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| African
Lion |
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| Common
Name: |
African
lion |
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| Class:
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Mammalia |
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| Order: |
Carnivora |
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| Family:
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Felidae |
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| Genus
species: |
Panthera
(panther, leopard) leo (lion) |
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| Fast
Facts |
| Description:
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short-haired,
tawny cat; black tail tuft, ears, and lips; males with blond to black
manes; newborns with grayish spots which fade to adult color by three
months |
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| Size:
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male
1.7 to 2.5 m (5.5-8 ft.), and 1.2 m (4 feet) at the shoulder: female
1.4 to 1.7 m (4.5-5.5 ft.), and 1.06 m (3.5 feet) at the shoulder |
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| Weight:
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males
150 to 250 kg (330-550 lb.), females 120 to 180 kg (265-395 lb.) |
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| Diet:
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antelopes,
gazelles, warthogs, smaller carnivores, and occasionally Cape buffalo,
giraffe, and young elephants |
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| Gestation: |
98 to
105 days; on average 2 to 4 cubs born |
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| Sexual
maturity: |
males
at 5 years, females at 4 years |
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| Life
span: |
up to
30 years in captivity, 15 years average |
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| Range:
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sub-Saharan
Africa |
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| Habitat:
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grasslands
and semi-arid plains |
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| Population: |
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| Status:
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not
listed by USFWS ; protected by CITES |
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| Fun
Facts |
| 1. |
Lions
are the only truly social cat species, and usually every female in
a pride of 5 to 37 individuals is closely related. |
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| 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. |
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| 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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| Ecology
and Conservation |
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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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| Bibliography |
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Benyus,
Janine M. Beastly Behaviors. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing
Co., 1992.
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Bertram,
Brian. Pride of Lions. New York: Scribner's, 1978. |
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Estis,
Richard D. The Safari Companion Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing
Co., 1993. |
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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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| For more
information about African lions go to the Fact
Sheet |
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| Return
to Animal Bytes |
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