All About Lions

 The lion (Panthera leo) is a huge, powerfully built cat of the Felidae family, second only to the tiger in size. The lion, the fabled "king of beasts," has long been one of the most well-known wild creatures. Lions are most active at night and can be found in a range of environments, but their preferred habitats include grassland, savanna, deep scrub, and open forest. They used to be widespread throughout most of Europe, Asia, and Africa, but currently they are mostly found south of the Sahara. In India's Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, an isolated group of about 650 Asiatic lions form a slightly smaller race that lives under extreme protection.

Identifying feature

The lion is a huge, muscular cat with short legs and a long body. The size and look of men and women differ significantly. The male's most distinguishing feature is his mane, which differs between individuals and communities. It can be completely absent, fringed around the face, or full and shaggy, covering the back of the head, neck, and shoulders and going across the throat and chest to join a fringe along the belly. The mane and fringe of certain lions are extremely dark, practically black, giving the animal a magnificent aspect. Males with manes appear larger, which can be used to intimidate rivals or impress potential mates. A fully grown male is roughly 1.8–2.1 metres (6–7 feet) long, excluding the 1-metre tail, and stands about 1.2 metres tall at the shoulder, weighing 170–230 kilogrammes (370–500 pounds). With a body length of 1.5 metres, a shoulder height of 0.9–1.1 metres, and a weight of 120–180 kilogrammes, the female, or lioness, is the smaller of the two. The lion's coat is short and ranges in colour from buff yellow to orange-brown to silvery grey to dark brown, with a darker tuft on the tail tip than the rest of the coat.

Prides

Lions are the only cats that live in groups called prides. A pride's members usually spend the day in various dispersed groups that may come together to hunt or share a meal. A pride is made up of multiple generations of lionesses, some of whom are related, a few mating males, and their cubs. The group might include as few as four members or as many as 37, but the typical number is around 15. Each pride has a well-defined territory that includes a core area that is carefully protected from entering lions and a peripheral area that allows for some overlap. When prey is plentiful, a territory can be as tiny as 20 square kilometres (8 square miles), but when game is scarce, it can be as large as 400 square kilometres. Some prides are known to use the same territory for decades, passing it on from female to female. Lions mark their territory by roaring and smelling it. Their characteristic roar is usually heard in the evening before a night of hunting and again in the morning before getting up. Males also make their presence known by urinating on bushes, trees, or the ground, creating a foul aroma in their wake. Different scent markings are left by defecation and rubbing against vegetation.

Why do lions form groups? There are several competing evolutionary reasons. Females' large bodies and the high density of their main prey possibly make group life more energy efficient for them. Female groups, for example, hunt more effectively and are better able to protect their cubs from infanticidal males and their hunting zone from other females. The relative relevance of these aspects is debatable, and it's unclear who was responsible for the formation of group life and whose benefits are secondary.

Why do lions form groups? There are several competing evolutionary reasons. Females' large bodies and the high density of their main prey possibly make group life more energy efficient for them. Female groups, for example, hunt more effectively and are better able to protect their cubs from infanticidal males and their hunting zone from other females. The relative relevance of these aspects is debatable, and it's unclear who was responsible for the formation of group life and whose benefits are secondary.

Hunting

Lions prey on a wide range of animals, from rodents and baboons to Cape (or African) buffalo and hippopotamuses, but they are most commonly seen hunting medium- to large-sized hoofed mammals like wildebeests, zebras, and antelopes. Geographically, as well as between neighbouring prides, prey choices differ. Elephants and giraffes have been known to be taken by lions, but only when they are young or unwell. They devour any flesh they can get their hands on, including carrion and new kills scavenged from hyenas, cheetahs, and wild dogs. Lionesses who live in open savannas conduct the majority of the hunting, while males often eat from the females' kills. Male lions, on the other hand, are skilled hunters and hunt often in some locations. In scrub or woodland habitat, pride males spend less time with the ladies and hunt the majority of their own food. Male nomads must always be self-sufficient in terms of food.

Despite the fact that a troop of hunting lions is potentially nature's most powerful predatory force on land, many of their hunts fail. The cats seem unconcerned about the direction of the wind (which could bring their scent to their prey), and they fatigue quickly after short distances. They usually stalk prey from adjacent cover before bursting forth to chase it down in a short, quick burst. After leaping on the victim, the lion lunges at the animal's neck and bites until it is strangled. Other members of the pride scramble to get a piece of the kill, often fighting for it. Members of a pride may encircle a herd or approach it from opposite directions, then close in for a kill in the ensuing panic. The cats usually feast themselves before resting for several days in the area. An adult man can eat over 34 kg (75 pounds) of meat in a single meal and then recover for a week before returning to the hunt. When prey is plentiful, both sexes spend 21 to 22 hours per day relaxing, sleeping, or sitting, and just 2 or 3 hours per day hunting.

Life cycle and reproduction

Both sexes are polygamous and reproduce all year, but females are usually limited to their pride's one or two adult males. Lions reproduce frequently in captivity, while in the wild, they normally only breed once every two years. Within a broadly varied reproductive cycle, females are receptive to mating for three or four days. A pair usually mates every 20–30 minutes during this time, with up to 50 copulations per 24 hours. By eliminating rival males, protracted copulation not only induces ovulation in the female but also assures paternity for the male. The gestation time is approximately 108 days, and the litter size ranges from one to six pups, with two to four cubs being the most common.

Newborn cubs are vulnerable and blind, and their coats are thick with dark markings that fade with age. At around three months of age, cubs are able to follow their mothers and are weaned at six or seven months. They start killing around 11 months, but they won't be able to subsist on their own until they're two years old. Although lionesses will feed other cubs, they are shockingly inattentive moms, leaving their pups alone for up to 24 hours. There is a significant death rate (e.g., 86 percent in the Serengeti), but beyond the age of two, survival rates increase. Sexual maturity is reached about three or four years of age in the wild. When female cubs reach sexual maturity, some are forced to leave the pride and join other prides, while others wander as nomads. At around three years of age, male cubs are exiled from the pride and become nomads until they are mature enough to try to take over another pride (after age five). Many adult males live their entire lives as nomads. Male lions compete fiercely to defend a pride's territory and mate with the pride females, and nomad males have little opportunity to mate. Individuals are less successful at maintaining tenure with pride than cooperative partnerships of two to four men, and larger coalitions have more surviving offspring per male. Small coalitions are usually made up of connected guys, whereas bigger ones are frequently made up of strangers. If a new group of males succeeds in taking over a pride, they will try to kill young cubs sired by their forefathers. This reduces the time it takes for the pups' mothers to be ready to mate again. Females try to prevent infanticide by hiding or directly guarding their babies; lionesses are better at protecting older kittens because they will be leaving the pride sooner. Lions rarely survive longer than 8 to 10 years in the wild, owing to attacks by humans or other lions, as well as the impact of kicks and gorings from intended prey animals. They can survive for 25 years or more in captivity.