The lion is a large, feline, vertebrate and carnivorous mammal animal. Its scientific name is Panthera leo.
Known as the King of the Jungle, the lion can be found in Asia, Africa and Europe.
It is currently classified as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
Among the main threats to the conservation of lions are indiscriminate hunting and the reduction of their habitats.
The biological classification of the lion is:
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae
Genus : Panthera
Species : P. leo
Some existing subspecies of lions are: South African lion, Atlas lion, Asian lion and Cape lion.
Lions characteristics
Know the main characteristics of lions:
Habitat and way of life
Most of the lions that now live in the wild are found in the savannas of Africa and other semi-desert regions. It has now become extinct from many forest areas in Asia and Europe.
They live in groups of up to 40 individuals, mostly females, led by the alpha male.
The activities in the group are divided among its members. While the females are responsible for hunting and care for the young, the males guarantee the protection of the group.
Most of the lions’ time is devoted to rest, only during 5 hours of the day hunting and group activities take place. The rest of the time is for sleeping, resting and saving energy.
In addition, its activities usually happen at dusk. Lions have excellent night vision, ensuring that hunting can take place during the night.
The communication between the lions is done through roars, they serve to alert and demarcate the occupied territory. To get an idea of its power, the roar can be heard from up to 9 km away!
Physical aspects
The male has a characteristic and imposing mane, in addition to being quite hairy. The female is smaller, much less hairy and does not have a mane. The color of the lions’ coat varies from yellow to brown.
Lions and lionesses differ in their sizes and weights, as shown in the table below:
| Size | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 2.6 to 3.3 m | from 2.4 to 2.7 m |
| Height | 60 to 90 cm | 60 to 90 cm |
| Weight | 150-250 kg | 120-185 kg |
food
Lions are carnivorous animals and their most common prey are zebras, buffaloes, wild boars, antelopes and deer. They are excellent predators and occupy the top of their food chains.
Females usually go hunting, due to their greater agility. However, hunting is not always guaranteed. Thus, lions can go up to three days without feeding.
How does reproduction occur?
Lions reach sexual maturity up to 4 years of age. Reproduction can happen throughout the year. Females’ estrus lasts 2 to 8 days and occurs at any time of the year.
Mating can happen up to 50 times in a single day. Females are only unavailable for reproduction during pregnancy and lactation.
Gestation lasts from 100 to 119 days, and results in between 2 to 4 offspring. The female seeks a safe place to give birth and from where she can continue her hunting activities.
The puppies are born with about 2 kg, and their eyes only open after 10 days of birth. They can also be breastfed by other females in the group. When they complete 3 months, they begin to accompany the mother and females during the hunt.
An interesting feature is the possibility of a cross between a lion and a tigress, resulting in a hybrid animal , the liger. The crossing of the tiger and the lioness creates a tiger.
Ligers are rare animals that are born only in captivity. In 2013, the liger Hércules was considered the largest cat in the world, he was huge, was 3.33 meters long, 1.25 meters tall and weighed 418.2 kilos.
Curiosities about lions
- Lions can eat up to 30 kg of meat in one of their meals throughout the day.
- Lionesses can run up to 80 km / h, when traveling short distances. Males are slower, reaching 58 km / h.
- The lion is the second largest cat in the world, behind the tiger.
- Lions can live up to 20 years.
- The white lion ( Panthera leo krugeri ) is leukistic, a condition different from that of albinism. In that case, the white color is determined by a recessive inhibitor gene. In addition, they are not more sensitive to the sun.