Fun Lion Facts: The African lion is the most powerful carnivore in the entire feline world. This animal is almost equal to two tigers. The most amazing thing about them is that their voices can be heard up to 5 miles away.
Fun Lion Facts:
- Lions like to live in groups. Their team is called Pride. Each group consists of 10 to 15 lions.
- An adult lion roar goes from 8km away.
- In the wild, they can live an average of 12 to 16 years.
- Their young are called Cub, Whelp and Lionet.
- A mother lion needs 5 kg of meat per day and males need 7 kg or more.
- In this species, the mother lion captures 85 – 90% of the prey. And males protect their groups.
Females reach 2/3 the height of adults at only two years of age.
- Called the ‘king of the jungle’, most lions live in grasslands. And very few live in forests.
- They attack and hunt mostly large animals. For example – zebras, deer, wild buffalo, wild cows etc.
- They can run at a speed of 81 km per hour.
What do lions hunt the most?
ANTELOPES, RHINOS, BUFFALOES, HIPPOS, ZEBRAS, CROCODILE, GIRAFFES, YOUNG ELEPHANTS ETC. That is, they hunt from rhinos to zebras, crocodiles, giraffes, small elephants.
Other Informations about Lion:
Lion Home:
Once the African lion lived all over Africa, Asia and Europe. But the current status of this species has decreased by 94% compared to before.
African lions are found in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Tanzania, The Central African Republic, South Sudan and Sub-Saharan Africa. A very small number of lions survive in India’s Gir Forest.
Lion Food:
Lions are carnivores. They eat the flesh of various animals. Like zebras, wild beasts, antelopes etc. Men eat 7 kg a day and women 4.5 kg a day. They prey on any animal that wanders near them, even if they are not hungry.
Mating habits:
Breeding Season: Throughout the year, peaking during the monsoons
Gestation period: 110-119 days
Childbearing: 3-6 cubs
Independent age: 2 years
FEMALE NAME: Singhi
MALE NAME: Singha
Baby Name: Pet
Lions have a polygamous mating system, meaning that a male lion can mate with several lionesses. They breed throughout the year, during the rainy season.
The gestation period lasts from 110 to 119 days, with an average of 3-6 cubs.
The female gives birth in a secret, secluded nursery. At 4-6 weeks of age, the cubs join the pride.
Generally, all proud females feed and care for the young; When a mother female leaves the pride to hunt, another lactating female will feed her cubs.
Weaning occurs at 6-7 months of age, although cubs usually stay close to their mothers for the first two years of their lives. Males become sexually mature at 5 years of age while females reach maturity earlier at 2.5 – 3 years of age.
Physical structure:
SIZE: HEAD AND BODY- 4.5 TO 6.5 feet. TAIL- 26.25 TO 39.5 INCHES
WEIGHT: 265 TO 420 POUNDS
Method of hunting:
They cannot run far without breathing. They can run up to 60 km per hour maximum. They are quite intelligent and hunt intelligently. The female hunts among them.
First they try to get close enough to the prey, before catching the prey.
Then they kneel down on the ground and try to get closer.
Then they quickly pounce on their prey without making a sound.
Lion Nature:
Female lions mostly guard their territories ie from other mother lions. And males protect their group from danger.
A lion’s roar goes gold from a distance of at least 5 km. They can count the numbers i.e. if they realize that the number of enemies is less then they challenge them.
Males tend to roam around holding onto their territory and prefer to stay away from combat.
They play different games. For example – Chasing, Wrestling, Pawing, Stalking, Rushing etc.
Population Trends: Declining
Population Status: Vulnerable (VU)
Population: Population Threats
However, poaching is still one of the main factors, which threaten the populations of these animals across Africa.
Currently, they have lost their range due to increasing human settlements and changing their habitat to agricultural land.
Meanwhile, those living in nearby human settlements are exposed to diseases spread by domestic dogs.
Population:
Nowadays, the overall population of the species is rapidly declining, with an estimated 20,000 individuals throughout Africa. In the IUCN Red List, the African lion is classified as Vulnerable.
Ecological niche: By feeding on herbivores such as zebras or buffalo, they control the population numbers of these species.
Otherwise, these herbivores may be out-competed by other animals in their range, leading to the complete extinction of these species and thus destroying the ecosystem’s biodiversity.