Why is the lion the king of beasts? Description of the lion, habitat and lifestyle. White lion In the animal world, lions hunt
As mentioned above, lions mainly live on grassy plains and in rare bushes. In such places there are usually antelopes, gazelles, zebras and other ruminant artiodactyls, which are the main prey of lions. Lions also love to feast on the meat of African wild boars - warthogs and can watch over them for hours. As soon as the boar appears from the hole, the lions rush at him, and if he makes an attempt to return back to the hole, the lions, tearing the ground with their claws, do not allow this. The lion is omnivorous and if he is very hungry, he does not disdain fish or even carrion. The lion also hunts large animals such as giraffe or buffalo. But it’s not easy to cope with such prey alone, which is why lions most often hunt in prides. Hunting is not safe and in such battles lions can receive serious injuries, which can lead to injury and even the inability to hunt. When darkness falls, lions go hunting. Darkness provides a chance to sneak up on the victim unnoticed in order to make the decisive jump. Lions begin to observe their prey before dark, shortly before sunset, and after waiting for darkness, they attack. If the night is moonlit, then the lions patiently wait until the moon disappears behind the clouds. Lions are very patient predators and hunting is often unsuccessful. Hunting in broad daylight is rarely successful, because in the savannahs and plains there is practically no place for a lion to hide. Animals, as soon as they notice lions, run away as fast as they can - who wants to become dinner for a lion. Lions living in areas with dense and tall vegetation are more likely to be successful in hunting. Often the sun helps lions, because on sultry hot days all the animals gather to drink at a river or lake, in a word, at a source of water. And here the lions will not be confused. Hiding nearby in thick grass or bushes, they look out for prey and attack at the slightest opportunity.
For lions it is of great importance sharp vision. They see perfectly both during the day and at night. The lion, watching the victim, slowly approaches, sometimes freezes. His eyes continuously follow all the movements of the victim. Sometimes he has to stick his head out of the grass. in order to correctly assess the distance at which the victim is located from him. Sometimes the animal notices the lion in time and hides, and the lion is left slurping. But if everything goes well, then the lions successfully sneak up and attack the victim. All the lion's actions are clear and coordinated thanks to his excellent vision. His keen hearing also plays an important role in the success of the hunt. It is especially valuable at night. Lions do not rely heavily on their sense of smell when hunting. Having had enough, lions can sleep for a very long time and very soundly - even if a herd of antelope runs past him at this moment, he will not hear. Often lions hunt as a whole pride. Several lions slowly walk around the herd, forcing individual animals that could not withstand the tense situation to run out of the herd to a place where other lions of this pride are already waiting for them. Of course, such a hunt is successful and the animals have practically no chance to escape. Lions cannot run fast over long distances - they lack stamina, so group hunting compensates for this deficiency. Despite mistakes during the hunt - sometimes they look out at the wrong time, sometimes they don’t take into account the direction of the wind - the lions get enough food to survive. High damage lions do not harm the artiodactyl population and there is no reason to worry about the extinction of these animals as a species. Lions have little influence on the population size. Only after dealing with their prey, lions immediately begin dividing, leaving behind only bones. If the prey turns out to be very large, then the lion hides the excess in a secluded place to eat later.
Even small children know that the lion is the king of beasts. Many people have probably wondered why the predator was awarded such a title. According to researchers, these large cats are not the fastest and most agile and, no offense royalty it is said that they are not the smartest among predators. True, only they can, after a successful hunt, emit a victorious roar, from which all living things in the vicinity freeze. But even this cannot be a reason for receiving such a high title.
There are many factors that confirm that this powerful predator is the king of beasts. In this article we will introduce you to them.
Description of a predatory cat
To understand why the lion is the king of beasts, let's pay attention to its appearance. Probably no one will dispute the fact that this predator has a truly regal appearance, especially in a young animal full of strength. His black-brown or fiery red mane gives him royal grandeur. And no one doubts the lion’s voice as to its identity. On a quiet night, his roar causes awe in everyone who hears it even eight kilometers from the location of the king of beasts.
External features
A lion is an animal with a flexible, very strong, agile and muscular body. The predator is an excellent runner. This is a beautiful large cat with well-developed muscles in the front legs, with which it holds prey, and in the neck. The lion, as befits the king of beasts, is one of the most large predators on our planet. An African male weighs on average about one hundred and sixty kilograms, and reaches a length of two and a half meters. In 1936 in South Africa hunters shot a lion weighing 313 kilograms.
The description of the lion in various sources suggests that the main deadly weapon The lion is its powerful jaws with huge fangs. With just its teeth, a lion's grip is extremely strong. It easily holds even such large animals as, for example, wildebeest. The lion's tongue is rough, covered with tubercles, which are sharp spines that help the predator tear off pieces of meat, tearing the prey apart. They also help the animal remove ticks from the skin and catch fleas when it cares for the skin.
Lion hybrids
In nature, animals of each species seek a partner of their own species to procreate. But sometimes this well-functioning system fails, and hybrids are born. In our case, these are animals obtained from crossing a lion and a tiger. Depending on what species the parents belong to, the name of the offspring is determined: if the father is a lion, then the cub is called a liger, if the mother is a lioness, then the baby is called a tiger.
The characteristics of hybrids differ significantly. For example, tigers are typically much smaller than their parents. And ligers are particularly large in size, such as, for example, the liger Hercules, who lives at the Institute of Protected and rare species(Miami). Its length reaches three meters.
Most often, hybrids are sterile, but scientists note interesting fact: in such hybrids only males remain infertile, but females rarely, but bear offspring. Second-level hybrids are very rare. This is due to the rare cases when ligers (females) or tigers retain the ability to reproduce. They give birth to offspring with the participation of tigers or lions.
White lions
These are not hybrids, but animals with reduced melanin production. The cause of this very rare phenomenon is a recessive gene. As a result of its influence, very light color, which can range from creamy beige to white. Some white lions have some parts of their bodies painted this color, and others creamy; there are individuals with an even white-cream color.
Often white lions, descriptions of which are often found in specialized literature, have Blue eyes(which is also explained by low melanin levels). Today, the planet is inhabited by only about three hundred white individuals. Special programs have been developed to preserve these animals. Living in the wild, lions with this color have a difficult life: this color unmasks them, making hunting difficult.
Range and habitats
The lion is an animal distributed on two continents: Asia and Africa, where their distribution area is located south of the Sahara Desert. In Asia, lions live in the Gir forest (Indian state of Gujarat). Lions' habitats are predominantly savannas, but they are found in forests and dense bushes.
How long do lions live?
The lifespan of a predator depends on various factors. In natural conditions, despite their ferocious appearance, strength and agility, these huge cats face many dangers, wounds during hunting, injuries, which does not at all prolong the life of the predator. These include life-and-death skirmishes with strangers over territory, and attacks by other no less aggressive and dangerous predators. The animal receives serious injuries during a lion hunt for large animals (buffalo, for example).
But as before, the biggest problem for the lion is poachers. Therefore in wildlife On average, lions live about 10 years; long-livers, reaching the age of fourteen, are much less common. It should be noted that in the wild, lionesses live two to three years longer than males. This probably happens because lionesses do not engage in skirmishes with strangers in the struggle for territory.
Lifespan in captivity
Since the end of the 18th century, people have been trying to save these beautiful animals from extinction, trying to keep them in reserves where predatory cats live and breed normally. How long do lions live in captivity? Their life expectancy increases significantly: in nature reserves and zoos, predators live up to 20 and even up to 25 years, provided proper care and veterinarian observations.
Lifestyle
No other predator, except lions, has such an organization of coexistence. Perhaps this explains why the lion is the king of beasts. Pride is quite large group animals, in which, as a rule, there are several females with offspring and one or two males. Sometimes there are prides consisting of only females, but most often this indicates that the male has died, and soon a young leader will take his place.
Sometimes full LION'pride has up to forty animals, but more often they are much smaller. It numbers on average fifteen to eighteen animals. The Leo's lifestyle is measured and leisurely. During the hot daytime hours after a meal, all family members gather in one place and relax.
A pride of lions is a unique structure from which everyone benefits: the males are fed, the females are protected. As a true ruler, the lion competently rules over his domain. All animals living in the pride territory belong to the king of beasts. But here it should be emphasized that lions never kill extra animals, “for future use.” They know very well how much food is needed to feed a family.
The role of females in a pride
In the family, females decide where, how and whom to hunt, although they rarely act together. The only exception is hunting big catch when females attack in pairs. It is interesting that, unlike many animals, female lions get along well with other females and often look after their neighbors’ “children” as if they were their own.
If for some reason a female cannot hunt (for example, due to injury), then the pride takes care of her and allows her to join the common meal. Animals act much harsher with aged and sick lions: the pride refuses them. The family not only does not protect them, but also expels them. A decrepit, weak and skinny lion often becomes easy prey for hyenas.
Leo rules a little. As a rule, his time on the “throne” is no more than three years, after which he is “overthrown”, like a real king, by a stronger and younger male. The next head of the pride becomes a lion, who is not blood relative to females. All females of the pride are full sisters. Males are strangers. They come to the family from other prides. This is how nature took care of preventing the degradation of predators and inbreeding.
Relationships in the Pride
A strict hierarchy reigns in the lion family, which is embedded in the consciousness of animals at the level of instinct - a well-fed leader is a kind and reliable protector. For this reason, the head of the pride, an adult lion, starts the meal first. Until he finishes it, no one can even come close to the prey. For disobedience, the violator will face severe punishment: he may be expelled from the family.
Having had enough, the lions play with the babies. It must be said that they are very patient with lion cubs, sometimes even showing amazing tenderness. However, the main process of education goes to the females. They all raise their young together. Not a single female will ever refuse milk to a baby if his mother has gone hunting.
Reproduction
IN mating season the king of beasts is especially tender with his chosen one. The leader lion mates with a female who is in heat. During mating, the lion bites the lioness on the scruff of the neck, which is typical for all cats. After three and a half months, the pregnant lioness leaves the pride and finds a secluded corner, usually overgrown with grass, in which the offspring are born.
Lion cubs are born helpless and blind. Their skin is covered with spots that disappear over time. In most cases, no more than half of the cubs survive. Babies are fed mother's milk until they are six months old. Then their diet consists only of meat.
Raising lion cubs
Females also teach young lions to hunt. When the cubs reach three months of age, they go hunting with their mothers. At first, they completely copy the actions of experienced hunters - they learn to sneak up and hide unnoticed, and repeat the movements that their mothers make when attacking prey. And already at six months, teenage lions hunt on their own, obtaining food for the entire pride.
However, babies are always in danger: they can become prey to strangers. In addition, if the previous leader is defeated, the new one can kill the lion cubs, seizing the right moment when their mothers are hunting. In this way, the new leader wins the favor of the females. The fact is that after the death of the offspring, literally the next day the lioness is ready for mating.
Sometimes things happen in a family difficult situations. As a rule, this happens when the lions guarding the pride leave in search of new territory for the family. At this time, lionesses with cubs have to survive on their own, getting their own food. When things get especially difficult, exhausted females begin to howl pitifully, calling males for help. And a miracle happens - the males return to the pride and help get food.
In the animal world, a pride of lions is the only example of such a relationship between related individuals. Only lions manage to create a system of mutual assistance and support that does not suppress each other.
It seems to us that it is quite obvious why the lion is the king of beasts. He confirms his title with his majestic appearance, behavior, and advantage in strength and power over most predators. So far, no other animal in the world has claimed this high title.
At the end of the Pleistocene, from 100 to 10 thousand years ago, lions lived throughout to the globe. Their distribution area covered all of Europe, Asia from Western Asia to India and north to Siberia, almost all of Africa, as well as both American continents from Yukon to Peru. However, then their territory began to shrink inexorably: about 10,000 years ago there were no lions left in America, in historical times (the beginning new era) they completely disappeared in Europe, and in the last two centuries they were exterminated in the south and throughout northern Africa, in Iran, in India, where in the 1940s there were less than 30 lions left, but the population there was preserved and increased. Now the lions retained East Africa (with the exception of deserts and tropical forests), in South Africa they live only in the territory National parks Kruger and Kalahari Gemsbok, and a separate subspecies is the Asiatic lion ( P.l. persica) - miraculously survived in the Gir forest in northwestern India.
The largest predator in Africa, rivaling only the tiger in size, the lion seems to consist of nothing but muscles. When hunting, with one blow of his paw he can knock down an antelope in a jump.
The coat color is sandy to reddish-brown above, almost white below. Young animals have dark rosettes and spots on their sides, which last longer in females. At the end long tail- black tassel. Albinos (animals with uncolored fur) may appear in some populations, but there have been no reported cases of melanism (black coloration) in lions.
Sexual dimorphism is stronger than in all other cats, and is manifested not only in the larger size of males, but also in the presence of a mane of very long hair (usually dark gold, less often black, sometimes reddish) growing on top of the head , on the sides of the muzzle, and flowing in smooth waves onto the shoulders. Lions living in open spaces have a fuller mane.
An adult lion has 30 teeth. Species characteristic Also is the presence of four nipples in females.
When conducting ongoing observations of lions, the unique distribution of spots on the part of the face where the whiskers grow is used to identify the individual.
The average male weighs about 190 kg (175–230), with a record weight of 272 kg for a lion from the mountains of Kenya. The female weighs on average 120–130 kg, reaching 180 kg. The body length of the male is up to 3.3 meters, the female is up to 2.7 meters, the average height is 1.2 and 1.1 m, respectively. Tail 0.6–1 m.
The optimal habitat for a lion is parkland and grassy savannas, semi-deserts, and dense bushes. In the mountains, lions are found at altitudes of up to 3000 meters, the height record is 4240m in the Bale Mountains in Ethiopia. They are not picky in choosing a place to live, only avoiding vast deserts and tropical forests. The main limitation is the quantity and availability of prey. Lions are perfectly adapted to life in semiarid regions; they can go without drinking for months, being content with the moisture contained in their food. In favorable conditions for them, lions are the second largest predators after the spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta.
Lions are social animals; unlike other cats, they often live in groups (prides). The pride owns the territory in which it hunts and defends it from other lions. The dominant male of a pride marks its boundaries with a mixture of urine and anal gland secretions, and any lion that approaches his land knows where the boundary is. Although the area is not patrolled, any invasion ends sooner or later mortal combat a dominant lion with an invader, or lionesses with an intruder, so any invasion by a lion or several young lions is a challenge that the leader will always answer, and in such wars many lions end their lives.
Thus, the lion protects the females from the claims of strangers, and the territory protected by the male is the hunting area of his females.
The size of hunting grounds directly depends on the density of game and ranges (for African lions) from 20 to 400 km 2, while the number of lions where there is a lot of varied prey (mainly ungulates) can reach 12 per 100 km 2.
But there are lions that do not have their own territories - young single predators. Sometimes they migrate along with herds of ungulates, sometimes they wander near the borders of the pride territory, posing a constant threat to the aging leader.
After a night hunt, lions sleep in islands of shade in the grass or on low, massive tree branches. If there is enough prey, sleep can take up to 20 hours a day.
Hunting.
Lions can hunt different ways, depending on the composition of the group of hunters and the abundance of game.
When the pride hunts open space For large ungulates, as happens in the Serengeti National Park (Tanzania), lionesses take the main part in capturing the prey. Lions are conspicuous, and therefore their participation with this method is reduced to a minimum: in best case scenario, they scare the prey with a growl, driving it into an ambush prepared by the lionesses, and sometimes the lions do not take any part in the hunt at all. Like all cats, lions are very fast but not very hardy, this also dictates their method of hunting - by stealth. Under the cover of a moonless night, lionesses quietly surround a herd of zebras or wildebeests, one of them creeps as close as possible to the victim - 20-30 meters - and overtakes it with a swift rush. When the animal falls, other lionesses come to the rescue, grabbing the prey by the rump and neck, squeezing the throat with tremendous force. Usually they hunt either near a watering hole, at the moment when the animals began to drink, or through the joint efforts of the pride, driving them to an ambush. With such a joint hunt, the probability of success is very high, but this is only possible with an abundance of large ungulates - then one hunted animal is enough for several days, the pride can afford not to eat everything at once, but to protect its prey from carrion-eating animals. Lions never go hunting if the previous prey has not yet been eaten.
In wooded areas, the distribution of roles between females and males is different. Since kittens are much easier to hide in the forest, lions do not spend as much energy guarding them, they generally interact less with lionesses and go out hunting themselves. In the wooded Kruger National Park, males predominately hunt buffalo, while females predominately hunt zebras and wildebeest.
To hunt some species of animals, lions use different methods. Thus, they accompany herds of buffalo for a long time, without hiding and thereby creating panic in the usually well-organized and protected herd, and when the even rows of buffalo scatter, they choose available prey.
A lone lioness left with the cubs when the pride left after the migrating herds, or an old lion expelled from the pride does not disdain anything. Hunger is a serious danger for them. But they also find food for themselves - by watching for ungulates at a watering hole, smaller game, or even watching hyenas and vultures, who will show them where to find carrion. When hungry, they can eat birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles, rodents, and ostrich eggs.
In addition to hunting and eating carrion, lions can take their prey from other predators.
Each pride may have its own food preferences. Usually the hunted animal is eaten collectively, but the dominant male eats first and only then the lionesses. The lion can make sure that there is food left for the kittens. First the offal is eaten, then the meat with skin. A lion can eat 25–30 kg of meat at one time. Such a feast does not happen every day, and in extreme cases, lions can go without food for several weeks.
Lions can eat almost anyone. In the Serengeti, where food conditions for lions are ideal, the bulk of their diet (about 90%) consists of ungulates: zebras, wildebeests, Thompson's gazelles, buffaloes, warthogs, hares (cow antelopes) and topi hares.
However, the role of lions in regulating the number of ungulates takes a back seat compared to the sufficiency food base, therefore, lions, like almost all large predators, are rather useful for the state of the ungulate population, since they destroy weakened animals; this prevents the development of mass diseases and leaves more food for healthy individuals.
Pride structure. Communication.
Lions are the only cats that form social groups, prides. The core of a pride is made up of 2–18 lionesses; as a rule, these are close relatives who have their own territory (a lioness always inherits the territory of her mother). The lionesses of a pride generally do not establish hierarchical relationships among themselves. Several lions live with them, among which one is dominant; he is not always the strongest, but other lions recognize and do not challenge his dominance. He is the first to eat after a successful hunt, the first to mate with females during estrus, and the first to attack the enemy - a lion - invading the territory of the pride. In total, a pride can have up to 40 animals, but on average there are about 13.
Young lions, growing up, begin to claim primacy and at the age of 2.5 years are expelled from the pride. Subsequently, they either create their own pride, or live for 2–3 years alone or in small groups (up to seven lions, usually brothers) without females. It is easier for such a group to capture a pride than for a lone lion, and it is easier to subsequently defend its pride: if a pair of males usually holds a pride within 2.5 years, then a coalition of 3-4 males lasts for more than three years. Young single lions are not burdened with feeding cubs and caring for territory, so they eat better and sooner or later conquer for themselves a territory that houses one or even several prides of lionesses. The first thing a male does after capturing a pride is kill all the cubs. Lionesses, as a rule, are not able to stop them, and only lion cubs older than one year have a chance of salvation. A lioness who has lost her cubs begins estrus (estrus) after 2–3 weeks and will soon give birth to a new leader. Such infanticide (killing cubs) is necessary, since otherwise the new leader would have to wait at least two years for his own offspring, and given that the leader, as a rule, is replaced every 2-4 years, he would not have time to raise his own cubs .
Pride gives lions advantages associated with hunting. In a group, the chance of a successful attack increases, and it also becomes possible to hunt larger and stronger animals, such as an adult buffalo. It becomes possible to protect a half-eaten corpse from spotted hyenas and scavengers. However, the lion still gets less food than if he hunted alone, since he gets only a small part of the prey. The reason for the formation of a pride may be the need for cooperation in raising lion cubs. Lionesses give birth at almost the same time, which allows them to share feeding and protecting all the cubs. In addition, a large pride is able to resist the territorial claims of other lionesses, can seize their territory and kill lionesses of neighboring prides.
But, apparently, the main task of the pride is to jointly protect the cubs from stray lions and from lions that have captured the pride: joint defense, at least, makes it possible to defend the grown-up lion cubs.
Leos get to know each other well. Greatest contribution Visual perception contributes to this. For example, two adult males can already draw conclusions based on the state of their opponent’s mane about how strong and dangerous he is, and decide whether to lay claim to his possessions. The mane is indeed a very good guide, since the growth of the mane is significantly dependent on testosterone levels. When greeting each other, lions of one pride rub their muzzles and are generally very affectionate.
Scent signals are used when a lion (and occasionally a lioness) marks the boundaries of its territory with a mixture of urine and secretions from special glands. This behavior is formed in lions at the age of about two years.
Lions learn to roar even earlier - about a year. Males have a longer, deeper and louder roar than females. A lion usually roars while standing, sometimes crouching to the ground. Such acoustic communication serves both for communication within the pride and to announce to the rival that the territory is protected.
Reproduction. Caring for offspring.
Lions breed all year round, but the peak occurs during the rainy season. In a non-pregnant female, estrus begins 16 days after the end of the previous one. At this time, the lion begins to court her. The pair leaves the pride for 4–5 days to mate (which at this time occurs on average every 25 minutes), remaining, however, in its hunting territory. Not only males, but also females are polygamous; usually mating occurs both with the dominant male and with other lions from the pride. Males of a pride usually do not fight for females; the lioness leaves with the first one who meets her. On average, every fifth heat cycle ends in pregnancy.
If a lioness becomes pregnant, then after 3.5 months, shortly before giving birth, she again leaves the pride. She finds a shady, inconspicuous place and there the offspring are born - from 1 to 6, on average, three lion cubs. At first they are looked after by their mother, and after returning to the pride, all lionesses are equally affectionate with the cubs and do not distinguish between their own and others. In a pride, lion cubs are born synchronously, which gives them an advantage: mutual feeding and collective defense are known to significantly reduce cub mortality. The role of the lion in caring for the offspring is primarily to protect the pride from wandering male lions. He can also make sure that when dividing the prey, the lion cubs get their portion. But females protect lion cubs from predators. Lion cubs aged 5–7 months are at greatest risk. They remain alone for a long time and can become prey to hyenas and other predators. In addition, sometimes the mother herself attacks weak lion cubs, which are not yet able to follow the pride in due time. Mortality in the first six months of life of lion cubs reaches 50%.
If the cubs survive, their mother will next give birth in about two years, but if they all died (usually due to the capture of the pride), then estrus will begin a very short time after their death.
Newborn lion cubs weigh only 1–2 kg. On the 11th day they open their eyes, and on the 15th they begin to walk. There are dark spots on the skin of small lion cubs (up to 3 months), which then disappear. For the first two months of life, they feed only on milk, but at this age they, together with their mother, return to the pride and, in addition to milk (and all lactating lionesses feed them along with their mother), they gradually become accustomed to meat. At the age of 7 months (up to 10) they switch completely to eating meat. Soon they begin to accompany adult lions while hunting, and from 11 months they can already kill prey on their own. However, before independent life still far away: a lion cub has a chance of surviving alone starting at 16 months, but usually does not leave the pride until two or even four years of age. Young females generally remain in the pride.
Males and females reach sexual maturity on average at 5 years and 4 years, respectively. But even after this, they continue to grow in size - usually up to six years.
Lionesses live longer, since older lions are usually driven out either by the pride or by another, stronger male. In nature, they live on average 14–16 years (up to 18 years in the Serengeti), and males rarely reach 11 years, but you can also find an older lion (up to 16 years). The average life expectancy of lions in captivity is 13 years, the record is 30.
Enemies and diseases. Meaning for a person.
An adult lion is practically invulnerable to predators. spotted hyena may, however, attack lion cubs, young or old lions. The greatest danger to an adult healthy lion is starvation or death as a result of a collision with another lion. Lions compete for food with other large predators - hyenas, cheetahs and leopards - but usually emerge victorious from fights with them. At the same time, hyenas will only give up controversial prey to a large male lion, and from lionesses, on the contrary, they can even take away the animal they killed.
The lion population is limited mainly by the number of surviving cubs. The main cause of their death is infanticide, which is carried out by males when capturing a pride. The mortality rate of lion cubs also increases noticeably when there is a lack of prey. In addition, left unattended, they become victims of predators, primarily spotted hyenas.
Humans pose a serious danger to lions. A huge number of lions continue to be destroyed in national parks. In addition to rifle hunting, arrows, traps and poisoned baits are used (since lions readily eat carrion, usually a carcass with poison in it). Some African countries allow lions to be hunted for food.
But the harm caused to lions by humans is far from limited to direct destruction. As mentioned above, the lion’s habitat area has sharply decreased in historical times, and the main reason for this is the development of agriculture and cattle breeding, which gradually displaced large predators to lands not yet developed by humans. Even in Africa, this has led to the fact that lions are now preserved almost exclusively in game reserves. Although lions were found throughout the sub-Saharan continent 150 years ago, their population in western Africa continues to decline dramatically, and it looks like they will soon be confined to the eastern and southern parts of the continent. The problem is complicated by the fact that various reserves are separated by spaces that are insurmountable for a lion, and local populations are often too small to support themselves. Subsequently, if the situation does not change, this may lead to an increase in the frequency of genetic abnormalities and a further decline in the number of lions.
The majority of human-lion conflict occurs at the borders of nature reserves, but relatively simple measures (such as secure fencing with live wire) can prevent lions from entering populated areas. However, sometimes lions overcome fences. If this happened to an adult lion with a pride who simply wanted to expand his territory in this way, then they try to bring him back, and he will no longer try to repeat such an experiment. If this is a young lion, already addicted to killing cattle, which is so common in Africa, then he will continue to trespass the boundaries of the reserve, and they are trying to seize such lions.
But even where lions can sometimes appear near housing, attacks on humans are a rare exception. As a rule, these are old lions, doomed in nature to starvation, old or wounded animals. Healthy lions deprived of a normal habitat can also become man-eaters, but usually, having met a person, a lion simply leaves, and in places where there are many tourists, it does not even do this, calmly continuing to relax and go about its business.
Another problem is that lions often carry the feline immunodeficiency virus, which also affects domestic cats. For cats, this virus, similar to HIV, is fatal, but for lions it is apparently not dangerous, but a huge part of the lion population is infected with it, thanks to which the natural focus of this infection is constantly maintained.
Lions also bring benefits to people: thanks to them, ecotourism is thriving in many poor countries, generating significant income.
Lions are protected by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Asian subspecies P. l. persica is listed in the Red Book as endangered.
In some reserves in Africa, where lions became so few in number that the population could no longer renew itself, they even used artificial insemination to produce offspring. Attempts are being made to populate territories undeveloped by lions with adult females or entire prides in order to reduce the harmful effects of inbreeding in small groups.
In captivity, lions reproduce well, which has made it possible to create their own population of Asiatic lions in zoos, which is also used to maintain the number of Asiatic lions in the wild.
Diversity.
The genetic diversity of lions is not very great - less than between people of different races - but it is customary to distinguish several subspecies. Genetic analysis data showed that the common ancestor of Asiatic and African lions lived about 100 thousand years ago.
The final opinion on the identification of lion subspecies has not yet been formed. Although all researchers agree that the Asian form is a separate subspecies (P. l. persica), some divide the diversity of forms in Africa into several subspecies, or sometimes consider it a single subspecies. The most widespread classification, where five living subspecies are distinguished among African lions, is given below. All subspecies are divided and named by geographical region where they live.
1.Panthera leo senegalensis (West Africa), or the Senegalese lion, is endangered.
2. P.l. azandica(northeastern Congo, Zaire)
3. P.l. bleyenberghi(Katanga, Angola, South part Congo), or Katangese lion, is endangered.
4. P.l. krugeri(South Africa, Transvaal) - includes lions living in the Kalahari Desert. They are characterized by a lighter mane and are the only type of lion that inhabits deserts. Sometimes Kalahari lions are classified as a separate subspecies P. l. verneyi.
5. P.l. nubica(East Africa). These include Somali lions ( P.l. somaliensis), Masai ( P.l. massaicus), lions from the Serengeti ( P.l. massaicus), Congo ( P.l. hollisteri) and Abyssinia ( P.l. roosevelti).
Among the subspecies destroyed by humans:
1. Atlas or Barbary lion ( P.l. leo). At the beginning of the 20th century they lived in northern Africa, in the Atlas. These lions were distinguished by a huge black mane, which grew not only on the head, but passed over the shoulders to the belly. They were different from living lions large size and a dense build. They lived alone in the wooded area, not forming a pride. These were the lions that the emperors of Rome kept. The last Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922.
2. Cape Lion ( P.l. melanochaita) - lived on the southern tip of the mainland. This is the largest lion that a person could meet. The last Cape lion was destroyed in 1860.
3. Marotsi, or spotted lion ( P.l. maculatus) - from eastern Africa, where it inhabits mountain forests. Only single encounters with humans have been recorded, and it is unknown whether these animals have survived. They are very different in appearance from other lions: smaller, no mane, but the skin is covered with spots in the form of rosettes. There is an opinion that this is not a special type of lion, but a cross between a lion and a leopard, in which case Marotsi cannot be considered a subspecies of lions.
4. The only lion in Asia is the Indian lion ( P.l. persica) - preserved only in the Girsky Nature Reserve (west of India). The natural population numbers up to 300 adult individuals. The last Asiatic lion outside India was killed in 1942 in Iran; before that, lions were exterminated in Europe (about 100 AD), Palestine, Turkey (in the 19th century), Iraq (1918), India (beyond with the exception of the Gir forest, by the beginning of the 20th century).
Externally, Asiatic lions are distinguished by a small and shorter mane (which never completely covers the ears), and somewhat smaller size. An adult male weighs 160–190 kg, a female 110–120 kg.
Asiatic lions live in the wild and in prides, but they are formed, as a rule, of only two females. Males are less social: they live with the pride only during the mating period or when they go out together to hunt. This does not happen often, as the usual prey in the Gir Forest is small, often Indian deer and sambar, although it is traditional for the Asiatic lion to hunt larger animals, especially the more readily available cattle. Perhaps this feature is the reason for the decrease in the size of the pride.
Life expectancy averages 17–18 years for females and about 16 for males; they reach sexual maturity at 3–4 and 5–8 years, respectively. In one litter there are from 1 to 5, usually 2–3 cubs, but mortality in the first year of life is very high and is about 30%, then it decreases sharply and for adult animals does not exceed 10%
Various measures are being taken to protect the Indian lion. Although its population is growing slowly but steadily, there is a danger that due to disease it could all disappear at once, so an attempt was made to create a reserve population in captivity in order to subsequently release the animals into places where they could live and leave offspring. However, in the 1980s it was discovered that almost all Asiatic lions bred in zoos are largely crossbreeds with African lions.
Tatiana Smirnova
The power and strength of the lion are covered in legends. Because he looks truly regal. The imagination first of all pictures a lion in its prime. His incomparable dark gold or black-brown mane gives him the majesty of a monarch. And the lion's voice is no less impressive than his appearance. On a quiet night, a lion's roar causes awe in everyone who hears it - even eight kilometers away. In his behavior, the lion also shows many royal qualities.
The lion is a huge predator, with a strong, flexible, agile and muscular body. He runs well. This is a large predatory cat that has well-developed muscles in the neck and front legs, with which it captures and holds its prey. The lion's jaws are powerful, with huge fangs. The lion's grip with just its teeth is very strong. It can even hold animals as large as wildebeest. The tongue is rough and covered with tubercles in the form of sharp spines, which help it grab and tear off pieces of meat, literally tearing its prey apart. These same spines help the lion catch fleas and remove ticks when he grooms his skin. Lions hunt large animals: zebras, gazelles, wildebeests, and do not hesitate to steal, taking prey from other predators.
The male lion is much larger than the female and is 50 percent heavier in weight. He is easily recognized by his massive mane.
The huge weight of the lion gives crushing force to its blow. He easily scatters females when he takes prey from them. Many males live by feeding exclusively on food obtained by females, and almost never try to get anything themselves. Typically, the main role of males is to protect the territory from other animals encroaching on it. Females are mainly engaged in hunting. Lions differ from other cats in that they do not hunt alone, but in groups. They first try to isolate the prey from the herd, and then attack and kill it. They usually hunt at night, especially on the plains where the grass is short and it is difficult for a predator to hide in it.
Several lionesses surround the target animal, approaching it to within about 30 meters, and in this way they finally determine their choice. When the lioness comes very close to the victim, she will knock her down with a strong blow from her huge paws and immediately sink her teeth into her throat. Every fourth attack usually ends in complete victory for the predators. When the hunters eagerly pounce on their prey, the male lion appears. It is possible that a pack of hyenas may be nearby. Usually lions, having dealt with a large killed animal, generously allow others to feast on the prey. The habitat is usually defended by male lions. Within one territory, a flock of lions can live, consisting of six male lions, twelve adult lionesses and young lion cubs.
Depending on living conditions in a given territory and the number of other animals, a flock can occupy an area of up to 400 square km.
However, where there is more than enough food, this area may be significantly smaller. Lions breed at any time of the year, however, females of one pack (pride) prefer to have cubs at the same time (to make it easier to protect them from other predators and male lions of another pride). They even feed them, without dividing them into friends and foes. If one female dies, the others take care of the deceased's cubs. On average, a lioness brings up to three cubs in one litter. The cubs stay with their mother for up to six months while they suckle her. From the age of three months they begin to eat meat little by little. Lionesses in a pride are almost always related to each other family relations, newcomers are accepted reluctantly. Male lion cubs are taught to hunt later than lionesses; sometimes young lions begin to learn only in the fifth year of life. Therefore, it is important that males remain in their home pride for as long as possible, but they are usually kicked out when they are still young. These exiled males sometimes form a pack where they have a better chance of survival. A pride of bachelor males is short-lived. Driven by instincts, males go to prides where lionesses live, and there they try to fight for leadership. In the heat of battle, success favors the strongest and most agile, and the once friendly pack of males soon disintegrates. One of the mysteries of lion behavior was that for some reason the males killed their cubs. Now this mystery has been solved. The fact is that the attack of males is caused by their jealousy of young lion cubs. Male lions do not tolerate unnecessary rivals in their pack, so they strive to get rid of them. There is another explanation for such cruel and incomprehensible behavior. The male in this way encourages the female to give birth to new cubs. And they have a better chance of survival than previous cubs. And they will get more food.
During the mating period, the relationship between partners is very tender. The dominant lion mates with a female who is in heat every twenty to thirty minutes - and so on for hours (up to 30-40 times a day in total). During sexual intercourse, the male lion bites the lioness on the scruff of the neck, as is typical for cats. Three and a half months after mating, the pregnant lioness leaves the pride, finds a secluded corner overgrown with grass and gives birth to offspring there. Lion cubs are born blind and helpless. Their skin is covered with spots that gradually disappear as they grow older (although adult lions with preserved “childhood” spots are occasionally found). In most cases, no more than half of all lion cubs survive. Lion cubs suck mother's milk from birth until they are six to seven months old. Then they eat only meat. At about two months of age, lion cubs join the pride. A lion is considered an adult at 5 years old and by this time has reached its optimal “fighting” size.
The lion is one of the largest predators on earth. The average African male weighs about 350 pounds (160 kilograms), and reaches a length of about 8.5 feet (2.6 meters). However, a male weighing 690 pounds (313 kilograms) was shot in South Africa in 1936. The animal was exceptionally massive; probably, individuals of this weight no longer exist in nature. Life expectancy: up to 17-20 years in nature and up to 30 years in captivity.
White lions are lions with reduced production of the pigment melanin. The reason for this phenomenon is a recessive gene that rarely manifests itself. The result of its action is a light color ranging from creamy beige to snow-white. Some white lions are white in some parts of the body and cream in others; some are painted a smooth white-cream color. White lions often have blue eyes (which is also associated with low melanin levels). There are currently about 300 white lions living on earth. There are special programs to preserve this type of color. But such a color only harms the lions themselves, living in the wild, as it unmasks them, preventing them from hunting. There is an assumption that the gene that gives white coloring in lions remained from distant ancestors who lived in glacial period, When White color wool was needed for camouflage
A little history of lions:
Lions reached their maximum distribution at the end of the Pleistocene: approximately 100,000–10,000 years ago they had the most extensive land range among mammals. Various geographic races or subspecies of lions were found from Alaska and the Yukon to North America to Peru in Southern, throughout Europe, in Asia to Siberia and most of Africa. They became extinct in North America approximately 10,000 years ago. In historical times, lions lived in the extreme south of Africa and throughout the north of this continent, as well as throughout Western Asia, reaching India, where they occupied semi-desert plains in the northern half of the country, and the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. On the European continent, lions were exterminated by 100 AD, and in other parts of their former range - by the end of the last century. In Iran, a few lions remained until 1942; in India their number was reduced to about 25, and they remained there only in the Gir Forest, but they were taken under protection and their population has increased significantly since the 1940s. Now there are approximately 225 Asiatic lions. Studies have shown that these animals are morphologically and genetically different from African ones. Unfortunately, apparently as a result of prolonged inbreeding, Asiatic lions have almost completely lost their genetic diversity, which reduces their adaptive flexibility when changing environment. In addition, they have symptoms of reproductive dysfunction (low sperm quality with numerous abnormalities). Lions breed easily in captivity. As part of a worldwide program covering dozens of zoos, over the years they have already received several hundred Asiatic lions, constituting their “reserve” population, which can be used to strengthen the wild one. However, it was recently discovered that the founders of this population in captivity were not only purebred Asiatic, but also African lions, so work is now underway to create a new, “pure” population, as well as to establish separate pedigree books for African lions bred in zoos.
Leo is called the "King of Beasts". In the European tradition, it is a symbol of power, embodying the power of the sun and fire. In heraldry, the lion symbolizes royalty and nobility. In the countries of Southeast Asia (China, Japan, Korea) since ancient times there has been a special, highly mythologized and stylized image of a lion - the so-called Chinese lion. It bears little resemblance to a real lion, and rather resembles mythical creature. According to the beliefs of Ancient China, the lion is the mythical protector of the Law, the guardian of sacred buildings. It is a symbol of power and success, royal power and strength. Such lions were installed as “guardians” in front of the gates of imperial tombs, government residences, administrative buildings and religious buildings of Imperial China (approximately since the Han Dynasty) and Japan. Currently, it is an attribute of Buddhist temples in East Asia (China, Korea, Japan) and Central Asia(Mongolia and Russia) and Shinto shrines.
Ecology
Basics:
Known for being some of the only truly social cats, lions prefer to be nomadic and live in groups called prides, and the leadership of these groups mainly belongs to females.
Lions have golden fur, and males have a shaggy mane that ranges in color from light to reddish or even black. Coat color depends on the lion's age, genetics and hormone levels.
Adult male lions can reach a length of up to 3 meters and usually weigh between 150 and 250 kilograms, while females are slightly smaller in size - a maximum of 2.7 meters in length and weigh around 120-180 kilograms. A lion's tail can reach a length of 0.6-1 meter. Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than their African relatives.
The lion's body is ideally suited for hunting: they are strong and fit, have powerful front paws and jaws that help them kill prey.
Lions mainly feed on large animals, such as zebras and wildebeest. They do not hesitate to take prey from other predators - hyenas and leopards. The most important hunters of a pride are females.
Lionesses mate every 2 years and can give birth to 1 to 6 cubs at once 3.5 months after conception. Approximately 60 to 70 percent of lion cubs die in the first year of life. The females of the pride help each other care for their offspring.
In the wild, male lions live on average 12 years, and females 15 years. In the zoo, lions can live longer - more than 20 years.
A pride can contain up to 40 lions, including adult females, adolescent lions (2-4 years old) and 1-2 adult males. Females remain in their mother's pride for life unless food shortage causes the pride to split. Males are driven out of the pride when they become old in order to compete with younger rivals.
Males first travel together with the entire group, which consists of his relatives, and then look for another pride to join. Usually males live in one pride for 2-3 years.
Males and females mark their territories with urine and also drive away rivals with their menacing roars.
Where do they live?
Lions once lived throughout Europe, Africa and North America, but today they can be found mainly in Africa - from the southern edge of the Sahara Desert to northern South Africa. The habitat is savannas.
A small population of lions - about 300 individuals - lives in the Gir forest in western India.
Security status: African lion– vulnerable, Asiatic lion – critically endangered
Lion populations are suffering due to human hunting and taking away the animals' territory, and lions are also threatened by diseases that can be transmitted from domestic dogs in neighboring villages.
Over the past 2 decades, the lion population in Africa has halved for various reasons, including punitive measures by farmers: lions encroach on livestock.
Human intervention in the Asiatic lion's habitat has threatened their population in the Gir forest.
The closest relatives of lions are tigers, with which lions can interbreed in captivity. As a result, hybrids of these cats are born - liger and tiger lion.
Lions are the second largest cat in size (after tigers).
The menacing roar of a lion can be heard 8 kilometers away in the savannah.
The lion's mane helps the lion defend itself during fights.
Lions can reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour when chasing prey, although they can only travel short distances. The lion's leap reaches 11 meters.
Asiatic lions have sparser manes than their African relatives and have a distinctive fold of skin on their bellies. African lions' ears are hidden in the mane, while Asian lions' ears protrude from the mane.
During mating season, lions can mate 20-40 times a day.
