Lion, member of the cat family whose size, power, and bearing have captured human imagination since earliest times. Called the king of beasts, lions once ranged throughout Africa and from Europe to Iran and India. By 1900 lions were no longer found in Syria; today Eurasian wild lions are limited to the Gir Sanctuary in India. Lions also roam Africa south of the Sahara, particularly the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and the Kruger National Park in South Africa. This drastic reduction in range came about as human beings and domestic livestock spread into savannah lands. Because lions live in open areas, they are easily shot by hunters and herders. In sanctuaries, however, they are a great attraction for tourists, and within such confines their survival is not endangered except by disease.
King of the Beasts, Abuko Nature Reserve, Gambia Adult male lions can be as much as 50 per cent larger than females, but it is to other males that they must appear threatening. Their manes make them appear bigger without adding expensive weight. If a smaller male realizes he is at a disadvantage, a confrontation may end without a fight. In the event of an attack, the mane also serves to snag or cushion the impact of an opponent’s claws and teeth. Although lions are now protected from big game hunting, they are increasingly threatened by the disappearance of land and food as humans encroach upon their habitat.Alastair Shay/Oxford Scientific Films/Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. All rights reserved.
Asiatic Lions, India The Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary in Gujart, India, is the only remaining habitat of the Asiatic lion, a species that was nearly extinct in the early 1900s.Sankhala/Photo Researchers, Inc. Expand Lions have relatively short-legged, long, muscular bodies and large heads. The male grows to 1.7 to 2.5 m (5.6 to 8.2 ft) long, not including the tail, which is 90 to 105 cm (36 to 41 in) in length. The animal stands 1.23 m (4 ft) high at the shoulder, and it weighs 150 to 250 kg (330 to 550 lb). The mane, which covers the head and neck, sometimes extends to the shoulders and belly. It varies in length and in colour, from black to tawny; well-fed, healthy lions have longer, fuller manes. The smaller, equally muscular females are of the same tawny colour but lack manes. Both sexes have hooked claws, which are retractable (can be withdrawn), and wide, powerful jaws. The lion's roar, which can be heard up to 9 km (5.6 mi) away, is usually uttered before the animals hunt in the evening, after a successful hunt, and again in the early morning. In the open savannahs they inhabit, lions need travel only about 8 km (5 mi) and spend only two to three hours a day in pursuit of food, passing the remaining hours resting and sleeping. Lions do not hunt every day.
II SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
Lion Society Lions, the most social of the big cats, live in prides composed of 4 to 12 adult females, their cubs, and 1 to 6 adult males. Subprides, or companionships, exist within the pride. The size of these subgroups depends on the abundance of both prey and competing predators in the area: larger groups are more successful hunting teams, but smaller groups allow each member of the team to eat more of a small kill. Males are the protectors of the pride, while females do most of the hunting. Among the most gregarious of the cats, lions associate in groups of one or more family units called prides. A pride has 5 to 37 members composed of 4 to 12 adult females, their cubs, and 1 to 6 adult males. The females, which represent several generations, rarely leave the pride. Male cubs stay in the pride until they are expelled when nearly adult. They then roam about for several years, after which they begin to contend with rival males to head a pride. Many males often remain nomadic, and even those that take over a pride remain with the females for only a few months to a few years before they leave on their
Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
King of the Beasts, Abuko Nature Reserve, Gambia Adult male lions can be as much as 50 per cent larger than females, but it is to other males that they must appear threatening. Their manes make them appear bigger without adding expensive weight. If a smaller male realizes he is at a disadvantage, a confrontation may end without a fight. In the event of an attack, the mane also serves to snag or cushion the impact of an opponent’s claws and teeth. Although lions are now protected from big game hunting, they are increasingly threatened by the disappearance of land and food as humans encroach upon their habitat.Alastair Shay/Oxford Scientific Films/Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. All rights reserved.
Asiatic Lions, India The Gir National Park and Lion Sanctuary in Gujart, India, is the only remaining habitat of the Asiatic lion, a species that was nearly extinct in the early 1900s.Sankhala/Photo Researchers, Inc. Expand Lions have relatively short-legged, long, muscular bodies and large heads. The male grows to 1.7 to 2.5 m (5.6 to 8.2 ft) long, not including the tail, which is 90 to 105 cm (36 to 41 in) in length. The animal stands 1.23 m (4 ft) high at the shoulder, and it weighs 150 to 250 kg (330 to 550 lb). The mane, which covers the head and neck, sometimes extends to the shoulders and belly. It varies in length and in colour, from black to tawny; well-fed, healthy lions have longer, fuller manes. The smaller, equally muscular females are of the same tawny colour but lack manes. Both sexes have hooked claws, which are retractable (can be withdrawn), and wide, powerful jaws. The lion's roar, which can be heard up to 9 km (5.6 mi) away, is usually uttered before the animals hunt in the evening, after a successful hunt, and again in the early morning. In the open savannahs they inhabit, lions need travel only about 8 km (5 mi) and spend only two to three hours a day in pursuit of food, passing the remaining hours resting and sleeping. Lions do not hunt every day.
II SOCIAL ORGANIZATION
Lion Society Lions, the most social of the big cats, live in prides composed of 4 to 12 adult females, their cubs, and 1 to 6 adult males. Subprides, or companionships, exist within the pride. The size of these subgroups depends on the abundance of both prey and competing predators in the area: larger groups are more successful hunting teams, but smaller groups allow each member of the team to eat more of a small kill. Males are the protectors of the pride, while females do most of the hunting. Among the most gregarious of the cats, lions associate in groups of one or more family units called prides. A pride has 5 to 37 members composed of 4 to 12 adult females, their cubs, and 1 to 6 adult males. The females, which represent several generations, rarely leave the pride. Male cubs stay in the pride until they are expelled when nearly adult. They then roam about for several years, after which they begin to contend with rival males to head a pride. Many males often remain nomadic, and even those that take over a pride remain with the females for only a few months to a few years before they leave on their
Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia. © 1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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