- For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation).
- "Lions" redirects here. For the album by the Black Crowes, see Lions (album).
The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. The male lion, easily recognized by his mane, may weigh up to 250 kg (550 lb). Females are much smaller, weighing up to 136 kg (300 lb). In the wild lions live for around 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20. Lions are predatory carnivores who live in family groups, called prides. The family consists of related females, their cubs of both sexes, and one or more unrelated males who mate with the adult females. Although it was once thought that females did most of the hunting in the pride, it is now known that males contribute much more to hunting than they had been previously given credit for. Both males and females will defend the pride against outside intruders. Typically, males will not tolerate outside males, and females will not tolerate outside females. Males are expelled from the pride or leave on their own when they reach maturity. When or if a male coalition takes over a pride and ousts the previous coalition, the conquerors often kill any cubs that they did not father.
Overview
Despite its popular moniker of "King of the Jungle", the lion is an animal of the open plains, and can be found on the savannas of much of Sub-Saharan Africa. It is nevertheless a threatened species with significant populations being limited to national parks in Tanzania and South Africa.
The last remnant of the Asiatic Lion (subspecies Panthera leo persica), which in historical times ranged from Greece to India through Persia, lives in the Gir Forest of northwestern India. About 300 lions live in a 1412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat.
Lions had become extinct in Greece, their last European outpost, by 100 AD, but they survived in considerable numbers in the Middle East and North Africa until the early 20th century. The lions that used to live in North Africa, called Barbary lions, tended to be larger than the sub-Saharan ones, and the males had more extensive manes. They are thought to have been a subspecies of lion (Panthera leo leo), although this has not been confirmed. Other extinct subspecies are the Cape Lion, the European Cave Lion (subspecies Panthera leo spelaea) which coexisted with humans throughout the last Ice Age, and the American lion (subspecies Panthera leo atrox), a close relative of the European cave lion (not to be confused with the mountain lion or puma).
Lions are recurring symbols in the coat of arms of royalty and chivalry, particularly in the UK, where the lion is also a national symbol of the British people. Lions appear in the art of China, even though lions have never lived in China. No animal has been given more attention in art and literature. C.A.W. Guggisberg, in his book Simba, says the lion is referred to 130 times in the Bible. The lion can be found in stone age cave paintings.
Although they are not often heard of due to their rarity, white lions do exist, in Timbavati, South Africa. There is a recessive gene in white lions that gives them their unusual color (also causing white tigers, many white tigers with this gene are bred for zoos and animal shows). A white lion has a disadvantage when it comes to hunting; their white color can give away their hiding place.
Lions in the wild
Like all other cats, lions are superpredators, but unlike all other cats they are social hunters and take prey too large and dangerous to overpower singly, including adult zebras, cape buffalo, giraffes, hippopotamuses, and even sub-adult elephants. Singly, a lion kills with the neck bite that breaks the neck or severs vital blood vessels; several lions may pin a large prey animal while another delivers the lethal neck bite or suffocates the prey by covering the victim's muzzle, preventing breathing. Lions are not averse to scavenging, and they frequently drive off smaller or outnumbered predators from kills and take the prey. Lions too can be driven off from prey by such competitors as hyenas and wild dogs in overwhelming numbers. Like other cats they have superb night vision that makes them more effective at night. They can sleep as many as 20 hours in a day.
Although it was once thought that lionesses did the bulk of the hunting and killing, it is now known that male lions contribute far more than they were originally given credit for. As a rule, all of the females of a pride are related (grandmothers, aunts, mothers, sisters). Both males and females defend the pride.
Most prey animals remain calm if they spot a lion; the lion lacks the stamina for a sustained chase, in contrast to wild dogs. Natural enemies include such competitors as crocodiles, hyenas, and wild dogs, but especially other lions. Some of the prey animals (zebras, hippopotamuses, and elephants) can deliver crippling or killing blows by kicking or stomping.
Lions are one of the most sexually active cats. During a female's oestrus cycle, a male and female will mate unabated every 10 to 20 minutes for 5-7 days. However, it takes 6-9 oestrus cycles for the female to become pregnant.
Lions are found throughout South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique. They are mainly found in woodland type areas but can survive in semi desert or bush areas. In August 2005 a group of scientists proposed introducing lions into North American wildlands in order to replace ancient populations and to curb the danger of extinction.
Baby or young lions are called cubs. Females give birth to 1-5 youngsters, after a gestation period of three months. The cubs can suckle for as long as 18 months but are normally weaned by 8 weeks. They face a high mortality rate from starvation, attacks by other large predators, and especially by male lions killing the younger ones while taking over a pride.
Lion Subspecies
The major differences between lion subspecies are size, mane appearance and location. Some of forms listed below are not regarded as distinct subspecies by the majority of taxonomists. Genetic evidence suggests that all modern lions derived from one common ancestor only ca. 55,000 years ago, so all African lions might be lumped into one subspecies.
Asiatic Lioness Panthera leo persica, name MOTI, born in Helsinki Zoo (Finland) October 1994, arrived Bristol Zoo (England) January 1996
- Panthera leo azandica - North East Congo lion.
- Panthera leo bleyenberghi - Katanga lion.
- Panthera leo hollisteri - Congo lion.
- Panthera leo krugeri - South African lion.
- Panthera leo leo - Barbary lion; extinct in the wild. This was the largest of the lion subspecies, which ranged from Morocco to Egypt. The last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922 due to excessive hunting. Barbary lions were kept by Roman emperors, who ordered the capture of literally thousands of individuals to fight in the gladiator arenas. Roman notables, including Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar, often ordered the mass slaughter of Barbary lions - up to 400 at a time. [1]
- Panthera leo massaicus - Massai lion.
- Panthera leo melanochaita - Cape lion; extinct in 1860.
- Panthera leo nubica - East African lion.
- Panthera leo persica - Asiatic lion. 200 currently exist in the Gir Forest of India. Once widespread from Greece and Turkey to Bangladesh, but large prides and daylight activity made it easier to poach than tigers or leopards.
- Panthera leo roosevelti - Abyssinian lion.
- Panthera leo senegalensis - West African lion, or Senegal lion.
- Panthera leo somaliensis - Somali lion.
- Panthera leo verneyi - Kalahari lion.
Attacks on humans
While a hungry lion will probably attack a human that passes near, some (usually male) lions seem to seek out human prey. Some of the more publicized cases include the Tsavo man-eaters and the Mfuwe Man-Eater. In both cases the hunters who slew the lions wrote books about their exploits and how much it scared them. In folklore, man-eating lions are sometimes considered demons.
The Mfuwe and Tsavo incidents did bear some similarities. The lions in both the incidents were all larger than normal, lacked manes and seemed to suffer from tooth decay. Some have speculated that they might belong to an unclassified species of lion, or that they may have been sick and couldn't have easily caught prey.
There have also been recorded attacks on humans by lions in captivity, most probably due to their reputation as proud, strong and dangerous animals, and the subsequent circus attractions such as lion taming which have developed from this.
Cross-breeding with tigers
Lions have also been known to breed with their close counterparts, tigers (most often Siberian), while in captivity to create interesting mixes. These two new breeds are called ligers and tigons.
The liger originates from mating a male lion and a tigress. Because the lion passes on a growth-prompting gene, but the corresponding growth inhibiting gene from the female lion is not present, ligers are larger than either parent. It is said that ligers do not stop growing and will grow constantly through their lifespan, until their bodies cannot sustain their huge size any longer, reaching up to half a tonne. Ligers share some qualities of both their parents (spots and stripes) however they enjoy swimming, a purely tiger activity, and they are always a sandy colour like the lion. Male ligers are sterile, but female ligers are often fertile.
The tigon is a cross between the lioness and the male tiger. Because the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene and the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene, tigons are often relatively small, only weighing up to 150 kilograms (350 lb), which is about 20% smaller than lions. They can best be described as "housecat-like" in appearance, although with round ears. Like male ligers, male tigons are sterile, and they all have both spots and stripes, with yellow eyes.
Female ligers and female tigons are fertile and can produce offspring if mated to either a pure-bred lion or a pure-bred tiger.
Lions in sculpture
Lions have been widely used in sculpture and statuary to provide a sense of majesty and awe, especially on public buildings, including:
Lions in culture and media
- Tezuka Osamu made an anime called The White Lion about a little lion cub who grew up without parents and had to rely on his friends to survive from hunters and other prey.
- Disney made a successful animation called Lion King during the height of Disney animation in the mid 90's
- Although lions are not native to China, the Chinese people believe that Lions protect humans from evil spirits, hence the Chinese New Year Lion Dance to scare away demons and ghosts.
- The lion is adopted by the British people as their mascot together with the bulldog. It is used like the mascot for the FIFA World Cup in 1966 and the European Football Championships in 1996.
Lions in heraldry
The lion is a common image in heraldry, traditionally symbolizing bravery, valor and strength.
The following positions of heraldic lions are recognized: rampant, guardant, reguardant, passant, statant, couchant, salient, sejant, dormant.
Morphology of the lion skull
View 3D animations of juvenile and adult lion skulls -- both inside and out -- at Digimorph.org
External links and references
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