The lion is one of the strong and large animals in size, it is the second largest in size of the feline, and it is one of the animals threatened with
About the lion
The lion is one of the strong and large animals in size, it is the second largest in size of the feline, and it is one of the animals threatened with extinction, as a result of the decrease in the number of lions in the wild, and the extinction of some of their species, as the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated in In 2014 AD, the number of adult lions in the world ranges between 23-39 thousand lions, and lions are now spread in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, with a few of them in India, specifically in the Unnatural Forest Reserve . Note that lions prefer to live in grasslands, savannas, and dense shrubs.
Black types
Lions are currently classified into two main types :- Southern subspecies: (scientific name: Panthera leo melanochaita), and this type includes the following lion subspecies:
- The northern subspecies lions: (scientific name: panthera leo leo), and this type includes the following lions:
Lion morphological characteristics
Assad is characterized by muscular long body, large - sized head, short legs, and his tail end lock of dark hair color compared to the color of the body, it can distinguish male lion from the female easily as the male has a poetry surrounds his head and covers the neck called the mane, while do not have female That is, the color of the lion's fur ranges from yellow or orange-brown, silver-gray, and dark brown, and the male lion is larger than the female, as the length of the adult male ranges between 1.8-2.1 m, in addition to the length of the tail, which reaches 1 m, and its height Measuring from the ground to the shoulders, it is about 1.2 m, and its weight is about 170-230 kg. As for the lioness, its length is 1.5 m, and the height of its shoulder from the ground ranges between 0.9-1.1 m, in a gene whose weight reaches 120-180 kg, It is worth noting that it is small The lion or what is known as the cub is distinguished by its grayish-colored fur, which is decorated with brown spots that disappear when the cub reaches its third month, and sometimes some spots may remain on the stomach, especially in the species of lions that live in East Africa.
The lion social lifestyle
Lions are considered social animals, as they prefer to live in a group called the herd, but the lions that live in Asia are different from the lions of Africa, as the males of Asian lions do not live with females and do not meet them except in order to mate or participate in devouring large prey, as for the herd of African lions It usually consists of three adult males and dozens of females in addition to the cubs, and the number of members of a herd of lions can sometimes reach 40 lions, and when the lions grow up, two-thirds of the lions remain in the flock in which they were born, while the rest of the lions leave the herd to form a new flock. When male lions always have to leave the flock to create new alliances with males of the same herd, or other flocks.
Each group of lions occupies its own area for several generations, and the size of the area that the lions take as their home depends on the abundance of food and water, and it is worth noting that the more members of the lion herd, the greater their opportunities to expand in the area they occupy, as well as increase their ability to defend it From animal and other assaults, and when a new alliance of lions succeeds in controlling the herd, it immediately rushes to kill the young cubs so that they can mate with the lionesses as quickly as possible.
Lions communicate with each other in several ways, as they are able to distinguish some of them, and to know the strength and fitness of any of them through eye contact that takes place by looking at the size of the mane, and lions define their own areas of influence by spraying plants with urine, and this behavior includes chemical and visual communication in At the same time, it is worth noting that the lions communicate with the lions of the other flocks through voice communication, using the roar with which the lions also express their power towards their enemies, and finally the lions communicate with each other through physical contact, as the lions revive others through touch.
Lion mated and life cycle
male lions reach sexual maturity at about the second year of their life, and when they reach the fourth or fifth year, they are waiting for the opportunity to control the herd so that they can obtain the right to mate with females for the first time in Their lives .
It should be noted that lions mate throughout the year, but the peak of their mating is in the rainy season, and after a gestation period ranging between 110-119 days, the lioness gives birth to a number ranging from 1-6 cubs, but the average is usually 2-3 cubs.
Lion's food and hunting for prey
Lions depend on hunting for their food, and most of the hunting tasks occur on the lionesses, which are active for hunting at night, especially in times of dusk and dawn. The lionesses are able to catch their prey thanks to their ability to run at a high speed of up to 53 km / h. It should be noted that lions prefer hunting Deer, zebras, and African antelopes, and when they are unable to hunt large prey, they replace them with birds, rodents, fish, ostrich eggs, amphibians, and reptiles.
The dangers and challenges facing the lion
Lions are exposed to many dangers that cause their numbers to decrease, and among these dangers:- Bushmeat trade: Some animals, such as antelopes, are exposed to illegal hunting in order to obtain and sell their meat, and this affects lions, as it reduces the number of animals that are a food source for them, and in addition, some lions may be exposed to hunting by mistake as a result of falling into the traps that Hunters set up to catch other game.
- Conflicts between humans and lions: This arises as a result of lions being exposed to and killing livestock, so farmers whose cattle are subjected to this constantly resort to revenge against the lions by killing them by poisoning them, which leads to the death of an entire herd of lions in some cases.
- Habitat loss: Humans need as a result of increasing their numbers to increase the area of their land, and this leads to encroaching on the wild places inhabited by lions and their prey, and turning them into pastures for livestock or agricultural places, and the presence of livestock in those areas may affect the amount of food available for wild herbivores, which Causes a reduction in the number of prey available to lions.
- Overhunting: Lions are exposed to overfishing to obtain leather, claws, teeth, and bones to trade in and sell them in Asian markets, and some lions are killed in some regions of Africa during certain rituals and ceremonies aimed at proving masculinity and courage.
- Other threats: Other threats to lions and their prey are: the spread of mining in wildlife areas, illegal logging, and the exposure of some lions to diseases.
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