Lion

Lion is a member of the cat family and is counted amongst the 'Big Cats'. Lions are strong carnivorous animals known for their ferocity and courage. Lions evolved in Africa between 1 million and 800,000 years ago. From there they spread throughout the northern continents of the world, almost upper half on the world map. About 700,000 years ago, they appeared in Europe with the subspecies 'Panthera leo fossilis' at Isernia in Italy. And about 300,000 years ago Cave Lion (Panthera leo spelaea) evolved from the subspecies. During the upper Pleistocene the lion spread to North and South America, and developed into 'Panthera leo atrox', the American Lion. However, these species died out in northern Eurasia and America at the end of the last glaciation, about 10,000 years ago. Today, the majority of Lion population is concentrated in the continent of Africa and in Gir, India. There aren't any accurate numbers of lion population worldwide but estimates suggest numbers between 30,000-100,000.

As per scientific classification there are 7 accepted sub-species of lions recognized, out of which 2 are extinct.

They are:

1. Angola Lion (P.l. bleyenberghi) - Found in Zimbabwe, Angola and Zaire.
2. Masai Lion (P.l. massaicus) - Found in eastern Africa (i.e. Kenya and Tanzania).
3. Senegalese Lion (P.l. senegalensis) - Found in western Africa.
4. Transvaal or South African Lion (P.l. krugeri) - Found in Transvaal and Kalahari (South Africa).
5. Asiatic Lion (P.l. persica) - Found only in the Gir Forest of North West India.
6. Cape Lion (P.l. melanochaitus) - Found from the Cape Province to Natal (South Africa). It went extinct by 1860
7. Barbary Lion (P.l. leo) - Found in Northern Africa. It went extinct in the wild by 1920.

Facts about Lions

• Lions are the only social cats in the world. They live in groups, which are called 'Prides'. Pride size may vary from 3 to 40 members including adult females, males and cubs. All females in a pride are related.

• When lactating, females will allow any cub in their pride to nurse.

• Lions are the only sexually dimorphic members of the cat family. It means that female and male look different. Lions have manes, lioness's don't.

• Lions are the only Felids who have tufts at the ends of their tails, known as 'Tasselled Tails'. This tail is not for just looks alone, it is used as a means of communication. Lions use their Tasselled Tails to signal other members of the pride, with various messages which range from giving directions, showing attraction, curiosity, welcome etc.

• Lion's claws are retractable and sharp. Their claws grow as a series of layers. These eventually shred to expose new claws that can reach lengths of up to 1 1/2 inches from the base to tip.

• A Lion can't actually roar until it's 2 years old. A lion's roar can be heard up to 5 miles away (8 kilometres). Lions have more than 10 other vocalisations apart from roar, these include: growl, meow, grunt and a puff (used in close situations).

• Lions are known for their long spells of sleep. They spend most of their time sleeping, on an average they sleep for 16-20 hours per day.

• On an average, a lion will eat around 40 pounds of meat in one sitting. Eating is always followed by long hours of sleep.

• On an average a Lion spends 2 hours, a day walking and spends 50 minutes in eating.

• Lions can go without food for more than a week.

• Lions swallow their food in large chunks, instead of actually chewing and the swallowing it. They use only one side of their mouth at a time to cut their food. Their back teeth, known as 'Carnassals' work like a pair of scissors which help in tearing the flesh.

• Lions are the only cats that habitually feed whilst lying on their bellies.

• Male lions patrol a vast territory normally covering about 100 square miles (260 square kilometres).

• A lion can run up to a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour, but it can maintain this speed only for short distances (100 metres).

• Lions are poor hunters. Only 1 in 5 attempts is successful.

• Lions can copulate up to as many as 100 times in a 24 hour period.

• Lions generally hunt when the light is dull i.e. dawn or night but in Duba Plains of Botswana, lions only hunt during daylight for reasons better known to nature.

• In the wild lions seldom live more than 8 to 10 years, In captivity they may live up to 20.

Lion Scientific Classification

Kingdom - Animalia.
Phylum - Chordata.
Class - Mammalia.
Order - Carnivora.
Family - Felidae.
Genus - Panthera.
Species - Panthera Leo (binomial name).

Lion: Physical Features

Weight - Male lions weigh from 330 pounds (150 Kg) to 550 pounds (250 Kg). Females weigh 265 pounds (120 Kg) to 395 pounds (180 Kg).

Height and Length - Lions stand between 3½ to 4 feet (48 inches) tall at the shoulder. Male lions grow larger than females, reaching up to10 feet long including the tail. Females reach up to 9 feet long. The tail is on average 1 metre in length.

• Lion's body is very muscular, with less bone mass than other animals of comparable size. It has powerful shoulders and chest muscles allowing it to deliver strong blows with its forepaws which are heavy enough to break it's prey's back. The bones of the front legs are twisted in such a manner as to give a great range of motion to the forelimb.

• The most distinctive physical feature of a Lion is it's Mane. The mane covers the backside of the head, and the shoulders. The mane hair is stiff and wiry, like stiff horsehair. The colour of the male's mane varies from blond to black, generally becoming darker as the lion grows older. The extent of the mane varies from individual to individual. Some may have no mane at all while others have a lush mane that runs along the abdomen and even onto the fronts of the back legs in exceptional cases.  Just like the body hair, the mane colour is determined by the ratio of dark hairs to light hairs present. Some lions in the Serengeti area and from North Africa have a nearly black mane. The mane is a mean to display domination as the mane makes the lion appear larger. The mane also protects it from injuries during a fight. A dark and full mane indicates a healthy lion. It is has been also observed that lioness’s  favour males with the densest, darkest mane.

• Cubs have light spotting on their coats that disappear as they grow up. Faded leopard spots can also be found on young lions and some females may retain these, which indicate that the lion once lived in a more forested  habitat.

• Lions paws are equipped with soft pads which enable them to walk silently. Lions are Digitigrades. This means they essentially walk on their toes. But, the majority of the animal's weight is borne by the main paw pads. Extra bones in the toe joints give the toes a wide range of motion. The retractable  claws prevents injury during play and keeps the claws sharp. The dewclaw on the front limbs is often used as a toothpick.

• Lions have large eyes which are proportionately larger than other comparable-sized animals. Their eyes contain a special reflective coating that will reflect even moonlight. It increases the lion's visual acuity in very low light by ensuring that every possible photon of light makes it to the cells in the retina. Their side-to-side eye movement is restricted and as such must turn the head to look in a different direction.

• The lion's teeth are well adapted for killing their prey and eating it. The great canine teeth are spaced such that they can slip between the cervical vertebrae of their favourite-sized prey animals, and sever the spinal cord. The jaw is not capable of moving side-to-side, like humans.

• The tongue of a lion is covered with rough spines, called Papillae. The Papillae is helpful in scraping meat off of bones and acts like a comb when grooming.

• Lions have well developed sense of smell is well developed. It has a special olfactory organ on the roof of the mouth called a Jacobson's organ. Sometimes a lion will make a grimacing face whilst smelling. It's done by opening the lips and drawing air over their Jacobson’s organ. This process is known 'Flehmen'.

• A lion can swivel it's ears over a wide angle to enable it to hear distant sounds and know what direction they are coming from.

• The tail is about half the length of the body.

• A lion's body temperature ranges from 100.5 to 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. (38.05 - 39.16 degrees C.

• The digestive system of the lion is simple, in fact they have the shortest digestive tracts of all animals.

Colour Variations

Lion colouration varies from light buff to yellowish, reddish, or dark ochraceous brown

Apart from the above coloration, there is a distinct colouration, White Lions. White Lions are not a subspecies but have a genetic condition, known as ‘Leucism’. Though it causes the colour to pale, it is not Albinism as they have normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin. Officially known as White Transvaal lion (Panthera leo krugeri), it is mostly found in and around Kruger National Park and the adjacent Timbavati Private Game Reserve in eastern South Africa. They are more common in captivity where breeders deliberately select them.

Coat patter and colouration may exist as a result of breeding Lion with other Big Cats. Liger is one such hybrid which is a result of male lion and female tiger. Ligers have a tiger-like striping pattern with a lion-like tawny background. They may inherit rosettes from the lion parent.

Similarly, Leopon, a cross between a male leopard with a lioness has brown, rather than black, spots and tufted tails. Male leopons may have sparse manes.

Geographical Range and Habitat

African lions habitat ranges from the Sahara's southern fringe to northern South Africa. They are not found in equatorial areas dominated by moist tropical forest.
Asiatic Lion is only found in the dry Gir Forest of north-west India. A typical lion habitat is found in Savannah's, grasslands, dense bush and woodlands. However, they have adapted themselves to swampy areas and deserts. Like the lions found in the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Deltas lions

Behaviour

Lions are highly social animals. Often a pride is headed by a coalition of two brothers and at times of unrelated lions. Upon reaching adulthood female cubs may stay with the pride. But at the age of about 3, males are forced to leave or disperse on their own for new grounds. They become nomads and try to form a pride of their own, where ever they can challenge the dominant male and take over. Some adult males remain nomads for life.

Lions are aggressive and very territorial. Lions proclaim their territory by roaring. They generally roar in the evening before a night’s hunting and again before getting up at dawn. They also use roaring as a means of communication amongst each other. They use claw marking trees, rubbing their cheeks/jaws on objects, defecating and urinating on surroundings to mark their territory. This process is also meant to ward off competition, effectively reproduce and in some cases even hide their own scent. Male lions live a very violent life, they have a pride and territory to protect. On an average a male lion dominates a pride for about 3-4 years before it is challenged by other lions. Such challenges often result in death of either party. Upon dethroning the dominant male, the new lions will kill all siblings of the pride and terrorize the females. This killing has a purpose, female lions only give birth once every two years. With cubs by their side, they will not mate. Males also have limited period of time to pass on their genes so such infanticide occurs.

While the lions come and go, females stay together for many years. In this way Lionesses are the backbone of the pride. They do most of the hunting and raise the family. Females will not tolerate a nomad lioness or a lioness who has lost her way, they will attack them and kill them. Female lions will also join a fight when their pride is attacked by other pride members. They will also join a male lion in defending the territory whenever the situation arises. Sometimes in a pride vs. pride situation, they may mistake one of their own as their enemy and it may lead to serious consequences.  

Lions do not tolerate other predatory animals in their territory. A chance encounter with a leopard, cheetah, hyena or other small carnivores are dispatched as soon as they are see. They will also their young ones'. This is done to decrease competition for food. Lions will also steal kills from hyenas, leopards, and other predators, but may also lose their catches to hyena groups. Lions may also feed on domestic livestock, especially in areas near village. Lions tend to have enmity with spotted hyenas. There is a tussle between lions and hyenas over prey and territory. There have been documentation of hyenas purposely picking up a fight with lions. Some particular male lions have a great disliking for them and they will kill them even if unprovoked.

Females, whether nomad or in a pride do most of the hunting. Males are capable of hunting but they tend to participate only when the prey is larger for females to handle, like wild buffalo or giraffe. Males actively hunt during their bachelor stage. Lionesses work in a coalition though the actual bringing down of the prey is done by one of the 2-3 stronger and aggressive ones. The less strong one's help in overcoming and killing the prey. They stalk prey from nearby cover and then burst forth to run it down in a short, rapid rush. After leaping on the prey, the lion lunges at its neck and bites until the animal has been strangled or suffocated. They either bite the underside of the neck to collapse the trachea or they put their entire mouth over the prey animal's nose.

When the hunt is over, pride males get to eat first if they are nearby. Upon the arrival of male, the females keep a considerable distance from the prey as the male can attack or maim them. The females wait for males to eat his fill first but if she is wants to eat, she will approach carefully and try to mollify him with some social greeting and flirting. Cubs are usually a bit more tolerated by the male, but even they risk pushing too far. All those feasting will try to grab as much as they can for themselves in a pretty direct competition with the other lions. All in all it is a squabble.

Lions eat about 5 to 7 kgs meat daily, but can consume about 25% of their body mass if necessary. Though African Lions kill only enough to sustain themselves, but sometimes they kill excessively in the case of prey animals that are weak or young lions that go berserk.

Lions communicate with each other through a rub. The act is meant as a means of bonding, as lions leave scent markings on each other during the process.

Humans are not natural prey of Lions. But there have been incidents of man eaters. The most well known man-eaters have been the 'Tsavo Lions'. During March 1898 the Britishers had started the construction of a railway bridge over the Tsavo River in Kenya. Over a period of 9 months a pair male lions killed 28 railway workers. These were larger than normal lions and lacked manes. The absence or lack of prey led to such an incident. Man-eating however can become hereditary, as was the case with the Tanzania Lions. During 1930s over three generations of lions have been considered to have killed and eaten 1,500 to 2,000 in Njombe district (the known as Tanganyika).

Lion: Diet

Lions diet consist of various small and large animals. Typical diet of a Lion consists of zebra, wildebeest, impala, warthog, hartebeest, baboons, wild buffalo, oryx, eland and waterbuck. They are opportunistic hunters and will kill young hippopotamus, young sub-adult elephants, young rhinoceros, giraffes, ostriches and other small animals. In rare cases they have been documented killing a crocodile as well. They will also eat any meat they can find, including carrion and fresh kills that they scavenge or forcefully steal from hyenas, cheetahs, leopards or wild dogs.

Predators

Lions do not have any predators. However, some lions may end up dead whilst dealing with a large animal or a group of animals. Wild Buffalo, Hippopotamus, Rhinoceros, Elephants, Hyenas, Crocodile are formidable opponents. Cubs may fall prey to other competitive carnivorous and herbivore animals.

Lion: Reproduction

Male lions reach maturity at about 3-4 years of age. Lions are polygamous and breed throughout the year. But females are usually restricted to the one or two adult males of their pride. A lioness may mate with more than one male when she is in heat. Lion Mating begins with growling, pawing and even biting. When the female is ready, she lies down, and the male mounts her. Actual copulation takes 6-10 seconds, after which time the male gently bites the female's neck. The female then turns and bares her teeth at the male. The female does not ovulate until she is stimulated to do so by lots of sex. As a result lions will mate roughly every 15 to 20 minutes for two or three days—200 to 300 times in succession. During that period they are inseparable and will not hunt or eat. Gestation takes about 105-108 days. Usually two or three cubs are born. Newborn lion cubs are helpless and blind and have a thick coat with dark spots that usually disappear with maturity. Cubs are able to follow their mothers at about three months of age and are weaned by six or seven months. They begin participating in kills by 11 months but become able hunters when they are 2-3 years old.