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Tiger Pictures Biography

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Lion, © Jess Jones

© Jess Jones
Diet
Lions consume a wide variety of prey, from wildebeest, impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and

wild hogs to sometimes rhinos and hippos. They will also feed on smaller animals such as

hares, birds and reptiles. Lions are also known to attack elephants when food is scarce.

Population
The lion population in Africa has been reduced by half since the early 1950s. Today, fewer

than 21,000 remain in all of Africa.

Range
Though lions used to live in most parts of Africa, they are now found only in the south

Sahara desert and in parts of southern and eastern Africa. Historically, in addition to

Africa, lions were found from Greece through the Middle East to northern India.

Behavior
Did You Know?

Both male and female lions roar, and that roar can be heard over five miles away!

The only social member of the cat (Felidae) family, lions live in large groups called

"prides," consisting of about 15 lions. Related females and their young make up the

majority of the pride. A single male, or sometimes a small group of 2-3 males, will join a

pride for an indefinite period, usually about 3 years or until another group of males takes

over.

Lions within a pride are often affectionate and, when resting, seem to enjoy good

fellowship with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking and purring. The males are

territorial, and will roar and use scent markings to establish their domains.

Females do almost all of the hunting. They are mainly nocturnal and work in teams to stalk

and ambush prey. Lions inhabit grassy plains, savannahs, open woodlands and scrub country.

These landscapes allow the hunters to creep stealthily through vegetation and leap upon

their unsuspecting prey.

Reproduction
Did You Know?

Lions are the second largest living feline species, second only to the tiger.

Mating Season: Throughout the year.
Gestation: Around 110 days.
Litter size: 3-4 cubs.
Young cubs are vulnerable to predation by hyenas, leopards and black-backed jackals. The

cubs begin hunting at 11 months but remain with their mother for at least two years.

A lion may gorge itself and eat up to 66 lb in one sitting, and if it is unable to consume

all the kill it will rest for a few hours before consuming more. An adult lioness requires

an average of about 11 lb of meat per day, while a male needs about 15.5 lb.

Lion facts

1.There may be one species of lion but did you know that it was believed that there were up

to 12 subspecies of lion? Unfortunately, some of these subspecies are now extinct and

others have been discounted for being too similar. So today we are left with 8 - for now.

2. Lions have been known to breed with tigers (most often the Siberian and Bengal

subspecies) to create hybrids called ligers and tiglons (or tigons). They also have been

crossed with leopards to produce leopons and jaguars to produce jaglions. The marozi is

reputedly a spotted lion or a naturally occurring leopon, while the Congolese Spotted Lion

is a complex lion-jaguar-leopard hybrid called a lijagulep. Such hybrids were once commonly

bred in zoos, but this is now discouraged due to the emphasis on conserving species and

subspecies. Hybrids are still bred in private menageries and in zoos in China.

3. The lion is the tallest (at the shoulder) of all living cats, averaging about 14 cm (5.5

in) taller than the tiger. Behind only the tiger, the lion is the second largest living big

cat in length and weight.

4. The longest known lion, at nearly 3.6 m (12 ft) in total length, was a black-maned male

shot near Mucsso, southern Angola in October 1973; the heaviest lion known in the wild was

a man-eater shot in 1936 just outside Hectorspruit in eastern Transvaal, South Africa and

weighed 313 kg (690 lb).

5. The mane of the adult male lion, unique among cats, is one of the most distinctive

characteristics of the species. It makes the lion appear larger, providing an excellent

intimidation display; this aids the lion during confrontations with other lions and with

the species' chief competitor in Africa, the spotted hyena.

6. The white lion is not a distinct subspecies, but a special morph with a genetic

condition, leucism that causes paler colouration akin to that of the white tiger; the

condition is similar to melanism, which causes black panthers. They are not albinos, having

normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin.

7. Lions are the most socially inclined of all wild big cats, most of which remain quite

solitary in nature.

8. Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day.

9. Lionesses do the majority of the hunting for their pride, being smaller, swifter and

more agile than the males, and unencumbered by the heavy and conspicuous mane, which causes

overheating during exertion.

10. The Nile crocodile is the only sympatric predator (besides humans) that can singly

threaten the lion. Depending on the size of the crocodile and the lion, either can lose

kills or carrion to the other. Lions have been known to kill crocodiles venturing onto

land, while the reverse is true for lions entering waterways, as evidenced by the

occasional lion claw found in crocodile stomachs.

11. Although adult lions have no natural predators, evidence suggests that the majority die

violently from humans or other lions. Lions often inflict serious injuries on each other,

either members of different prides encountering each other in territorial disputes, or

members of the same pride fighting at a kill.

12. Lions have an array of facial expressions and body postures that serve as visual

gestures. Their repertoire of vocalizations is also large. Lion sounds include snarling,

purring, hissing, coughing, meowing, woofing and roaring. Lions tend to roar in a very

characteristic manner, starting with a few deep, long roars that trail off into a series of

shorter ones. They most often roar at night; the sound, which can be heard from a distance

of 8 kilometres (5.0 mi), is used to advertise the animal's presence. Lions have the

loudest roar of any big cat.

13. Lions were kept and bred by Assyrian kings as early as 850 BC, and Alexander the Great

was said to have been presented with tame lions by the Malhi of northern India. Later in

Roman times, lions were kept by emperors to take part in the gladiator arenas.

14. The lion will only kill when it is hungry. Prey can usually sense when lions are

hunting and grazing animals will often ignore lions at other times – even when they close

by.

15. Lion-baiting is a blood sport involving the baiting of lions in combat with other