Everything you need to know about lions

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The lion, along with the tiger, is considered the largest of the living cats – the weight of some males can reach 250 kg. It is difficult to say for certain whether the largest subspecies of the lion is more massive than the largest subspecies of the tiger.

In Africa, lions live in savannas with a small number of sparsely growing acacias, which are used by animals as shelter from the sun. Their habitat in India is a mixture of dry savannah and shrub forest.

The historical range of the lion was much wider than the modern one: even in the Early Middle Ages, the lion was found throughout Africa, except for deserts and tropical forests, it could also be seen in the Middle East, Iran, and even in a number of places in southern Europe (for example, it lived on part In northern and northwestern India, the lion was a common predator, but human persecution and habitat destruction have led to the fact that in Africa the lion has survived only south of the Sahara, its range has now been greatly reduced. Asia, a small population exists in the Gir forest in the Indian state of Gujarat.

The appearance of the lion is very peculiar. This is one of the few predators with pronounced sexual dimorphism. Males are not only much larger than females, but also have a mane, which in some subspecies reaches a large development and covers the shoulders, part of the back and chest. The color of the lion is yellow-gray with various shades, the mane is often the same color as the skin, but it can be dark, even black. Lion subspecies are determined largely by the color of the mane. With the exception of the mane, the coat on the animal's body is short, only at the end of the tail there is a brush of long hair.

Lions inhabit mainly savannahs, but sometimes they can move into the bush or forest. Unlike other cats, they do not live alone, but in special family groups – prides. A pride usually consists of related females, offspring, and a few adult males. Females hunt together, in most cases for large ungulates. Lions do not prey on people purposefully, but cases of cannibalism are observed very often. Lions are apex predators, meaning they are at the top of the food chain.

In nature, lions live from 10 to 14 years, in captivity they can live longer than 20 years. Males, as a rule, rarely live more than 10 years. This happens because fights with other lions greatly reduce their life expectancy.

Lions are considered vulnerable species due to the irreversible decline in their population. Over the past two decades, the number of lions in Africa has decreased by 30-50%. Populations are especially vulnerable outside protected areas. The reason for the decline in numbers is not fully understood, but the greatest threats are habitat loss and conflicts with humans. Lions have been kept in menageries since Roman times. Zoos around the world are collaborating on a breeding program for the endangered Asian subspecies.

The lion occupies one of the main places in human culture. Images of these animals have been known since the Paleolithic, as evidenced by the rock paintings in the Lascaux and Chauvet caves. Lions were popular in culture in ancient times and in the Middle Ages, they found their way into sculpture, painting, national flags, coats of arms, myths, literature and films. We will tell you more about all this and more below.

Everything you need to know about lions

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Everything you need to know about lions

Nature photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com

The lion belongs to the genus Panthera, which also includes the tiger, jaguar, and leopard. In early classifications, 12 subspecies of the lion were traditionally distinguished, the largest of which was the Barbary lion. 8 subspecies of the lion are considered modern:

  1. Asiatic, Persian or Indian lion – was previously widespread throughout Turkey, Southwest Asia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. The diurnal lifestyle and large prides have made the Asiatic lion an easy target for poachers. Preserved predator only in the Gir forest in India. The population is about 300 individuals.
  2. The Barbary or Barbary lion is a subspecies that has become extinct in the wild due to overhunting, although some individuals may have survived in captivity. This is one of the largest subspecies – in males, the body length reached 3–3,3 meters, and the weight was more than 200 kg. Barbary lions were distributed throughout the territory from Morocco to Egypt. The last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922.
  3. The Senegalese or West African lion is common in West Africa, from Senegal to Nigeria.
  4. Northern Congolese lion – lives in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  5. East African or Masai lion – the range covers East Africa, from Ethiopia and Kenya to Tanzania and Mozambique.
  6. Southwest African or Katangese lion – distributed in Southwest Africa: Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
  7. Southeast African or Transvaal lion – the distribution area covers the Transvaal region of the Republic of South Africa, including the Kruger National Park.
  8. The Cape Lion is an extinct subspecies in the wild. Disappeared in the 1860s. According to the results of studies of mitochondrial DNA, it is sometimes not distinguished into a separate subspecies. The Cape lion is thought to have been part of the southern population of the Transvaal lion.

Asiatic, Persian or Indian lion

Asiatic, Persian or Indian lion | wikimedia.org

North Congo lion

North Congo lion | wikimedia.org

East African or Masai lion

East African or Masai lion | flickr.com

Southwest African or Katangese lion

Southwest African or Katangese lion | wikimedia.org

Southeast African or Transvaal lion

Southeast African or Transvaal lion | wikimedia.org

The lion holds the record for shoulder height among all felines. By weight, the largest subspecies of the lion and tiger are approximately comparable. Lions have powerful legs, strong jaws, and fangs are 8 cm long, so these predators are able to kill fairly large animals. The color varies from buffalo skin color to yellowish, reddish or dark brown. The lower part of the lion's body is lighter than the upper, the tip of the tail is black. Lion cubs are born with brown spots on their bodies, like leopards. Upon reaching sexual maturity, these spots disappear, although in some adults, especially females, they remain on the abdomen and legs.

Lions are one of the few terrestrial predators and the only members of the cat family that have a well-defined sexual dimorphism: lionesses are distinguished by their smaller size and lack of a mane. Females often act as a hunter – for this reason, the mane, which can interfere with camouflage, is not developed in them. The color of the mane varies from white to black and always darkens with age.

The mass of adult lions is 150–250 kg for males and 120–180 kg for females. Sizes vary by environment and range. Lions from South Africa are generally heavier than lions from the eastern part of the continent by 5%. And lions living in captivity tend to weigh more than those predators that live in the wild.

Interesting fact

A lion weighing 272 kg was shot dead in the mountains of Kenya.

The heaviest known wild lion was a cannibal; he was shot dead in 1936 in the Eastern Transvaal (South Africa). Its weight was 313 kg.

A lion named Simba was registered at Colchester Zoo in the UK in 1970, weighing 375 kg.

The length of the body of a lion, together with the head, reaches 170–250 cm in males and 140–175 cm in females. The length of the tail in lions ranges from 90 to 105 cm, and in lionesses – from 70 to 100 cm.

Interesting fact

The maximum body length (3,3 meters) was possessed by a male with a black mane, killed in the southern part of Angola in October 1973.

A characteristic feature of both a lion and a lioness is a fluffy tuft – a “tassel” at the end of the tail; the length of this bundle is about 5 cm. At birth, the tassel is absent, and it begins to develop only from the 5th month of life of the cubs. At the age of 7 months, it is already well distinguishable. In some individuals, there is a "spur" inside the brush, formed from the terminal sections of the tail vertebrae, fused together.

Everything you need to know about lions

Nature photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com

Everything you need to know about lions

Animals photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com

Male lions have a large mane of thick hair up to 40 cm long. The mane of adult males is unique – none of the cats have anything like it – this is one of the most striking distinguishing features of this species.

The mane begins to develop in approximately six-month-old animals and becomes larger, thicker and more magnificent with age. The mane becomes fully developed by the age of three, reaching its greatest development and splendor in old lions. The mane is formed by yellow hair, with an admixture of black hair and a certain amount of light hair, mainly located on the front of it. A significant part of the mane, mainly the back, is black. In general, with the age of the animal, the mane darkens even more.

The general severity of the splendor, density and color of the mane, its degree of development, shape and area occupied have great individual variability. There is also geographic variability in the mane (for example, the Asian subspecies has a less dense mane than African lions). A particularly lush mane usually develops in captive lions, as animals in their natural habitat are prone to hair plucking when moving through thickets of vegetation and shrubs.

The mane visually enlarges the lion in size, and also helps to intimidate other males and attract females. In prides where two or three males compete, females prefer lions with the most lush and dark mane.

The growth of the mane is directly related to the release of the hormone testosterone – for this reason, castrated lions either have only a small mane, or no mane at all. The absence of a mane is also observed in natural lion populations. For example, in Senegal and the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, lions with an almost completely missing mane have been noted.

Everything you need to know about lions

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There are also white lions – and this is not a separate subspecies. This is a specific polymorphism with a genetic disease – leucism, which causes a lighter color of the coat than in ordinary lions. Such a manifestation, in fact, is the opposite of melanism, with which the appearance of black panthers is associated. However, white lions are not albinos – they have normal eye and skin pigmentation. White Transvaal lions are sometimes found in the Kruger National Park and the adjacent Timbavati Reserve in eastern South Africa. However, more often white lions can be found in captivity, where breeders specially breed these animals. The unusual cream color of the coat is due to a recessive gene. According to some authors, white lions were bred in South Africa for shooting as a trophy.

Confirmation of the existence of white lions appeared only at the end of the 20th century. For hundreds of years, they were considered the fruit of legends wandering through South Africa. The observations were first published in the 1900s, after which cases of encounters with white lions were rarely noted. Only in 1975 were white lion cubs found in the Timbavati reserve.

Everything you need to know about lions

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Everything you need to know about lions

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Lions are carnivores with two types of social organization.

  1. Most often they live in groups called prides. A pride usually consists of five or six related females, their cubs of both sexes, and one or two males (in the latter case, the pride is called a coalition) that mate with adult females. The number of adult lions in a coalition is usually two, but their number can rise to four, and then decrease again. Upon reaching puberty, young males leave the pride.
  2. The second type of social organization is the so-called wandering lions, singly or (rarely) in pairs wandering within the range. Often, male lions banished from the pride in which they were born become wandering lions. Most young males go through this, and some of them remain single until the end of their lives.

Lions can change their way of life: nomads can form their own pride or join an existing one, and those living in a group can leave it. It is much more difficult for a single female to join another group, since lionesses in a pride are always related and usually expel strangers.

Most of the day, about 20 hours, the lions rest. Although they can hunt at any time of the day, they are most active after sunset. Most often, lionesses begin to hunt after dark and before dawn, taking breaks at night. On average, they spend two hours a day walking and 50 minutes eating.

The area occupied by a group of lions is called the "pride territory". Males usually stay on its periphery and guard the territory. Mostly lionesses take part in the hunt – they are smaller in size, faster and more flexible than lions. Males, as a rule, do not participate in hunting, except when a large animal becomes a victim – for example, a giraffe or a buffalo. Males are harder to hunt because of their mane, which leads to overheating during exercise.

During the hunt, females act in a coordinated manner – this helps them most successfully attack the victim. However, if there is a male in the vicinity of the hunt, he always dominates the division of prey. He more willingly shares his prey with offspring than with lionesses, and in the case of a self-killed victim, he feeds on her himself. Small prey is eaten on the spot by the hunters themselves, larger prey is dragged to the territory of the pride, where other members of the family also get access to it. On the spot, lions often behave aggressively towards each other and strive to eat as much food as possible.

Both males and females protect the territory of the pride from strangers. However, this duty in the pride is unevenly distributed: some lions constantly drive away strangers, others prefer to stay away, giving this right to others. Lions that remain on the sidelines may fulfill another key role for the family. On hot days, the pride may retreat into the shade, leaving one or two males to guard the borders. Each member of the pride is given a role. Lions protect their pride from invading other males; lionesses act similarly in relation to other females, being a stable social unit in the pride. The number of females changes only after the birth or death of any lioness, although some of them may leave the pride themselves and become nomadic. Males always leave the pride after they reach 2-3 years of age.

Everything you need to know about lions

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Lions are strong animals that hunt in coordinated groups and pursue their chosen prey. However, they can only run fast for short distances and must be close to their prey when attacking. They use factors that help to achieve this – in particular, they hunt at night. Lions sneak up on a herd of ungulates until the distance decreases to 30 meters or less. In most cases, several lionesses surround him from different sides. As soon as the herd is surrounded, they pounce on the nearest animal. Then comes a fast and powerful attack. Predators try to catch their prey with a quick jump. The animal usually dies from strangulation or suffocation. Small animals can be killed by paw strikes.

The main prey of the lion is large mammals such as wildebeest, zebras, buffaloes and warthogs in Africa, while in India the lion hunts nilgai, wild boars and several species of deer. Hunting other animals depends on their availability. Basically, these are ungulates with a body weight of 50 to 300 kg, for example, kudu, kongoni, oryx and eland. On occasion, lions may eat relatively small animals such as Thomson's gazelle or springbok. Due to the fact that lions hunt in groups, they are able to kill many large mammals, but in most cases they prefer to refrain from attacking adult giraffes in order to avoid injury.

General statistics collected during various studies showed that lions feed on mammals with a body weight of 190 to 550 kg. In Africa, the main prey of the lion is wildebeest and zebra. Adult elephants, hippos, rhinos, impalas, and mobile antelopes are excluded from the diet. However, giraffes and buffalo are often eaten by lions in some areas, such as the Kruger National Park. In Manyara Park, due to the high population density, Cape buffalo make up 62% of the diet of lions. Warthogs can also be eaten, despite their relatively small weight (about 180 kg).

Interesting fact

In rare cases, lions can prey on hippos.

In some areas, animals that are not typical for the diet of lions serve as prey – this applies to the Chobe National Park, where they attack elephants. The park management reported that the extremely hungry predators first attacked the cubs, then the young, and then at night, taking advantage of the elephants' poor eyesight, and adult animals.

Lions can also attack livestock – in India, it makes up a fairly large part of their diet. They are able to kill other predators, such as leopards, cheetahs, hyena dogs, and also eat animals that have died from diseases or died from other predators. A lion can eat up to 30 kg of meat at a time; he rests for several hours before the next meal, if the prey has not been eaten at one time. An adult female requires an average of about 5 kg of meat per day, and a male about 7 kg.

Since lionesses hunt in open areas where their prey can easily spot them, coordinated actions lead to more successful hunting. This is especially true for the production of large mammals. Moreover, a group of lionesses is able to protect their prey from other predators, such as hyenas, which are attracted by vultures flying over the corpse of a killed animal.

Young individuals observe the hunting of adult animals, but they themselves begin to take part at the age of one year. They are able to fully hunt only from the age of two.

Everything you need to know about lions

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Due to its size and strength, an adult lion has practically no natural enemies. However, lions can become a victim of other lions, dying in fights – the proportion of such cases relative to the total mortality of the species is quite large. Lions often inflict serious injuries on each other when members of different prides collide with each other or in the event of a fight between males from the same pride. Adults suffering from illness or injury, as well as cubs, can become the prey of other predators – hyenas, leopards, or be trampled by buffaloes or elephants. Cases of the death of lions during their hunt are also described.

Everything you need to know about lions

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During the rest, the communication of lions passes through various expressive movements. The most common tactile gestures are head rubbing and licking, which can be compared to grooming in primates. When lions rub their noses against the head, neck, or face of another lion, it is a sign of welcome. Such a sign is used in the case of the return of the animal to its relatives. Males tend to rub against other males while cubs rub against their mothers.

Licking another individual often occurs along with friction. This is a mutual gesture aimed at obtaining pleasure. In most cases, lions lick their heads and necks.

There are many facial expressions and postures that lions use as visual gestures. They are able to make sounds that vary in strength and pitch. Lions can growl, purr, hiss, cough, bark and roar. The roar occurs in a characteristic manner, starting with a few deep sounds and ending with strong ones. It is used as a signal to other animals.

Interesting fact

Lions usually roar at night. The lion's roar is heard at a distance of up to 8 km!

Everything you need to know about lions

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In places where lions and spotted hyenas live, there is direct competition. In some cases, the diet of these two species coincides by 68%. As a rule, lions ignore hyenas, except in cases of aggression from the latter. Spotted hyenas themselves usually pay attention to the presence of lions and their acceptance of food. In Tanzania, in the Ngorongoro Crater, lions easily take prey from hyenas and basically feed only on it. Lions are very good at recognizing the signals with which hyenas start eating. When confronted with lions, hyenas move away from their prey at a distance of 30-100 meters and patiently wait for the predators to leave. In rare cases, they eat prey along with lions. Both species can be aggressive towards each other even in the absence of a prey. Lions are able to attack hyenas for no reason.

Interesting fact

In the Etosha National Park (a nature reserve in northern Namibia), 71% of hyenas die due to lion attacks.

In captivity, hyenas who have never seen lions are indifferent to them, but react with fear to their smell.

Lions dominate smaller cats – cheetahs and leopards. In 90% of cases, the death of cheetah cubs is due to the attack of lions. The latter quite often take prey from cheetahs and feed on it. Cheetahs try to avoid competition in hunting with lions, and cubs are hidden under low bushes. Leopards hunt smaller prey and hide kittens in trees to prevent lion attacks. However, this tactic is not always successful, as lionesses can climb trees. Lions sometimes prey on wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) purposefully, in some cases even adults become victims.

The only predator (other than humans) that can pose a threat to an adult lion is the Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). In a collision, these animals are capable of inflicting serious injuries on each other, and therefore serious conflicts between them are quite rare. When competing for prey, as a rule, the size of the crocodile, the number of lions, the motivation of animals and the degree of remoteness of the food source from water play a decisive role.

Interesting fact

In some places, such as around Lake Rudolph (Kenya, Ethiopia), lions suffering from a lack of natural prey sometimes deliberately attack crocodiles that have moved away from the water and kill individuals up to at least 3,5 meters long.

Sufficiently large crocodiles can also opportunistically (fraudulently) hunt lions, especially in swampy areas when they quench their thirst at a watering hole or try to swim through various water obstacles.

Everything you need to know about lions

Travel photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com

Everything you need to know about lions

Lion photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com

Although lions do not usually prey on humans, human casualties do occasionally occur. Mostly males prey on humans. Well-known cases of cannibalism in the Tsavo River region in Kenya, where in 1898, within nine months, lions killed 28 people who were building a bridge across the river, and incidents in the Luangwa River valley near the settlement of Mfuwe in Zambia, where in 1991 a lion killed 6 people. The incidents in Mfuwa and Tsavo have similarities: in both cases, people were attacked by lions, which were larger than their other relatives. These animals did not have a mane and they suffered from caries. An analysis of the teeth and jaws of man-eating lions suggests that due to caries, the animals were exhausted, which led to cannibalism.

Wounded and sick lions are more prone to cannibalism than healthy individuals. Scientists from the US and Tanzania report that cases of lion cannibalism in rural areas of Tanzania increased significantly from 1990 to 2005. During this period, at least 563 villagers were attacked by predators. The attacks occurred near the Selous Game Reserve and in the province of Lindi, on the border with Mozambique, where lions attacked people even in the centers of relatively large villages.

An estimated 70 Tanzanians are killed each year by lion attacks. From 1990 to 2004, 815 people were documented to have been attacked by predators, of whom 563 died.

In April 2004, a man-eating lion was killed in southern Tanzania. It is believed to have eaten at least 35 people in the Rufiji Delta. Dr. Rolf Baldus, coordinator for the wildlife conservation program, noted that the lion was sick with tooth decay and experienced a lot of pain, especially when chewing. As in other cases, this lion was larger than the rest of the individuals and was practically without a mane.

All of Africa gives an account of the lesser-known incidents in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in the 1930s-1940s. George Rushby, a professional hunter, destroyed the pride, which over the course of three generations killed between 1500 and 2000 people in the Njombe area.

Everything you need to know about lions

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Everything you need to know about lions

Green photo created by wirestock – www.freepik.com

Since the end of the 18th century, lions have been one of the main animals in zoos. More than 1000 African and 100 Asiatic lions are kept in zoos around the world. The goals of the content are different – this is the preservation of the species, and the exhibition of exotic animals. In captivity, lions can live up to 20 years. Apollo, a lion at the Honolulu Zoo, died at the age of 22 in August 2007. Lion breeding programs in zoos are carried out in such a way as to avoid crossbreeding between two different subspecies.

Lions were kept and bred in captivity as early as the time of the Assyrian kings, starting from 850 BC. Alexander the Great had tame lions from Northern India. In the era of the Roman Empire, lions took part in gladiator fights. In the East, animals were tamed by Indian princes. In Europe, the first lions appeared in the 13th century and belonged to the royal families.

A large number of zoos with lions arose by the beginning of the 17th century, first in Italy and France, and then throughout Europe. In England, lions have been kept in the Tower of London since the 8th century.

Large animals such as lions and elephants were considered a symbol of power and wealth in ancient times. They participated in fights against each other or pets. In a broader sense, menageries demonstrated the power of man over nature. Fighting gradually began to disappear in the 17th century. The tradition of keeping big cats as pets continued into the 19th century.

The lion is one of the oldest and most popular heraldic symbols. In heraldry, it symbolizes royal dignity and nobility.

The lion is also called the "King of Beasts". The lion in the folklore, beliefs and mythology of the various peoples of Africa is a symbol of the highest divine power, power and greatness, power. In the European tradition, it is a symbol of power, embodying the power of the sun and fire. Courage, valor, pride, nobility, justice, triumph are also often associated with the image of a lion. The image of a lioness is characterized by special semantics – a symbol of motherhood, an attribute of many mother goddesses, and the embodiment of voluptuousness.

You can learn more interesting facts about lions from the following documentary videos.

In the video player, you can turn on subtitles and select their translation into any language in the settings

In the video player, you can turn on subtitles and select their translation into any language in the settings

In the video player, you can turn on subtitles and select their translation into any language in the settings