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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON
NAME: |
African
lion |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Carnivora |
| FAMILY: |
Felidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Panthera
(panther, leopard) leo (lion) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Short-haired,
tawny cat; black tail tuft, ears, and lips; newborns
with grayish spots which fade to adult color by
three months |
| MALE |
At
maturity, exhibit blond to black manes |
|
| SIZE: |
|
| MALE |
1.7-2.5
m (5.5-8 ft), and 1.2 m (4 ft) at the shoulder |
| FEMALE |
1.4-1.7
m (4.5-5.5 ft), and 1.06 m (3.5 ft) at the shoulder |
|
| WEIGHT: |
|
| MALE |
150-250
kg (330-550 lb) |
| FEMALE |
120-180
kg (265-395 lb) |
|
| DIET: |
Antelopes,
gazelles, warthogs, smaller carnivores, and occasionally
Cape buffalo, giraffe, and young elephants |
|
| GESTATION: |
98-105
days; on average 2-4 cubs born |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
|
| MALE |
5
years |
| FEMALE |
4
years |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
Up
to 30 years in captivity, 15 years average |
|
| RANGE: |
sub-Saharan
Africa |
|
| HABITAT: |
Grasslands
and semi-arid plains |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
Lions
are the only truly social cat species, and usually
every female in a pride of 5-37 individuals is closely
related. |
|
|
| 2. |
An
adult lion's roar can be heard up to five miles
away and warns off intruders or reunites scattered
pride members. |
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| 3. |
While
lions are inactive up to 21 hours a day, in the
darkest, coolest hours of early morning the "queens
of beasts" hunt as a team to catch a communal
meal. |
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| 4. |
Pride
lionesses frequently enter breeding season together
and later give birth at the same time which allows
them to share nursing and other maternal duties. |
|
|
| 5. |
Although
only one out of four hunting events is successful,
dominant males always eat first, lionesses next,
and cubs scramble for scraps and leftovers. |
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|
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Lions
are the largest African carnivores and a hungry
lion pride feeds on many animals that pass through
or share its home range. As specialized communal
predators, a pride's role includes keeping herbivore
populations in balance with the resources available
in their area of the plains.
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|
|
|
| |
|
|
| Benyus,
Janine M. Beastly Behaviors. New York: Addison-Wesley
Publishing Co., 1992. |
|
| Bertram,
Brian. Pride of Lions. New York: Scribner's,
1978. |
|
|
Estis,
Richard D. The Safari Companion Vermont:
Chelsea Green Publishing Co., 1993.
|
|
| Kingdon,
Jonathan. East African Mammals, An Atlas of Evolution
in Africa. Vol. 3, Part A. Chicago: The University
of Chicago Press, 1977. |
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