Known as the lord of the jungle because of his fierce appearance, the lion is an animal that deserves our attention. Knowledge and knowledge are boundless, what we know about this carnivore is still too little.
Amount of food consumed per day
The hunts of lions can happen quite quickly, because of the superior hunting ability mentioned above. During the hunt, lions will take turns biting and clamping their prey, while at the same time, there will be one responsible for biting the neck and locking the prey's muzzle, causing them to suffocate.
Lions usually enjoy their meals right at the hunting site, but sometimes they drag their prey to a secluded spot. The male lions will eat first, then the female and finally the cubs. An adult lioness needs an average of about 5 kg of meat per day, for males it is about 7 kg. Lions can eat up to 30 kg of meat at a time. If they cannot eat all their prey in one time, they will rest for a few hours before enjoying the rest of the meal.
Lions that do not want to hunt will search for animals that have died naturally, due to disease or the carcasses of other predators such as hyenas. Carrion provides a large amount of food in a lion's diet. They often steal food from smaller or smaller predators. Sometimes, they are also chased from the meal by other predators when they are outnumbered.
Longevity
The life expectancy of lions in the wild is 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live more than 20 years. In the wild, male lions rarely live more than 10 years, because of fights between male lions.
Male lions reach maturity at about three years of age and at four to five years of age are capable of challenging and displacing adult males attached to another herd. They begin to age and weaken between the ages of 10 and 15. Up to 80% of lion cubs will die before the age of two.
Calculate herd
Lions are the most gregarious of the cat family. A herd of lions has about 15 cubs, the largest group recorded so far has 30 individuals.
Usually each flock will have about 4 males, the rest are females and cubs. As for the Tsavo lion species, each group has only one male lion. Lion cubs will be able to separate from the herd after about 2 to 3 years when they are adults.
The female individuals in the herd are related to each other, they can be sisters, brothers, children, grandchildren of each other. Therefore, the relationship between the children is somewhat tight and stable. Furthermore, they will not tolerate females from other flocks. Females that are not related will not be allowed to join the herd, the number of females in the herd is only affected by birth and death, or one individual will leave the herd to live a nomadic life.
Some lions live alone or in pairs, they are called "nomads". Lonely lions can change their lifestyle once they find a colony that accepts it. A lion in the herd can also split up and live alone at any time they want. Usually, herd lions will have a hostile relationship with lone lions.
Roar
Lions are one of four species of big cats believed to have a roar. The roar of a lion can be heard from as far as 5 miles (about 8 km).
Lions can produce a loud, deep sound that flares outward through their open mouth. The lion's ability to roar comes from a specialized and specially adapted larynx. Both sexes of lions roar for different reasons, including territorial claims, communication with other members, and anger. In addition, the roar of a lion is used during the search and competition for a mate.
Lion mane
A good measure of a male lion's age is the dark color of the mane. The older the male lion, the darker its mane.
The mane of a lion is the most recognizable feature of the species. It begins to develop when the lion is about one year old. Mane color changes and darkens with age; Research shows that its color and size are affected by environmental factors such as average ambient temperature. Mane length clearly signals success in conflicting relationships between males; Darker colored individuals may have longer reproductive lives and higher survival rates of young, although they suffer during the hottest months of the year.
Male lions have manes and are usually excluded from the herd when they are adults. The lionesses in the herd play a hunting role because they are smaller, more agile, and do not have a heavy mane.
Night vision
Lions have excellent night vision. Their eyes are 6 times more sensitive to light than human eyes.
Lions spend most of their time resting; they are inactive for about 20 hours a day. Although lions can be active at any time, their activity usually peaks after dusk with times of socializing, bathing, and defecation.
Intermittent bursts of activity occur until dawn, when predation is most common. They spend an average of two hours a day walking and 50 minutes eating. Like other felines, lions have very good night vision, making them very active at night.
Gods of War
The ancient Egyptians worshiped lions as their gods of war because of their ferocity, prowess, and strength. Male lions spend many years alone before joining a group later. They will disperse more than 25 km away from their natural herd in search of their own territory.
The area occupied by a herd of lions is called the "kingdom". The area occupied by nomadic lions is only called territory. Each lion will have a separate task in a herd. The males in the herd are often on patrol to protect the territory. Predation is usually only for the females, in addition there will be some females who are responsible for taking care of the young.
Both males and females in the herd are responsible for protecting the herd from intruders. However, male lions play a more important role, because they have a muscular body with strong fighting power. In such engagements, some will advance forward to fend off intruders, others will stay behind to watch.
Asian male lions often live alone or in alliances with up to three other males, in such a union there is a leader – they will be selected and have more frequent mating with females . The females live together in flocks of about 12, which are closely related. They will share food with each other, and not with the males. Male and female lions only cooperate when mating.
Lions don't need to drink water every day, but they have to eat
Lions don't need water every day, but they do need to eat: Lions can go 4 days without water, but they need to eat every day. Adult female lions need to eat about 5kg of meat per day, while males need about 7kg or more. Lions mainly hunt large herbivores such as zebras, wildebeest and buffalo, sometimes they also hunt smaller mammals.
In different regions, the preferred menu of the lions is also different. In Serengeti National Park, for example, wildebeest, Thomson's antelope and zebra are preferred prey for lions. In Kruger National Park, zebras, buffalo and giraffes are the most hunted prey.
Where do lions live?
Lions usually live in savannas and savannas, not in dense forests. All wild lion species today live only in 2 areas, Africa and 1 remaining population in the Gir Forest National Park of India in Asia, also known as the Asian lion.
About 10,000 years ago, lions were widely distributed throughout the world, from Africa, Asia, Europe to the Americas, except for Oceania. At that time, they were the most widely distributed species after us humans.
Since then, however, many species have become extinct, and the remaining species are now critically endangered and vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996.
Since the early 1990s, African lion populations have suffered a dramatic decline, estimated at 43 percent. Although there are no exact statistics, but one of the main causes of this situation is due to changes in the environment, as well as conflicts with people.
Lions in the world
The main differences between the lions are the size, the appearance of the mane, and the habitat. However, some subspecies exhibit habits and fitness for survival. Suppose that the Kalahari lion is able to live in conditions of lack of water.
Here is a list of lion species that still exist today:
- The Northeastern Congo lion (Panthera leo azandica) is also known as the Central African lion. This population lives in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and Chad.
- The South African lion (Panthera leo krugeri) is distributed in the Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Angola, northern Botswana and parts of the southwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the heaviest lion in the world.
The East African lion (Panthera leo nubica) lives in East African countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. They are extinct in Egypt, Djibouti, Egypt and Eritrea.- The West African lion (Panthera leo senegalensis) is also known as the Senegal lion. They are critically endangered species, remaining only in a few West African countries such as Senegal, Burkina Faso, Benin, Niger and Nigeria.
The Katanga lion (Panthera leo bleyenberghi) is also known as the South West African lion. A subspecies of lion found in Namibia, Angola, Zaire, western Zambia, western Zimbabwe and northern Botswana in southwestern Africa.- Barbary lion (Panthera creeper) They once lived from Morocco to Egypt and are considered the largest lion subspecies. The last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922. Fortunately, there are still a few individuals still alive in captivity.
- The Lion of Good Hope (Panthera leo melanochaitus) is native to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa with a population of about 17,000 - 19,000 living in East Africa and South Africa.
Living habits of lions
Lions spend up to 20 hours a day resting. They usually hunt at dawn, and after dusk, they spend time with their families with activities such as communicating with each other, bathing and cleaning…
On average, they will spend 50 hours a day eating, and about 2 hours just walking. At night, their ability to see in the dark is also very good, so at night they are also very active.
The lion is the only member of the feline family to have an obvious sexual dimorphism or sexual dimorphism. Males are larger and stronger than females. The most striking feature is the brown or yellow mane, which covers most of the male's head, neck, shoulders, and chest.
Lion's hunting behavior
The lion is a super predator. They hunt in packs so they can catch large prey. Their fur is close to the color of sand, making them wonderfully hidden from the color of the savanna grasslands.
The lion's main prey is mammals – especially medium to large ungulates. Which includes:
- Zebra
- wildebeests
- African wild buffalo
- Gemsbok antelope
- Thom son antelope
- Giraffe
- Hippo (usually baby hippo)
When living alone, they will hunt smaller prey such as antelope, gazelle, hare, and African horned boar. Seals are also one of the favorite foods of lions living near the sea. In addition, they also often attack livestock and poultry of the people.
Reproductive habits of lions
The lionesses raise their cubs together. Females in the same flock tend to give birth at the same time, which allows them to raise multiple litters together. This feature also has the added advantage of allowing cubs to suckle from other mothers, making it easier to manage cubs in the early months. Male lions will not be directly involved in raising the cubs, but they will protect the cubs of the whole pack from danger.
The generation gap of lions is about seven years. The average gestation period is about 110 days; The female gives birth to a litter of one to four cubs in a secluded burrow, be it a bush, reed, cave or other sheltered area, usually away from the herd. Females will often hunt alone while the cubs remain close to the burrow. Newborn lion cubs don't open their eyes - their eyes open about seven days after birth.
Enemies of lions in the wild
Lions and spotted hyenas share similar habitats and ecological zones, coexisting and competing with each other for prey and carcasses; A review of data across several studies found a similarity in dietary intake to 58.6%. Lions are generally not interested in spotted hyenas, unless the lion has just hunted and is disturbed by the hyena, while hyenas tend to respond clearly to the presence of the lion, with or without the presence of a lion. presence of food.
Lions tend to overwhelm smaller felines such as leopards and cheetahs where they coexist; Lions steal prey and even kill cubs - and even adults of these two species when the opportunity arises. Leopards in particular have a 50% chance of losing their lives to lions or other predators. Lions are the main enemy of cheetahs, accounting for 78.2% of feline calves killed in one study.
Lions in culture
The lion is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human culture. No animal appears more frequently than the lion in art and literature. Lions can also be found in the cave wall paintings of the Stone Age. It has been widely depicted in sculptures and paintings, on the national flag, and in films and contemporary literature.
The lion appears as a symbol of strength and nobility in cultures across Europe, Asia and Africa, despite incidents of attacks on humans. The lion has been described as the "king of the jungle" and the "king of beasts", and thus became a popular symbol for the royal family and knights.
