuck    their forepaws beneath the body, tail wrapped round the body.
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    Useful Links:
    WildWays Africa IUCN Cat Specialist Group
     African Lion Working Group
     Asiatic Lion Info Centre
     Rhino & Lion Conservation