O Lion it is amammal belonging to the order Carnivora and Felidae family, being known as “king of the jungles”. It feeds on other animals, such as wildebeests and zebras, and lives in groups, which have good divisions. marked, the male being responsible for the defense of the group and the female for hunting and caring for the puppies.
Despite being admired for their strength, currently lion populations are declining., being the species classified as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). Lions are usually divided into Asian subpopulations and African subpopulations. In this text we will talk more about the African lion.
Read too: Jaguar — the largest cat in the Americas
lion taxonomy
Lions are mammalian animals that belong to Felidae family and genus panthera. This genus includes animals such as the jaguar and the leopard. Below is the complete taxonomy of the lion.
Kingdom: animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: carnivora
Family: Felidae
Gender: panthera
Species: panthera leo
General characteristics of the lion
Second largest cat in the world, the lion loses in size only for the tiger. Lions are 1.37 to 2 m in size (body and head), and their tail can reach up to 100 cm in length. The weight varies between 120 and 190 kg, but it is worth noting that individuals weighing more than 250 kg have been described. The largest lion ever found weighed 272 kg.
Lions have a golden yellow coat, which is important to ensure camouflage amidst the vegetation of the savanna. When young, they have light patches on their coat, which disappear as they get older. You males stand out bypresence of manes, long hair located around his head. Some females may have manes, but it is not known why this occurs.
lion habitat
You African lions are found living in plains or savannas., currently inhabiting the east and south of the Africa. Lion populations have suffered heavy losses in recent years, not found in many African countries. One of the threats to lions is humans, who often kill this species as a way to protect their herds or even to display them as trophies.
lion behavior
Lions stand out for being felines that formsocial groups, it is possible to find a well-defined hierarchy within these groups. Females act ensuring the capture of food and care for the young, while males are responsible for protecting the group against attack by other lions. To protect their territory, the males excrete urine as a way to mark the area and emit loud roars, which alert and scare away animals that invade their area.
The lion groups can be small or formed by many individuals, with groups of around 40 lions. Generally, in these groups, there are three to four males, and the rest are females and their offspring. Female cubs tend to stay in the group, while males can form other flocks, stealing the lead from a lion who led another group. the lions they live an average of 25 years in captivity and 15 years in the wild.
Read too: leopards — expert tree climbers
Lion Feeding
lions arecarnivores, that is, they feed on other animals. Among the animals preyed on by lions are the zebra, giraffe, antelope, wildebeest and other savanna animals. THE capture of these animals is done by females, which usually work in groups. Lions can also steal prey that has been captured by other animals, such as hyenas.
Lions occasionally drink water when it is available in the environment, however are very adapted to survive in arid environments, drawing the water they need from their prey.
Lions breeding
Lionesses reach sexual maturity at around 4 years of age, while males are capable of breeding at around 5 years of age. THE reproduction peaks during the rainy season. Gestation usually lasts about 109 days, and the average number of offspring per pregnancy is three.
You puppies stay in hiding until they reach about 8 weeks of age. They are able to run when they are around 1 month old. The weaning age range is 7 to 10 months; however, these puppies are still dependent on the group until they reach at least 16 months of age. Lionesses raise their cubs in a community way. When the litters are close together, a female can nurse another lioness' cubs.
At lionesses tend to have cubs every two years., however this period can be shortened when the female loses her offspring, which can happen, for example, when an intruder male enters the pack and kills the offspring.
By Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos
Biology teacher
