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Ecology
Basic:
Known for being almost the only truly social cats, lions prefer to lead a nomadic lifestyle and live in groups called prides, and the leadership in these groups belongs mainly to females.
Lions have golden fur, while males have shaggy manes that range in color from light to tawny or even black. Coat color depends on the age of the lion, genetics and hormone levels.
Adult male lions can grow up to 3 meters in length and usually weigh between 150 and 250 kilograms, while females are slightly smaller in size - a maximum of 2.7 meters in length and weigh about 120-180 kilograms. The tail of a lion can reach a length of 0.6-1 meters. Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than their African counterparts.
The lion's body is ideally suited for hunting: they are strong and taut, have powerful front legs and jaws that help them to kill prey.
Lions mainly feed on large animals such as zebras and wildebeests. They do not hesitate to take prey from other predators - hyenas and leopards. The most important hunters of the pride are females.
Lionesses mate every 2 years and can give birth from 1 to 6 lion cubs at once 3.5 months after conception. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of lion cubs die in the first year of life. Pride females help each other to care for the offspring.
In the wild, male lions live an average of 12 years, and females 15 years. In a zoo, lions can live longer - over 20 years.
Up to 40 lions can live in the pride, including adult females, teenage lions (2-4 years old) and 1-2 adult males. Females remain in their mother's pride for life, unless a lack of food causes the pride to split. Males are expelled from the pride when they become old in order to compete with younger rivals.
The males travel first together with the whole group, which consists of his relatives, and then they look for another pride, which they can go to. Usually males live in one pride for 2-3 years.
Males and females mark their territories with urine, and also drive off rivals with their menacing roar.
Where do they live?
Lions once lived throughout Europe, Africa and North America, but today they can be found mainly in Africa - from the southern edge of the Sahara Desert to northern South Africa. The habitat is the savannah.
A small population of lions - about 300 individuals - lives in the Gir forest in western India.
Conservation status: African lion - vulnerable, Asiatic lion - on the verge of extinction
Lion populations suffer from the fact that a person hunts him and takes territory from animals, as well as diseases that can be transmitted from domestic dogs from neighboring villages to lions.
Over the past 2 decades, the lion population in Africa has halved for various reasons, including the punitive measures of farmers: lions attack livestock.
Human interference with the Asiatic lion's habitat has jeopardized their population in Gir Forest.
The closest relatives of lions are tigers, with which lions can interbreed in captivity. As a result, hybrids of these cats - ligers and tigers - are born.
Lions are the second largest feline (after tigers).
The formidable roar of a lion can be heard 8 kilometers away in the savannah.
The lion's mane helps the lion protect itself during fights.
Lions can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour chasing prey, although they can cover short distances. The leap of a lion reaches 11 meters.
Asiatic lions have a thinner mane than their African relatives, and they have a characteristic fold of skin on their belly. The ears of African lions are hidden in the mane, while those of Asian lions protrude from the mane.
During mating season, lions can mate 20-40 times a day.
The proud and formidable King of Beasts -. Despite its become, the strength and power of this animal, through the efforts of man, has significantly reduced its number. Lions are protected and live mainly in protected areas, but even there they are endangered by poachers. It is too honorable to kill a lion and hang its skin at home or put a stuffed animal.
The appearance of an African lion
Leo is a representative of the feline family and of all representatives of the feline family, lions have the most pronounced gender differences. A lion and a lioness can be distinguished from afar, thanks to the presence of a lush long mane in males.
It is possible that the lack of a mane in lionesses is the main advantage that helps lionesses during the hunt, nevertheless, the long mane is constantly entangled in dense thickets.
Lions are the largest of wild cats, the weight of an adult male sometimes reaches 250 kg, and the weight of an adult female can approach 170-180 kg. The length of an adult lion is up to three meters long, not counting the tail, which, in turn, can reach a meter in length. The females are somewhat smaller, their length is about two meters, the tail is about 70 cm.
African lion habitats
African lions live in the savannas of southern Africa. Previously, their number was much higher, and they populated not only the territory of Africa, but also India, the Near and Middle East, and part of Europe. A small number of African lions live in India and today, in a conservation area called "Garsky forest".
African lion lifestyle
Another difference between lions and other representatives of the feline genus is the creation of large families, called prides. Pride consists of one or two strong lions, and a large number of females. A clan created in this way has a number of advantages:
- A lion, or a pair of lions, takes over the protection of the territory in which the family lives. They protect their families from the attacks of other lions who want to acquire their own clan.
Such battles occur often and go until the complete victory of one lion over another. In the event of a victory for a third-party lion, he destroys all male cubs present in the pride.
At night, lions, with their roar, notify all neighbors located 8-9 kilometers from the pride that the flock is under protection and this territory is protected.
- A large number of females makes it possible to better provide the family with food, because the main hunters are female lions.
Lionesses are always under the patronage of the family, staying in the pride for the rest of their lives. The grown sons are driven out of the pack, and they create their own clans, sometimes at the cost of defeating the other leader and his sons.
For convenience, lionesses strive to acquire offspring in about one period, this makes it easier to care for little lion cubs. Until the babies reach the age of 2 months, lionesses with lion cubs retire, teaming up with other lion mothers, organizing like a kindergarten. During the hunt, one or several females remain with the babies, the rest hunt at this time. The remaining females take care of the cubs, protect and feed them. Grown up lion cubs are brought to the pride and brought up within the clan until the young males reach the age of 3 years. After that, they are expelled from the family. Females remain in the flock. They reach childbearing age at the age of 4 years.
Feeding African lions
The main diet of the lion family is meat from animals obtained by hunting. Males go hunting extremely rarely, only in case of severe hunger. Lionesses are very experienced and silent hunters, they rarely go hunting alone, which also distinguishes them from other wild cats. During the hunt, lionesses eat small prey on the spot, and bring large prey to the family, where it is divided among all members. Until the carcass is completely destroyed, lionesses do not go hunting, even if the prey walks around their habitat.
Lions attack people extremely rarely, most often these are animals that have already tasted human meat or are very hungry.
Danger to African lions
The greatest danger lions are exposed to from people, this is their main enemy. The representatives of lions also have clashes with the main competitors in the production of food - hyenas, although they are afraid of African cats, but they can try to attack on the sly.
Another danger trapping lions at the watering hole is the Nile crocodiles. The crocodile in the water is far superior in strength to both the lion and the lioness and is able to cope with the animal.
African lion video
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The lion (Latin name - Panthera Leo) is a feline mammal and is one of the four "big cats" of the genus Panthera (the black panther in the photo is its relative). Leo is the second largest catafter the tiger. Lions are unique in that they are the only cats living in groups (prides).
Although lions once lived in most of Africa, Asia and Europe, they are now found in the wild only in Africa and in the Gir Forest in India (in the Sasan-Gir National Park). The main habitats of lions are woodlands, savannas and grassy plains.
Characteristics and detailed description of the lion
Male lions are the only felines to have a mane.... The mane gives the lion a regal appearance, which earned him the title of "king of beasts". The male lion's mane is one of the most distinctive characteristics of the species. She makes the lion's head visually larger, perfectly demonstrating a frightening look. It helps the lion in clashes with other lions and with the lion's main competitor in Africa, the spotted hyena.
Male lions weigh from 150 to 225 kg (330-500 lbs), females range from 120 to 150 kg (260-330 lbs). Lions have a tail length of 70-100 centimeters (2 feet 3 inches - 3 feet 3 inches). The rear end of the tail ends in a hairy tuft. This tuft hides the tip of the spine, about 5 mm long, which consists of the bones of the last part of the tail fused together. The lion is the only feline to have a tassel on its tail, the function of this tuft is unknown. It is absent at birth, begins to develop only at 5 months of age, and at 7 months it becomes clearly visible. In the wild, lions live for about 10-14 years, and in captivity they can live for more than 20 years.
What do lions eat and who they hunt
Lions are carnivorous, which means that they eat meat. In natural conditions, lions usually hunt wildebeests, zebras and various ungulates (giraffes, buffaloes and gazelles). Sometimes lions even hunt young elephants, rhinos and hippos. Lions can also take prey from hyenas and other predators. Lions are known to be picky about their food and also eat rodents, small birds, hares and reptiles.
Lions, in pursuit of their prey, can cover a distance as long as a football field in just six seconds. The lion's eyes have reflective cells that magnify the image several times and allow you to carefully monitor your prey even in the dark.
In the zoo, the diet of lions consists of specially prepared cat food, consisting of chickens (an interesting story about a chicken), rabbits (such as in this photo), lamb and horse meat.
How do lions live in pride and what they do
Lions generally become active at dusk and at night. Lions spend most of their time resting, often up to 20 hours a day. This happens for many different reasons, including in order to conserve energy, to survive the heat and periods of lack of prey.
During periods of rest, lions have ample opportunities for communication. They gather and sleep in groups, rub their heads together, play together. All this is beneficial for strengthening their social bonds.
Living in a group allows lions to hunt together. Lionesses from the same pride can surround potential prey to attack it from different directions. At all, for hunting, lions choose tracking tactics, since they are not so hardy for long-term pursuit.
When hunting, lions usually refuse to chase for 45-100 meters (50-110 yards). Lions strangle their victims, and larger prey are pressed with their necks to the ground to block their breathing. This predator can also place its paw on the nose, mouth, or throat of prey. The lion easily captures small prey with one wave of one of its massive paws.
Despite their immense strength and agility, lions are not always able to succeed in attacks on prey. If the failed victim runs away, they wait for a new one. In the animal kingdom there are more effective hunters who catch prey more gracefully - these are dragonflies.
Breeding lions and their cubs
Lionesses are able to bear offspring several times a year. However, an adult female lion does not produce the next litter until her cubs are about 2 years old. But if the entire litter dies, she will mate again soon after the last lion cub dies.
The gestation period for lionesses is 110 to 119 days.... The litter has an average of 3 to 6 pups. Cubs are usually born in a secluded place, and when they reach 4-6 weeks, they are assigned to a kindergarten introduced in prides.
When a new male arrives at the pride, he can kill newborn lion cubs, so the females mate with him to produce his own cubs. Young cubs begin to participate in the pride hunt at 11 months, although they are not able to survive on their own until about 30 months of age.
Infant mortality among lions is very high, with the percentage of cubs surviving after the first year of life is less than 50%. Hierarchy is strictly observed in the lion's pack... Male lions feed first, then lionesses, and finally lion cubs. In a pride, it often happens that prey is killed once every 3-5 days, so many cubs die of hunger. Nonetheless, the cub is more likely to survive at birth in the pridethan a lioness with a cub on her own.
Conservation status
As usual, when on our website about animals we talk about a particular animal, we end the article with the section "Conservation status". The number of lions is rapidly decreasingAccording to various estimates, the number of individuals living in the wild ranges from 16,000 to 30,000, up from about 100,000 in the early 1990s. The danger for the species is also that lion populations are often geographically isolated from each other, which leads to such a phenomenon as inbreeding (closely related crossing).
Mighty, strong, stately and fearless - we are talking about a lion - the king of beasts. Having a warlike appearance, strength, ability to run fast and always coordinated, thoughtful actions, these animals will never be afraid of anyone. Animals living next to lions are themselves afraid of their menacing gaze, strong body and powerful jaw. No wonder the lion was called the king of beasts.
The lion has always been the king of animals, even in ancient times this animal was worshiped. For the ancient Egyptians, the lion acted as a watchdog, guarding the entrance to another world. For the ancient Egyptians, the god of fertility Aker was depicted with a lion's mane. In the modern world, many state emblems depict the king of beasts. The coats of arms of Armenia, Belgium, Great Britain, Gambia, Senegal, Finland, Georgia, India, Canada, Congo, Luxembourg, Malawi, Morocco, Swaziland and many others depict the warlike king of beasts. The African lion, according to the International Convention, was included in the Red Book as an endangered species.
It is interesting!
For the first time, African lions were able to tame ancient people back in the eighth century BC.
Description of the African lion
We all know from childhood what a lion looks like, since a small child can recognize the king of beasts by only one mane. Therefore, we decided to give a short description of this powerful beast. The lion is a powerful animal, however, a little more than two meters in length. For example, it is much longer than a lion, reaching 3.8 meters in length. The usual weight of a male is one hundred and eighty kilograms, rarely two hundred.
It is interesting!
Lions, living or in a specially designated natural area for them, always weigh more than their counterparts living in the wild. They move little, eat too much, and their mane is always thicker and larger than that of wild lions. In natural areas, lions are looked after, while wild cats in nature look unkempt, with disheveled manes.
The head and body of lions is dense and powerful. Skin color is different, depending on the subspecies. However, the main color for the king of animals is cream, ocher, or yellow-sand. Asiatic lions are all white and gray.
Older lions have tough hair that covers their heads, shoulders and down to the lower abdomen. Adults have a black, thick mane or a dark brown mane. But one of the subspecies of the African lion, the Masai, does not have such a lush mane. The hair does not fall on the shoulders, and it is not on the forehead.
All lions have rounded ears with a yellow speck in the middle. The mottled pattern remains on the skin of young lions until the lionesses give birth to cubs and the males reach puberty. All lions have a tassel at the tip of their tail. This is where their spinal section ends.
Habitat
Long ago, lions lived in completely different territories than in the modern world. A subspecies of the African lion, Asian, lived mainly in the south of Europe, in India, or inhabited the Middle Eastern lands. The ancient lion lived throughout Africa, but never settled in the Sahara. The American subspecies of the lion is therefore named American, as he lived in the North American lands. Asiatic lions gradually began to die out or be exterminated by humans, which is why they were. And African lions in small flocks remained to exist only in the African tropics.
Nowadays, the African lion and its subspecies are found only on two continents - Asian and African. Asian kings of beasts live quietly in Indian Gujarat, where there is a dry, sandy climate, savannah and bush forests. According to the latest data, all five hundred twenty-three Asiatic lions have been registered to date.
There will be more real African lions in the western countries of the African continent. In the country with the best climate for lions, Burkina Faso, there are over a thousand lions. In addition, many of them live in the Congo, there are over eight hundred of them.
Wildlife no longer has as many lions as there were in the seventies of the last century. Today their only thirty thousand left, and this is according to unofficial data. African lions have chosen the savannahs of their beloved continent, but even there they cannot be protected from hunters who scurry everywhere in search of easy money.
Hunting and feeding the African lion
Leos do not like silence and life in silence. They prefer open spaces of savannahs, plenty of water, and settle mainly where their favorite food lives - artiodactyl mammals. No wonder they deservedly bear the title of "king of the savannah", where this animal feels good and free, as he himself understands that he is the lord. Yes. Male lions do just that, they only dominate, rest most of their lives in the shade of bushes, while females get food for themselves, him and the lion cubs.
Lions, just like our men, are waiting for the queen-lioness to catch a dinner for him and cook it herself, bring it on a silver platter. The king of animals should be the first to taste the prey brought to him by the female, and the lioness herself patiently waits for her male to gorge himself and leave the remains from the “king's table” for her and the lion cubs. Males rarely hunt, unless they have no female and they are very, very hungry. Despite this, lions will never give offense to their lionesses and cubs if other people's lions encroach on them.
The main food of the lion is artiodactyl animals - llamas, wildebeest, zebras. If lions are very hungry, then they will not disdain even rhinos and hippos, if they can defeat them in the water. Also, he will not be stingy with game and small rodents, mice and non-venomous snakes. To survive, the lion needs to eat on the day over seven kilograms any meat. If, for example, 4 lions unite, then one successful hunt for all of them will bring the desired result. The problem is that among healthy lions there are sick ones who are not able to hunt. Then they can attack even a person, since, as you know, for them "hunger is not an aunt!"
Breeding lions
Unlike many mammals, lions are gregarious predators, and mate at any time of the year, which is why you can often observe a picture when an old lioness bask in the sun with lion cubs of different ages. Despite the fact that females have nothing to worry about, they can safely carry lion cubs and even walk side by side with other people's females, males, on the contrary, can fight for a female in earnest, right up to their death. The strongest survives, and only the strongest lion has the right to possess a female.
The female bears the cubs for 100-110 days, and mainly three or five cubs are born. Lion cubs live in large crevices or caves, which are located in places that are difficult for a person to reach. Lion cubs are born thirty centimeter babies. They have a beautiful, spotted color that persists until puberty, which basically occurs in the sixth year of the animal's life.
In the wild, lions do not live long, on average 16 years, while in zoos, lions can live all thirty years.
Varieties of the African lion
Today, there are eight varieties of the African lion, which differ in color, mane color, length, weight and many other features. There are subspecies of lions that are very similar to each other, except that there are some details, they are known only to scientists who have been studying the life and development of feline lions for many years.
Lion classification
- Cape lion. This lion has long been absent from nature. He was killed in 1860. The lion differed from its counterparts in that it had a blacker and too thick mane, and black tassels flaunted on its ears. The Cape lions lived in the South African region, many of them chose Cape Good Hope.
- Atlas lion... It was considered the largest and most powerful lion with a massive physique and overly dark skin. Lived in Africa, lived in the Atlas Mountains. These lions were loved by the Roman emperors to keep them as guards. It is a pity that the very last Atlas lion was shot by hunters in Morocco in the early 20th century. It is believed that the descendants of this lion subspecies live today, but scientists still argue about their authenticity.
- Indian lion (Asian). They have a more squat body, their hair is not so spread out, and their mane is slicker. Such lions weigh two hundred kilograms, females and even less - only ninety. Throughout the history of the existence of the Asiatic lion, one Indian lion was entered into the Guinness Book of Records, the body length of which was 2 meters 92 centimeters. Asiatic lions live in Indian Gujaraet, where a special reserve has been set aside for them.
- Katanga lion from Angola. They called him that because he lives in the province of Katanga. Has a lighter color than other subspecies. An adult Katanga lion is three meters long, and a lioness is two and a half. This subspecies of the African lion has long been called into extinction, since there are very few of them left to live in the world.
- West African lion from Senegal. It has also long been on the verge of extinction. Males have a light, rather short mane. Some males may not have a mane. The constitution of the predators is not large, the shape of the muzzle is also slightly different, less powerful than that of an ordinary lion. Lives south of Senegal, in Guinea, mainly in central Africa.
- Masai lion. These animals differ from others in that they have longer limbs, and the mane is not disheveled, like that of the Asiatic lion, but is "neatly" combed back. Masai lions are very large, males can reach a length of over two meters and ninety centimeters. The height of the withers of both sexes is 100 cm. The weight reaches 150 kilograms and above. The habitat of the Masai lion is African southern countries, also live in Kenya, in reserves.
- Congolese lion. Very similar to their African counterparts. Only lives mainly in the Congo. Just like the Asiatic lion, it is an endangered species.
- Transvaal lion. Previously, it was attributed to the Kalakhara lion, since according to all external data it was known as a very large animal and had the longest and darkest mane. Interestingly, in some subspecies of the Transvaal or South African lion, significant changes were observed for a long time, due to the fact that the body of lions of this subspecies lacked melanocytes, which secrete a special pigment - melanin. They have white coat and pink skin color. In length, adults reach 3.0 meters, and lionesses - 2.5. They live in the Kalahari Desert. Several lions of this species were settled in the Kruger reserve.
- White lions - Scientists believe that these lions are not a subspecies, but a genetic disorder. Animals with leukemia have a light, white coat. There are very few such animals, and they live in captivity, in the eastern reserve of South Africa.
We would also like to mention the "Barbary lions" (Atlas lion), kept in captivity, whose ancestors when lived in the wild, and were not as large and powerful as modern "Berberians". However, in all other respects, these animals are very similar to modern ones, have the same shapes and parameters as their relatives.
It is interesting!
There are no black lions at all. In the wild, such lions would not survive. Maybe somewhere they saw a black lion (people who traveled along the Okavango River write about this). They seem to have seen black lions there with their own eyes. Scientists believe that such lions are the result of crossing lions of different colors or between relatives. In general, there is still no evidence of the existence of a black lion.
Lion's Gluttony
By food, lions mean almost everything that moves. They do not even disdain locusts and mice. They attack young elephants, rhinos, hippos, buffaloes (adults are spared, sometimes lions cannot cope with them). Well, the favorite food is animals: antelopes, gazelles, zebras, warthogs, goats, sheep, cattle.
Damaged animals are most often the prey of the entire flock. Lions usually hunt together, but they do not succeed in every outing. Sometimes African kings have to starve for whole days. Lions never kill for fun. They are content, as a rule, with only one animal, and only when all the meat is eaten do they go hunting again. Therefore, their victims learned to distinguish well-fed lions from hungry ones. The former are not in the least afraid, but if they meet the hungry, all the animals, noticing them, scatter at lightning speed. Therefore, as befits monarchs, the king of animals has to be moderately insidious and attack at the watering hole, or, approaching the prey in a flock, drive it into an ambush.
A lion in a zoo eats a chicken .. Photo: Rochkind
The lioness, an experienced hunter, cautiously approaches the prey, hiding behind low bushes, until the moment comes for a swift dash forward. In the hope of a free lunch, the lion watches the vultures that circle in the sky, or sit in the trees. They always flock to a fresh carcass, and this serves as a welcome signal for a hungry cat. A lioness is able to lie motionless for half a day in the thicket, having picked up, until a herd of wildebeests appears at the watering hole. A few seconds, when they lower their muzzles to the water, is enough for her well-timed jump.
Hunting together, members of the pride kill their prey quickly and easily. In the rapidly approaching equatorial twilight, a frightened herd of zebras or wildebeest turns into a stampede and rushes directly to the line of lurking lionesses. At this point, the lioness costs nothing to beat off the intended victim, like a cowboy - a calf during branding, stun her with one blow and jump on her shoulders for a decisive bite in the neck. Often, however, the first attack does not end with complete success, since in comparison with a cheetah or a leopard, the lion is a rather careless hunter. Then her sisters join the lioness who knocked over the prey. One bites into the throat to strangle the victim and prevent her from jumping to her feet, the other clings to the croup, deftly avoiding the deadly hooves, and after a minute or so, the other can begin the feast.
But when a lonely lioness goes hunting - a mother or an decrepit patriarch, expelled from the pride, or perhaps lagging behind him, their situation is much more difficult and the chances of success are small. It is not so easy to kill a 300 kg zebra without the help of a pride.
The life span of lonely animals is short, and very often they end their days in the teeth of more successful hunters.
A hungry lion pounces on any meat, be it a mouse or a hippopotamus. Neither legibility nor disgust is characteristic of him. Lions eat carrion with no less pleasure than just killed prey. Lions eat their own kind: hungry and irritated males often devour lion cubs. Usually, lions bypass animals much larger than themselves, but there are times when they fearlessly rush at large and dangerous animals and cope with them, although it would seem that this prey is beyond their power, for example, an adult giraffe or an evil six hundred kilogram African buffalo. If the carcass is large enough, an adult lion is able to eat 25-30 kg of meat in one sitting, and then add fifteen kilograms at the next feeding.
Lions get food in three ways: they themselves kill the prey, take or pick up the prey of other predators, and eat animals that died from illness or died of old age. But this is a fresh carcass or half-decomposed, large or not large, obtained by him or found, it is always important for the lion, since it guarantees his survival. However, other meat lovers, such as hyenas, jackals and vultures, also encroach on her, and therefore lions guard her all the time. A lone predator rarely manages to eat its prey without interference, but the pride successfully drives away uninvited guests and has time to dine at the carcass for the second time. Apparently, lions eat their prey in a strictly established order: first, the belly is mated and the heart, liver and kidneys are eaten, and then the meat along with the skin. The dominant male eats first, even if he did not take any part in the hunt. If there is a lot of game at this time of year and he is not particularly hungry, then other members of the pride can also be admitted to the feast. Otherwise, they are forced to wait until he is satisfied, and only then snatch their share. Lion cubs eat last, if there is still something left for them, and often the dominant male makes sure that they get at least some remnants.
However, the role of lions in the regulation of the number of ungulates fades into the background compared to the sufficiency of the food supply, therefore, lions, like almost all large predators, are rather useful for the state of the ungulate population, since they destroy weakened animals; this prevents the development of massive diseases and leaves more food for healthy individuals.
Time relax
Lions sleep in small islets of shade or in the grass warmed by the savannah sun for 20 hours a day.
Full of lazy self-confidence, as if not noticing nothing in the circle, the members of the pride fell asleep, exposing their bellies to the sun, raising their paws and only occasionally twitching their tails. Only when the sun goes down will the figures of hunting lions appear against the background of the darkening sky.
Serengeti - a paradise for lions
Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, covering an area of \u200b\u200b14,800 square kilometers, has the most dense lion population in the world (about a thousand individuals). The park's hilly plains and savannahs and huge herbivore herds offer a great opportunity for lion prides to demonstrate their hunting prowess. In the Serengeti, tens of thousands of zebras and wildebeest, dotting the plain to the very horizon, graze, drive away flies or simply roast under the rays of the merciless sun. And the pride, somewhere on the sidelines, watching the herd, is an integral part of the overall picture. Lions do not hunt vigilant antelopes during the day, which are able to run much faster than them. They are waiting for the night to come. Then the lionesses, one after another, silently go into the darkness and surround the flock. If the males help them, a few formidable roars will drive the frightened animals to where the lionesses are waiting for them. Without this help, lionesses have to do everything themselves. When zebras and wildebeest are abundant, lions feed almost exclusively on them. A lion usually eats every two to three days, but is able to go without food for several weeks. Famine becomes a serious threat for some lions after the herds begin their seasonal migration across the plains. So, a lioness with helpless newborn lion cubs sometimes remains alone when the herds leave, and after them her pride. Taken to the extreme, she can become a cannibal. But more often, even a lone huntress is able to find prey by setting up an ambush in convenient places, such as watering places, and guided by the behavior of other inhabitants of the plain, for example, vultures.
Possessing a charismatic appearance, the lion has a number of features that make it very different from all other representatives of the feline kingdom. Only a lion is endowed with such a luxurious mane. Only the lion has such a clear sexual dimorphism. Only the lion has a characteristic tassel on its tail. Only lions live in prides, and finally only the lion has such a thunderous voice.
The mane of males plays a protective role in collisions between males. Male lions fight each other much more often than other members of the family. They live in open spaces, with clearly divided boundaries between prides. Thus, male lions often have to protect their females and territory from the encroachments of another male. In such a difficult lion life, where fights between individuals are inevitable, the mane is a valuable "invention". It softens the blows of the front paws inflicted by the enemy, and also makes it difficult for the enemy to sink his teeth into the throat.
All members of the Panthers genus can roar intimidatingly. The roar of a tiger is in no way weaker than a lion's, but only a lion can roar in this way. The characteristic lion's roar is the most powerful sound emitted by a predatory animal. No predator is capable of making such powerful sounds.
This roar is not a threat, the potential prey of the lion does not scatter, barely hearing this roar. Attacking the enemy, the lion growls, like all felines of the genus Panthers, and does not roar. With a similar roar, the male-lion lets other lions living in the vicinity know that this is his territory, which is not recommended to enter.
It remains only to say a few words about such a non-standard social life for the feline family of lions. I think that this is due, again, to the fact that lions from the Pokon centuries lived and live in open areas. There is no such dense thickets as in the jungle, and lions, in turn, are not as swift as cheetahs. Therefore, joint hunting in such conditions is much more productive. Moreover, having gathered together, it was much easier for the lions to compete with other predators, and most importantly - with the primitive, at that time, man, who also hunted in large groups.
