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Lion

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                      iLion

                             Conservation status

   Vulnerable (VU)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Mammalia
   Order:   Carnivora
   Family:  Felidae
   Genus:   Panthera
   Species: P. leo

                                Binomial name

   Panthera leo
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

                                  Synonyms

       Felis leo
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

   The lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae and one of
   four " big cats" in the genus Panthera. The lion is the second largest
   cat, after the tiger. The male lion, easily recognized by his mane,
   weighs between 150-225 kg (330-500 lb). Females range 120-150 kg
   (260-330 lb). In the wild, lions live for around 10–14 years, while in
   captivity they can live over 20 years. Though they were once found
   throughout much of Africa, Asia and Europe, lions presently exist in
   the wild only in Africa and India (where they are found only in the
   Sasan-Gir National Park).

Population and distribution

   The Gir Forest in the State of Gujarat, India is the last natural
   habitat of the 300 odd wild Asiatic Lions. Plans are afoot to
   re-introduce some to Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighboring
   State of Madhya Pradesh in India.
   Enlarge
   The Gir Forest in the State of Gujarat, India is the last natural
   habitat of the 300 odd wild Asiatic Lions. Plans are afoot to
   re-introduce some to Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in the neighboring
   State of Madhya Pradesh in India.
   Distribution map of lions in Africa
   Enlarge
   Distribution map of lions in Africa

   In historic times the habitat of lions spanned the southern parts of
   Eurasia, ranging from Portugal to India, and most of Africa except the
   central rain forest-zone and the sahara-desert. Around the beginning of
   the current era they died out from Western Europe and they had become
   extinct in Greece by AD 100. In the Caucasus, their last European
   outpost, lions were found until the 10th century. Between the late 19th
   century and early 20th century they also became extinct from North
   Africa and Middle East. Now, most of the population lives in eastern
   and southern Africa, and their numbers are rapidly decreasing,
   estimated as between 16,000 and 30,000 living in the wild, down from an
   estimated 100,000 in the early 1990s. The population is even more in
   jeopardy, because the remaining populations are often geographically
   isolated from each other, which causes inbreeding.

   The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica), which in historical times
   ranged from Turkey to India through Iran (Persia) and from Caucasus to
   Yemen, was eradicated from Palestine by the Middle Ages and from most
   of the rest of Asia after the arrival of readily available firearms in
   the 18th century. In Iran the last lion was shot in 1942. The
   subspecies now survives only in and around the Gir Forest of
   northwestern India. About 300 lions live in a 1412 km² (558 square
   miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat, which covers most of the
   forest. Their numbers remain stable.

   Until the late pleistocene lions were also found in the Americas and in
   northern Eurasia. The most famous of these prehistoric subspecies were
   the European Cave Lion (Panthera leo spelaea) and the American lion
   (Panthera leo atrox), (not to be confused with the mountain lion or
   puma).

Habitat

   Lioness in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
   Enlarge
   Lioness in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

   Lions are quite adaptable and can be found in a variety of different
   habitats like deciduous forests and semideserts but they prefer
   savannas, grassy plains, open woodlands and scrub country. They are
   never found in tropical rain forests or true deserts without any water.
   The lion is found in parts of Africa south of the Sahara desert. Lions
   are the most social of all the felids, and live in organized groups
   called prides which can hold four to forty members. The pride is made
   up of related lionesses and their cubs and one to six males which have
   fought their way into the pride. If a lion is killed by another lion
   trying to join the pride, the previous male's cubs will be killed to
   give way for the new dominate lion's offspring. When a female comes to
   realize her cubs are gone, she goes into estrus and mates with the new
   dominate male. The pride is very social, and they often lick and rub
   heads with each other. The males are the protectors of the pride, and
   the females are the hunters and take care of the cubs.

Diet and hunting

   Lions in Etosha National Park fight for prey
   Enlarge
   Lions in Etosha National Park fight for prey

   Lions usually hunt at night or dawn. Their prey consists mainly of
   large mammals, such as antelopes, gazelles, warthogs, wildebeest,
   buffalos and zebras, but smaller animals like hares and birds are also
   taken occasionally. Carrion is readily taken and often recovered from
   other predators like hyenas and wild dogs. In some areas lions
   specialise on rather atypical prey-species; this is the case at the
   Savuti river, where they constantly prey on young elephants, and at the
   Linyanti, where they hunt hippos (both rivers are in Chobe National
   Park, Botswana). It is reported that the lions, driven by extreme
   hunger, started taking down baby elephants, then moved on to
   adolescents and occasionally fully grown adults .

   Young lions first try hunting at three months old, but are often not
   successful hunters until they are two years old.

   Lions can reach speeds of about 60 km/h (37 mph), but they don't have
   the endurance to be long-distance runners, so they have to come quite
   close to their prey before starting the attack. They sneak up to the
   victim until they reach a distance of about 30 m (98 feet) or less.
   Usually several lions work together and encircle the herd from
   different points. The attack is short and powerful and the lion tries
   to catch the victim with a fast rush and some final leaps. The prey is
   usually killed by a bite into the nape or throat.

   Because lions hunt in open spaces, where they are easily seen by their
   prey, teamwork increases the likelihood of a successful hunt. Teamwork
   also enables them to defend their prey more easily against other large
   predators like hyenas, which can be attracted by vultures over
   kilometers in open savannas. The males do not usually participate in
   hunting, except in the case of large animals such as buffalo.

   An adult female lion needs about 5 kg (11 lbs) meat per day, a male ca.
   7 kg (15 lbs).

Social behaviour

   Male lions spend most of their life resting.
   Enlarge
   Male lions spend most of their life resting.
   Pride of lions on the move, Massai Mara, Kenya.
   Enlarge
   Pride of lions on the move, Massai Mara, Kenya.

   Lions are predatory carnivores who manifest two types of social
   organization. Some are residents, living in groups, called prides. The
   pride consists of related females, their cubs of both sexes, and a
   group of one to four males known as a coalition who mate with the adult
   females. Others are nomads, ranging widely, either singly or in pairs.

   Being smaller and lighter than males, lionesses are more agile and
   faster and do the pride's hunting, while the stronger males patrol the
   territory and protect the pride, for which they take the "lion's share"
   of the females' prey. When resting, lions seem to enjoy good fellowship
   with lots of touching, head rubbing, licking and purring. But when it
   comes to food, each lion looks out for itself. Squabbling and fighting
   are common, with adult males usually eating first, followed by the
   females and then the cubs.

   Both males and females will defend the pride against intruders. Some
   individual lions consistently lead the defense against intruders, while
   other lag behind. (Heinsohn and Packer 1995). These “laggards” are not
   punished by leaders. Possibly laggards provide other services to the
   group so that leaders forgive them (Morrell 1995). An alternative
   hypothesis is that there is some reward associated with being a leader
   who fends off intruders (Jahn 1995).

   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.

   Lions spend a lot of their time resting. They are inactive for about 20
   hours per day.

Reproduction and sexuality

   Male and female African Lion (Panthera leo krugeri)
   Enlarge
   Male and female African Lion (Panthera leo krugeri)

   Lions do not have a specific time of year where they mate and the
   females are polyestrous. During a mating bout, which could last several
   days, the couple frequently copulate twenty to forty times a day and
   are likely to forgo hunting. At times the female may couple with other
   males in the pride, giving rise to the possibility of different cubs in
   the same litter having different fathers. In captivity, lions reproduce
   very well.

   The gestation lasts between one hundred and one hundred twenty days,
   and the female gives birth to a litter of one to four cubs. The females
   in a pride will synchronize their reproductive cycles so that they
   cooperate in the raising and suckling of the young, who suckle
   indiscriminately from any or all of the nursing females in the pride.
   Cubs are weaned after six to seven months. In the wild, competition for
   food is fierce, and as many as 80% of the cubs will die before the age
   of two.

   When a new male (or a coalition) takes over a pride and ousts the
   previous master(s), the conquerors often kill any remaining cubs. This
   is explained by the fact that the females would not become fertile and
   receptive until the cubs grow up or die. The male lions reach maturity
   at about 3 years of age and are capable of taking over another pride at
   4-5 years old. They begin to age (and thus weaken) at around 8. This
   leaves a short window for their own offspring to be born and mature —
   the fathers have to procreate as soon as they take over the pride.
   Sometimes a female may defend her and the ousted male's children from
   the new master, but such actions are rarely successful, as he usually
   kills all the previous top male's cubs that are less than two years
   old.

   Observers have reported that both males and females may interact
   homosexually. Male lions pair-bond for a number of days and initiate
   homosexual activity with affectionate nuzzling and caressing, leading
   to mounting and thrusting. In the wild, about 8% of mountings will be
   with other males, while female pairings are held to be fairly common in
   captivity.

Physical characteristics

   Comparative view of the human and lion frames, c1860.
   Enlarge
   Comparative view of the human and lion frames, c1860.

   The male lion, easily recognized by his mane, can weigh between 150-225
   kg (330-500 lb), but usually most males average around 186 kg (410 lb)
   and females range from 120-150 kg (260-330 lb), and average around 125
   kg (275 lb). Head and body length is 170 to 250 cm in males and 140 to
   175 cm in females, shoulder height is about 123 cm in males and 100 cm
   in females. The tail length is 70 to 100 cm. In the wild, lions live
   for around 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20 years.

   The coloration varies from light buff to yellowish, reddish or dark
   ochraceous brown. The underparts are generally brighter and the hairy
   tuft at the tip of the tail is black. The colour of the manes varies
   from blond to black.

Manes

   Thermographic image of a lion in wintertime.
   Enlarge
   Thermographic image of a lion in wintertime.

   The first lions are presumed to have been maneless. Until around 10,000
   years ago, maneless forms seem to have persisted in Europe, and
   possibly the New World. The maned form may have appeared c.
   320,000–190,000 years ago. This maned form may have had a selective
   advantage that enabled it to expand to replace the range of earlier
   maneless forms throughout Africa and western Eurasia by historic times.
   The mane has evolved due to sexually selective pressure driving the
   trait to an exaggerated point where it no longer serves any other
   function. The trait has reached the point where cost of maintaining the
   mane has begun to outweigh its benefits. In fact, lions with
   particularly large manes often have trouble with thermoregulation.

   In the past scientists believed that the "distinct" subspecific status
   of some subspecies could be justified by their external morphology,
   like the size of their mane. This morphology was used to identify them,
   like the Barbary lion and Cape lion. However, now it is known that
   various extrinsic factors influence the colour and size of a lion’s
   mane, like the ambient temperature. The cooler ambient temperature in
   e.g. European and North American zoos can result in heavy mane.
   Therefore, the heavy mane is an inappropriate marker for identifying
   subspecies.

   Maneless lions have been reported in Senegal and Tsavo-National Park.
   As well as having an inherited component, the presence, absence and
   degree of mane is also associated with sexual maturity and testosterone
   production. Castrated lions have minimal manes. The original male white
   lion from Timbavati was also maneless. Manelessness is also found in
   inbred lion populations; inbreeding also results in poor fertility. A
   heavy mane may provide an indicator of a lion's genetic and physical
   health. It may also afford him some protection in fights. In some
   animal species, females show a preference for males with better outward
   displays of fertility and vigour. It is possible that lionesses more
   actively solicit mating with heavily maned lions in prides led by a
   coalition of 2 or 3 males, though there seem to be no published
   studies.

Evolution

   Enlarge

   The oldest fossil record of a lion is known from Laetoli in Tanzania
   and is perhaps 3.5 million years old. 700,000 years ago Panthera leo
   appeared in europe for the first time with the subspecies Panthera leo
   fossilis at Isernia in Italy. From this lion derived the later Cave
   lion (Panthera leo spelea), which appears about 300,000 years ago.
   During the upper Pleistocene the lion spread to North- and
   South-America, and developed here into Panthera leo atrox, the American
   lion.

   Lions were common in northern Eurasia and America during the upper
   pleistocene, but died out there at the end of the last glaciation,
   about 10.000 years ago.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

   Asiatic Lioness Panthera leo persica, name MOTI, born in Helsinki Zoo
   (Finland) October 1994, arrived Bristol Zoo (England) January 1996. The
   Gir Forest in India is the natural home of the Asiatic lion but this
   animal was born in captivity.
   Enlarge
   Asiatic Lioness Panthera leo persica, name MOTI, born in Helsinki Zoo
   (Finland) October 1994, arrived Bristol Zoo (England) January 1996. The
   Gir Forest in India is the natural home of the Asiatic lion but this
   animal was born in captivity.
   Male lion showing his teeth to the crowds prior to feeding time at the
   Melbourne Zoo
   Enlarge
   Male lion showing his teeth to the crowds prior to feeding time at the
   Melbourne Zoo

   The major differences between lion subspecies are location, mane
   appearance, size and distribution. However some of the forms listed
   below are debatable. Genetic evidence suggests that all modern lions
   derived from one common ancestor only circa 55,000 years ago. Therefore
   most sub-Saharan lions could be considered a single subspecies Panthera
   leo leo.

   Most scientists today recognise subspecies (not all named here are
   considered valid by all scientists).
     * Panthera leo azandica - North East Congo lion.
     * Panthera leo bleyenberghi - Katanga lion or Southwest African lion.
       Zimbabwe, Angola, Katanga (Zaire).
     * Panthera leo europaea - European lion. Status as subspecies is
       unconfirmed. (Probably identical with Panthera leo persica or
       Panthera leo spelea) Extinct around 100 due to persecution and
       over-exploitation, though may have been Panthera leo persica.
       Inhabited the Balkans, the Italian Peninsula, southern France and
       the Iberian Peninsula. It was a very popular object of hunting
       among Romans, Greeks and Macedonians.
     * Panthera leo hollisteri - Congo lion.
     * Panthera leo krugeri - South African lion or Southeast African
       lion. Transvaal.
     * Panthera leo leo (P. l. berberisca) - Barbary lion; extinct at
       least in the wild and was believed to be extinct in captivity. 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
       to take part 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.
     * Panthera leo melanochaita - Cape lion; extinct in 1860.
     * Panthera leo massaicus - Massai lion.
     * Panthera leo nubica - East African lion.
     * Panthera leo persica - Asiatic lion or South Asian lion. 350
       currently exist in and near the Gir Forest of India. Once
       widespread from Turkey, across the Middle East, to Pakistan, India
       and even Bangladesh, but large prides and daylight activity made it
       easier to poach than tigers or leopards.
     * Panthera leo roosevelti - Abyssinian lion.
     * Panthera leo somaliensis - Somali lion.
     * Panthera leo senegalensis - West African lion, or Senegal lion.
       Western Africa.
     * Panthera leo verneyi - Kalahari lion. Distinct behaviour and
       anatomy has been observed in this subspecies.

   Besides these subspecies there are also some prehistoric ones.
     * Panthera leo atrox - American Lion or North American cave lion,
       about 35,000 to 10,000 years ago.
     * Panthera leo fossilis - Early Middle Pleistocene European cave
       lion, about 500,000 years ago.
     * Panthera leo sinhaleyus - Sri Lanka lion or Ceylon lion.
     * Panthera leo spelaea - European cave lion, Eurasian cave lion or
       Upper Pleistocene European cave lion (300,000 to 10,000 years ago).
     * Panthera leo toscana - Tuscany lion - European primitive cave lion,
       was present around 1.6 million years ago.
     * Panthera leo vereshchagini - East Siberian or Beringian cave lion
     * Panthera leo youngi - North-Eastern Pleistocene China cave lion,
       350,000 years ago.

   The Marozi, a spotted lion, is sometimes believed to be a distinct
   subspecies (Panthera leo maculatus) Thought to be extinct since 1931.
   May have been a natural leopard/lion hybrid.

Variations

   White lion male (subspecies Panthera leo krugeri)
   Enlarge
   White lion male (subspecies Panthera leo krugeri)

   A number of natural variations have been observed in the lion
   populations. Some of these have been encouraged by captive breeding.

White lions

   Although rare, white lions are occasionally encountered in Timbavati,
   South Africa. Their unusual colour is due to a recessive gene. A white
   lion has a disadvantage when it comes to hunting: it can be given away
   by its colour, unlike the regular lion which blends in with its
   surroundings. White lions are born almost pure white without the normal
   camouflaging spots seen in lion cubs. Their colour gradually darkens to
   cream or ivory colour (known as blonde).

Cross-breeding lions with other big cat species

   A liger is the offspring of a male lion and female tiger
   Enlarge
   A liger is the offspring of a male lion and female tiger

   Lions have also been known to breed with tigers (most often Amur and
   Bengal) to create hybrids called ligers and tigons. They have also been
   crossed with leopards to produce leopons and jaguars to produce
   jaglions. The marozi is reputedly a spotted lion or a naturally
   occurring leopon, while the Congolese spotted lion is a complex
   lion/jaguar/leopard hybrid called a lijagulep. Such hybrids were once
   commonly bred in zoos, but this is now discouraged due to the emphasis
   on conserving species and subspecies. Hybrids are still bred in private
   menageries and in zoos in China.

   The liger is a cross between a male lion and a tigress. Because the
   lion sire passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding
   growth-inhibiting gene from the female lion is absent, ligers grow
   larger than either parent. They share physical and behavioural
   qualities of both parent species (spots and stripes on a sandy
   background). Male ligers are sterile, but female ligers are often
   fertile.

   The less common 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. Like ligers, they have physical and
   behavioural traits from both parental species and males are sterile.

Attacks on humans

   While a hungry lion may occasionally 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 maneaters and the Mfuwe man-eater.
   In both cases the hunters who killed the lions wrote books detailing
   the lions' "careers" as man-eaters. 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
   could not have easily caught prey.

   There have also been recorded attacks on humans by lions in captivity;
   tigers in captivity are statistically much more likely to attack
   humans. Wild lions are also much less likely to attack humans than wild
   tigers are.

   Other contemporary research shows that lion-human conflict may be on
   the rise. Gnoske and Peterhans suggests that we should be surprised not
   that lions attack and kill humans but that such few incidents occur.
   The stereotype of injury and age being the main causes of man-eating
   behaviour are largely debunked by the two men. (See: The science of
   ‘Man-eating’* among lions (Panthera leo) with a reconstruction of the
   natural history of the “Man-eaters of Tsavo” Julian C. Kerbis
   Peterhans1 and Thomas Patrick Gnoske
   http://www.man-eater.info/gpage6.html )

   Also, Professor Craig Packer of the University of Minnesota and
   Tanzanian scientist Dennis Ikanda authored an important paper in
   "Nature" in 2006 that showed man-eating behavior in rural areas of
   Tanzania had increased greatly from 1990 through 2005. More than 500
   villagers were attacked and many eaten in this time period -- a number
   far exceeding the more famed "Tsavo" incidents of a century and more
   earlier. The problem, near Selous National Park in Rufijji Province and
   in Lindi Province near the Mozambican border. While some of these
   problems are no doubt caused by the expansion of villagers into bush
   country, the authors argue that conservation poicy must mitigate the
   problem because conservation policies contribute directly to human
   deaths. Cases in Lindi have been documented where lions seize humans
   form the centre of substantial villages.

   Author Robert R. Frump also wrote in 2006 that Mozambican refugees
   crossing Kruger National Park at night in South Africa regularly are
   attacked and eaten by the lions there. Park officials conceded that
   man-eating is a problem there. Frump believes thousands may have been
   killed in the decades after apartheid sealed the park and forced the
   refugees to cross the park at night. Mozambicans had for neary a
   century before the border was sealed regularly walked across the park
   in daytime with little harm. (See www.man-eater.info)

   Generally, westerners do not understand the toll that animal-human
   conflict takes on humann lives and crops in Africa. Packer estimates
   more than 200 Tanzanians are killed each year by lions, crocodiles,
   elephants, hippos and snakes, and that the numbers could be double that
   amount. Lions are thought to kill about 70 humans per year at least in
   Tanzania, Packer and Ikanda note. Packer and Ikanda are among the few
   conservations who believe western conservation efforts must take
   account of these matters not just because of ethical concerns about
   human life but for the long term success of conservation efforts and
   lion preservations.

   The "All-Africa" record of man-eating generally is considered to be not
   Tsavo but the lesser known incidents in the late 1930's through the
   late 1940's in what was then Tanganyika (now Tanzania.) George Rushby,
   game warden and professional hunter, eventually dispatched the pride,
   which over 3 generations, is thought to have killed and eaten 1,500 to
   2,000.

   Tsavo and Patterson body counts vary from a pretty firm 28 up to 140.
   While some authors disparage the actual number, it should be kept in
   mind that Patterson kept firm records of skilled-labor killed by the
   lions, not indigenous Africans. The toll could easily have been much
   higher.

Lions in popular culture

   Lions appear as a theme in cultures across Europe, Asia and Africa.

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