Curious facts about lions. White lion Leo - characteristics and description

The lion is one of the large predatory animals belonging to the cat family. There are several varieties of this animal, in addition to this, many hybrids are known that appeared from mixing different species. Each of them differs in certain features, but also has similarities. The local population of the lands, which are located near the habitat of the beast, calls it " wild cat and considers it dangerous, tries to destroy it. Because of this, the population of these animals has been greatly reduced. Meanwhile, the lion is an interesting and peculiar animal, so you should know how it differs from other representatives of the fauna.

Leo - characteristics and description

When characterizing an animal such as a lion, you need to provide a description of it. Different types slightly different from each other, but they have a lot in common.

The animal belongs to the cat family, therefore, in its appearance it is similar to domestic cats, only much larger than them. It is one of the largest representatives of this family, second only to the tiger.

The body of the beast is flexible and mobile, they have well-developed muscles of the front paws and neck. On the paws there are claws, the length of which reaches 7 cm. Its head is large, with an elongated muzzle and strong jaws. His fangs are long (about 8 cm), the number of teeth is 30 pcs. These features give the lion the ability to prey on large herbivores. The tongue is covered with tubercles, thanks to which the lion can clean its fur from dirt and eliminate insects.

On the muzzle there are whiskers, at the base of which there are small dark spots. These spots form a pattern that is unique to each animal. Cubs are born spotted, but as they grow older, the spots disappear from their body, and the color of the coat becomes uniform - brown or sandy. At the tip of the tail of the beast is a black tassel.

The main feature of this animal species is sexual dimorphism. The male lion and the lioness have significant differences. For example, it is impossible to say how much a lion weighs on average without knowing the sex of a particular individual. Males significantly outnumber females in size and weight. In addition, their head is decorated with a mane, which begins to grow in lion cubs from the age of 6 months. The length of the pile and the density of the mane depend on the age and characteristics of genetics.

How much does a lion weigh?

How much an adult lion weighs on average depends on the characteristics of his life. But gender has a particular effect on this indicator. Differences in the main parameters are shown in the table.

Despite its massiveness, this predator has the smallest heart size. Therefore, the lion cannot be called hardy. It is capable of reaching speeds of up to 80 km / h, but only covers short distances.

Features of life and habitat

Giving a description of any animal, you need to consider not only it appearance. It is also worth finding out how long a lion lives and where he lives.

There are few places where such an animal as a lion lives. AT last years its distribution area has been significantly reduced. Previously, this beast was found not only in Africa and India, as it is now, but also in Iran, Russia, southern Europe and the Middle East. But a significant part of the population was exterminated, and the conditions in many areas became unsuitable for their life. Therefore, of all the places where these animals could be seen before, now the lion lives only in the southern part of the African continent (beyond the Sahara desert) and in the Indian state of Gujarat. The most suitable for them are savannas, forests or shrubs.

Individuals unite in small flocks - prides. The pride consists of 5 or 6 females, between which there is a family relationship, their cubs and a male. In some prides, there may be two males if they are brothers. Young males, having reached maturity, leave the pride (they are expelled). They have the opportunity to join another pride or create their own. Some of them lead a solitary life.

How much a lioness or male lion weighs depends on the characteristics of their diet. Since the lion is a predator, he leads a hunting lifestyle, eating rather large animals. They may be:

In rare cases, an animal may attack a hippopotamus or little elephant. Also, sick cheetahs, hyenas and leopards can become its prey.

Lionesses excel in hunting. They are distinguished by dexterity and agility. Hunting is more difficult for males due to their large size and heavy mane. However, the male needs more food. An adult lion eats about 7 kg of meat per day, while 5 kg is enough for a female. These animals prefer to hunt at night, sneaking up to the victim at the maximum distance.

Reproduction in lions is not tied to the season, but it begins with the achievement of maturity. Males are considered sexually mature at the age of 6 years and females at the age of 4 years.

Males tend to fight for females. Sometimes these fights are so brutal that the competitor dies.

The duration of pregnancy in these animals is 110 days. Shortly before giving birth, the lioness leaves the pride and hides. She can give birth to 1-4 cubs, whose weight is slightly less than 2 kg. Lion cubs are born blind, and they open their eyes only 7 days after birth. For safety reasons, the mother changes her place of residence several times, carrying her children with her. She hunts and feeds the babies with milk. Training of cubs to hunt begins at the age of 1.5 months, at the same time the whole family joins the pride. With the onset of hunting, lion cubs gradually eat meat, although the period of milk feeding lasts about six months.

Lion life span

One of important aspects descriptions of these animals is a matter of how long a lion lives. To answer it, you need to take into account a lot of circumstances. How long a lion lives depends on features such as:

• Habitat. How better conditions life, the longer its duration.
• Closeness to people. In close proximity to humans, the risk of exterminating these animals and shortening their lives increases.
• Features of life. Lonely individuals live less than those that belong to the pride.
• Floor. The life expectancy of females is on average longer than that of males, since they have less risk of dying during fights with other lions.

All these nuances affect how long a lion lives. Therefore, their life expectancy varies greatly. On average, it is 8-10 years. Some individuals live up to 14 years.

How long a lion lives is greatly influenced by the behavior of people. It has a much greater impact than other factors. If people do not seek to destroy these animals, then the duration of their life increases. Better results can be achieved if living conditions suitable for animals are organized, for example, reserves or zoos. In this case, the lions can live 20 or even 25 years, as they are monitored by veterinarians.

types of lions

How long a lion lives also depends on the variety of this animal. There are several subspecies of the lion, each of which differs in certain features, habitat, living conditions and its duration. Some subspecies of this animal have already become extinct, others are at the stage of extinction. There are also several hybrid varieties that have appeared as a result of crossing with tigers, leopards or jaguars.

Scientists distinguish 8 main subspecies, one of which is the Asiatic lion. Another name for the subspecies is the Persian lion (or Indian). The Asian lion lives in the southern part of Eurasia. Its main habitat is the Gir Reserve in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Asian lion is considered an endangered species. This subspecies is characterized by squat. In terms of their height, males are slightly more than a meter. Due to the sleek and sparse mane, the Asiatic lion does not seem as large as the representatives of the African subspecies. The body weight of males is from 160 to 190 kg, lionesses usually weigh 90-120 kg. Body length - 2 - 2.5 m. The largest Asian lion has a length of 2.92 m.

The remaining species are found in Africa, which is why they can all be attributed to the African lion subspecies. They are characterized by certain common features, for example, sexual dimorphism, coat color, features of life and reproduction, and so on. Differences can be in size and body weight.

• Barbary. This subspecies is the largest. It used to spread all over African continent but is now completely destroyed. Male individuals had a mass of up to 270 kg, females - up to 170. Currently, descendants of these animals can be seen in zoos and reserves, but they cannot be called purebred.

• Senegalese. This is also an African lion that lives in the west of the continent. The size of these animals is small, the color of the coat is light. Males have almost no mane, or it is very short. You can meet representatives of this subspecies in Nigeria, Guinea and Senegal. Senegal lions are considered endangered.

• Northern Congolese. He owns everything external features that distinguishes the African lion. Its habitat is the savannas in the northeast of the Congo. The population of these animals is gradually decreasing.

• Masai. Otherwise it is called East African. It differs from other varieties long paws. Their mane is directed backwards. The body length of the male is 2.5-3 m, females - 2.3-2.6 m. These animals inhabit Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique. A large number of Masai lions are kept in the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya.

• Katangese. This species is on the verge of extinction. The bulk of it lives in southwestern Africa (Zimbabwe, Angola). In length, adult males reach 3.1 m, females - 2.65 m.

• Transvaal. These are lions with black manes. Among the representatives of this subspecies there are individuals on the skin and wool of which there are no melanocytes. Because of this, they have white coats and pink skin. A lion in length can be from 2.6 to 3.2 m, a lioness - 2.35-2.65 m. Transvaal lions live in southern Africa (Kalahari desert). They also contain national park Kruger.

• Cape. This species of animals was destroyed in the 19th century. They lived on the cape Good Hope(southern Africa). A feature of the species was the black tips of the ears and the presence of a mane on the stomach and shoulders.

This classification is not the only one. There are others to which other subspecies can be added by scientists.

Notable is such a variety of these animals as a mountain lion. It is not very similar to its other relatives, it differs in size and habitat. The mountain lion is common in America. Its body length ranges from 1 to 1.8 m, weight can reach 105 kg. This is significantly less than that of other subspecies. Also, the mountain lion is devoid of a mane. Coloration can vary from gray-brown to brown-yellow. Cougar cubs are born with dark spots and stripes on the body, but after 9 months of life, these marks begin to fade. The mountain lion prefers to live alone. The exception is mating season and rearing time.

Another subspecies that might be of interest is cave lion. It is included in some classifications, despite the fact that the cave lion is an extinct species, and it became extinct several millennia ago. During their lifetime, these animals inhabited Siberia and Europe. The cave lion is one of the progenitors modern lions. In size, the cave lion surpassed its descendants. According to the images of these animals, they did not have a mane, or it was very small. It is not known exactly, but there is an assumption that this subspecies of animals also united in prides.

Despite the name, the cave lion has never lived in caves. They were chosen by old and sick individuals shortly before death, which is why the largest number the remains of these animals were found there. Therefore, the cave lion was so named. The cave lion hunted deer and bears. This scientists explain the extinction of these animals. With the onset of warming, the number of bears and deer decreased, and the cave lion was not adapted to other diets.

Black and white lions

The lion is such an animal in which one can notice a lot interesting features. One feature concerns coloring. Some classifications mention varieties such as the white lion and the black lion. But this is wrong. If a lion with a dark or black mane is real existing subspecies, then animals with white or black coloration are considered an anomaly.

At the same time, it cannot be said that a lion with an exotic color is a fiction. Exists genetic mutation called leucism. Because of her, the fur of animals acquires White color. This is due to a lack of melanocytes. The result is the appearance of such an animal as the white lion. It can be assumed that this is an albino lion, but the color of his eyes, which can be either blue or golden, says otherwise.

White Lion almost does not differ in its characteristics from other representatives of the species. It is somewhat larger than the others. Their weight can reach 310 kg, and the body length of the male exceeds 3 m. The females of such animals are slightly smaller - 2.7 m. A lion with white hair changes color slightly during life, and by old age its body acquires an ivory shade.

The black lion, according to many scientists, does not exist in nature. They consider the photos and videos of such animals found on the network to be the result of shooting at night or special processing. Some suggest that in contrast to albinism, there is a phenomenon of melanism, in which there is too much pigment in the coat of animals. This is possible in jaguars and leopards. As a result of crossing, a lion with a dark shade of wool can be born, but this is just an accident, so there is no need to single out such animals as a separate subspecies.

Ecology

Main:

Known for being some of the only truly social cats, lions prefer to lead a nomadic lifestyle and live in groups called prides, and leadership in these groups is mainly held by females.

Lions have golden fur, while males have a shaggy mane that varies 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 - a maximum of 2.7 meters in length and weigh about 120-180 kilograms. The tail of a lion can reach a length of 0.6-1 meter. Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than their African relatives.

The body of a lion is ideally suited for hunting: they are strong and fit, have powerful front legs and jaws that help them kill prey.

Lions mainly feed on large animals, such as zebras and wildebeests. They do not disdain to take prey from other predators - hyenas and leopards. The most important hunters of the 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 their first year of life. Pride females help each other care for their offspring.

AT wild nature male lions live an average of 12 years, and females 15 years. In the zoo, lions can live longer - more than 20 years.

Up to 40 lions can live in a pride, including adult females, juvenile lions (2-4 years old) and 1-2 adult males. Females remain in their mother's pride for life unless food shortages cause the pride to split. Males are driven out of the pride when they get old in order to compete with younger rivals.

Males travel first with the whole 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 roar.

Where do they live?

Once upon a time, lions 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 the northern part of South Africa. The habitat is savannas.

A small population of lions - about 300 individuals - lives in the Gir forest in western India.

Guard status: the African lion is vulnerable, the Asiatic lion is critically endangered

Lion populations are suffering from human preying and territory taking, and lions are 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 by different reasons, including the punitive measures of farmers: lions encroach on livestock.

Human intervention in the habitat of Asiatic lions has endangered 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 - a liger and a tiger.

Lions are the second largest cat in terms of size (after tigers).

The menacing roar of a lion can be heard for 8 kilometers 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, chasing prey, although they can cover short distances. The lion's jump reaches 11 meters.

Asiatic lions have a more sparse mane than African relatives, and on the abdomen they have a characteristic skin fold. Ears African lions hidden in the mane, while in Asians they stick out of the mane.

During the mating season, lions may mate 20-40 times a day.

The lion is unanimously recognized as the king of beasts. He received such a high title for his impressive appearance, noble disposition and fear, which he inspired people from time immemorial. This animal is a favorite object of heraldry; its images can be seen on the coats of arms of most of the reigning dynasties, including those that, due to geographical reasons, have never come into contact with this animal.

Lion (Panthera leo).

Lions are the only predators with such pronounced sexual dimorphism. While females look like typical big cats, males have thick manes that make them stand out from all other animals.

Lion and lioness during the mating game.

The mane is by no means symbolic, but a very real sign of the "masculinity" of the lion. Its growth directly depends on the amount of the sex hormone testosterone - the higher the level of the hormone, the more magnificent the mane.

Lion with dark mane.

However, in different subspecies of lions, the size and color of the mane can vary greatly from light to almost black, from a small mane on the neck to a thick, exciting chest, paws and underbelly.

And this lion is a light, fawn color.

Among the lions there are specimens with very low level pigment in wool - white lions (not to be confused with albinos, which are completely devoid of pigmentation).

White Lion.

Lions belong to the cat family, where they rightfully occupy an honorable ... second place in size. The second, because the first place belongs to the tiger, large specimens of which can reach 3m in length and weigh 270kg. Lions reach a length of 2m and weigh up to 220kg. When kept together in zoos, lions are almost always inferior in fights to tigers.

Lions at the watering hole.

In the savannahs, lions also give way to elephants, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles at a watering place. They avoid attacking adult buffaloes, giraffes and even warthogs ( african view pigs), because these animals can give a serious rebuff and even kill the attackers.

This lioness attacked the buffalo, but the victim resisted, and now the attacking side has to retreat. Most likely, the lioness left the pride due to some internal struggle. Forced to hunt alone, she hopelessly loses the competition. Only extreme hunger could force her to such a risky adventure. Usually lions avoid attacking buffaloes, preferring easier prey to them.

But in fairness it should be noted that lions can attack all of the above species of animals, if they are very hungry, they attack big group or their prey is too weak (due to age or disease).

A group of lions managed to kill a baby elephant. AT young age elephants are defenseless against such a group attack, but having matured, they respond to lions with undisguised hostility.

In turn, the lions will not fail to destroy a competitor in the face of some more small predator: attack the young of cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, or simply take away the food they have obtained. This completely dispels the myth of a noble hunter and a thunderstorm of all animals.

The family organization of lions is also very peculiar. Lions are the only felines that live in groups.

A family of lions is called a pride and consists of one (occasionally two) males and 5-15 females.

The life of a pride is very much like a harem, where the male mainly defends the territory from competing prides, other males and hyenas attacking the young. The females are engaged in the extraction of food.

Lions very rarely take part in the hunt, preferring to take the prey from the females.

Between the females in the pride reign friendly relations, they often come to the rescue of each other in dangerous situations, there are even cases of feeding other people's cubs.

Friendships are cemented special language gestures when lions rub their cheeks against each other and lick their brothers.

Lions are tolerant of their offspring and even allow cubs to play with them. But as soon as the male lion cubs grow up, they are forced to leave the pride, unable to compete with the leader.

While the lion cub's little father allows him a lot.

Young lions wander alone until they get stronger and can join the fight for someone else's pride. The new head of the pride destroys all the offspring of the previous leader, thereby stimulating the start of a new sexual cycle in females.

In general, the life of a pride takes place in lazy rest, which lions can indulge in up to 20 hours a day.

The young lion, after a hearty meal, fell asleep right on the "dining table".

When resting, lions can climb trees to rest in the shade, but they cannot drag prey up trees, unlike, say, a leopard.

Lionesses on a tree.

Lions hunt mainly at night. In this process, there is a clear division of responsibilities: some of the lionesses openly attack the herd, causing panic among potential victims, while the other part sits in ambush at this time. The lionesses single out a weak animal in the herd and drive it towards the hiding accomplices, then they surround the victim and strangle it with common efforts. Often, a hungry pride begins the meal even before the victim expires, literally eating it alive. The main objects of the lion's hunting are large ungulates - zebras, wildebeest, buffaloes.

Lions during a night buffalo hunt.

Lions have few natural enemies, but this does not mean that they do not exist at all. First of all, it must be said about the special relationship between lions and hyenas. These relations throughout the territory where the ranges of these two species intersect can be called a "blood war". Lions and hyenas hate each other, and this hatred goes beyond the usual food competition. Lions try to kill hyenas whenever possible, but this is not always possible. Because hyenas are also pack animals and, on occasion, are not averse to surrounding a lone lion, and in this case, victory will already be theirs.

Lions are of two types social organization- pride and lone lions. However, it is possible to single out the third - groups of bachelor lions, which play an important role in the fate of the first type - prides.

It has long been not entirely correct opinion about the pride. Usually the pride is considered as a kind of patriarchal family - the lion-father, the lioness-wives and their children, where the lion-patriarch rules until the end of his life. This is not entirely true, not even entirely true.

Pride is the basic social unit of lions. Prides vary in size and structure, but typically contain 5-9 adult females (range 1 to 18), their dependent offspring, and a coalition of 2-6 immigrant males (raised in other prides). The number of adult lions in a coalition is usually two, but their number can rise to four, and then decrease again. Upon reaching puberty, young males leave the pride. Pride sizes are smaller than worse conditions, for example, in dry areas with limited prey. On average, lionesses have 1/7 of the genes of other members of the pride. The number of lions in a pride varies depending on the timing of births or the high mortality rate of cubs. Males are in the pride for about 2 years, then they are replaced by another group of males.

The second type of social organization is the wandering lions. A small part of the lions leads a nomadic lifestyle, more often young and adult males without a pride. Most young males go through this, and some of them remain single until the end of their lives. Nomadic lions follow the migrations of their prey and hunt in groups. Lionesses are very attached to their pride and only a few females lead a nomadic lifestyle. A lone female usually returns to or settles near the natal pride. It is much more difficult for her to join another group, as the lionesses in the pride always have family ties and usually expel strangers. Stray lions have a very big sizes areas that may overlap with the pride area. They are usually found singly or in groups of about 5, the membership of which fluctuates freely.

Lions can change their way of life: nomads can form their own pride or join an existing one, and those living in a group can leave it.

The territory of the pride is 20-500 km², but the average size of prides in Africa is 26-226 km².

Lions have various models behavior both between prides and within the prides themselves. Different populations differ in diet and hunting preferences and methods.

Members of neighboring prides try to stay a few kilometers away from their neighbors. If neighboring prides do make contact, the lionesses usually try to drive uninvited guests, even if there are more of them than them. Some lionesses play a larger role in territorial defense than other females in a pride.

Territorial defense is carried out by males, females and immature lions. Males protect the pride from intrusions of other males, thus providing some exclusivity of mating, females protect their offspring from wandering males and their territory from prides of female neighbors. Females protect dens, hunting grounds, watering places from other prides. Increased aggressiveness in pride defense is common in places with high lion density, such as the Ngorongoro Crater. Territorial disputes often end in large groups expel and persecute smaller groups.

Males defend their territory through cooperative behavior that is not driven by kinship or companion behavior. By making a roar, he warns the pride of the threat, and also prevents the invasion of the territory of non-pride members. Females with cubs determine the roar of their males from the roar of strangers who may pose a threat to their offspring.

Usually, males usually stay on the periphery of the pride area. Mostly lionesses take part in the hunt - they are smaller, faster and more flexible than lions. During the hunt, females act in a coordinated manner - this helps them most successfully attack the victim. The division of hunting duties among lionesses in Etosha National Park shows that females constantly perform the same role - some pursue, others sit in ambush and kill the victim. When hunting, the group often begins to draw circles around the intended victim, and each lioness chooses the best route for the victim to run in the right direction, where an ambush awaits her. At the same time, team hunting is highly developed in the Serengeti, where individual lionesses may refrain from hunting, depending on the type of prey pursued.

Since lionesses hunt in open areas where their prey can easily spot them, coordinated actions lead to more successful hunting. Moreover, a group of lionesses is able to protect their prey from other predators, such as hyenas, which are attracted by vultures flying over the corpse of a killed animal. The females do most of the hunting. Males, as a rule, do not participate in it, except when the victim is a large animal - for example, a giraffe or a buffalo.

However, if there is a male in the vicinity of the hunt, he always dominates the division of prey. He more willingly shares his prey with offspring than with lionesses, and in the case of a self-killed victim, he feeds on her himself. Small prey is eaten on the spot by the hunters themselves, larger prey is dragged to the territory of the pride, where other members of the family also get access to it. On the spot, lions often behave aggressively towards each other and strive to eat as much food as possible.

Young individuals observe the hunting of adult animals, but they themselves begin to take part at the age of one year. They are able to fully hunt only from the age of two.

The social organization of lionesses allows individual members of the pride to long time concentrate on caring for offspring, not taking part in obtaining food. During the hunt, each member of the family performs a specific role, more or less permanent. One of key factors the survival of the pride is the health of the miners - for this reason they are the first to get the right to butcher the carcass. Also promotes social organization selection, due to which related individuals have priority in the division of prey (kin-selection), organized protection of offspring, protection of the territory and insurance in case of injury or starvation.

Usually a female joins her pride when her cubs reach 6-8 weeks of age. Sometimes she can return to the pride earlier, especially if the birth took place in sync with other lionesses. In such cases, the cubs grow up almost simultaneously, consume the same amount of food, and they have a better chance of survival.

In the pride, lion cubs are apart in " kindergarten"up to 1 year, although the mother looks after them for about 2 more years until she becomes pregnant. "Kindergartens" are the social core of the pride. They carry out maternal protection cubs and teenagers from predators and infanticide. Lion cubs can get milk from any lactating female in the pride, although mothers mainly feed their own or the children of close relatives (sisters). Females with small litters are more likely to care for foreign cubs than females with large litters.

Males may treat cubs differently: sometimes they can play with them, and sometimes they drive them away from themselves. In most cases, they like to share food more than females.

The number of females changes only after the birth or death of any lioness, although some of them may leave the pride themselves and become nomadic. Mature males leave their natal pride at 2-4 years old, if the capture of the pride by other males does not force him to do so earlier. Most females remain in the natal prides, but some young females (33% in the Serengeti) leave, also at the age of 2-4 years. Leaving the pride leads to a reduced survival rate of the litter, especially the first one. Females remaining in the natal pride are reproductive for about 12 years, starting at 4-5 years of age.

During the rest, the communication of lions passes through various expressive movements. The most common tactile gestures are head rubbing and licking, which can be compared to grooming in primates. When lions rub their noses against the head, neck, or face of another lion, this is a sign of greeting. Such a sign is used in the case of the return of the animal to its relatives. Males tend to rub against other males while cubs rub against their mothers.

Licking another individual often occurs along with friction. This is a mutual gesture aimed at obtaining pleasure. In most cases, lions lick their heads and necks.

There are many facial expressions and postures that lions use as visual gestures. They are able to make sounds that vary in strength and pitch. Lions can growl, purr, hiss, cough, bark and roar. The roar occurs in a characteristic manner, starting with a few deep sounds and ending with strong ones. Usually lions roar at night; the sound is heard at a distance of up to 8 km. It is used as a signal to other lions, both members of their pride and strangers.

Three or more males usually form new prides from their group, and lone lions or pairs of males often combine into larger groups consisting of the same males from different prides in order to successfully capture an existing pride. Bachelor groups form as coalitions of related and unrelated males. Coalitions of unrelated males consist of no more than 3, while coalitions of close relatives consist of 4-9 animals. The reproductive success of a male is directly related to his length of stay in the pride, which depends on the number of males in the coalition.

After conquering a pride, a coalition of males usually kill the cubs. Within a few days after the death of the cubs, the females enter a state of oestrus. Sexual activity with new males begins in females that have lost offspring almost simultaneously, which leads to synchronous births in the pride. Immature males usually leave the pride, young females stay away or also leave the pride if they do not mate with new males. This is especially true for already pregnant young females, who will have to raise offspring on their own.

When the pride becomes too large, the next generation of young females may be forced to leave the natal territory without changing males or coalitions of males in the pride.

The African lion is a member of the cat family. This is one of the most powerful predators.

In terms of size and body weight, it is second only to the tiger. The African lion lives in African countries located south of the desert Sahara. Normally exists only in protected areas, in other places it is actively destroyed by the local population, whose number is constantly increasing.

Now in Africa there are up to 50,000 representatives of this species. Also, about 2,000 African lions live in captivity: in zoos and circuses. The situation with the population of these predators causes serious concern.

Appearance

Representatives of this species of cats have external differences by gender. Males are much larger than females. Also, males have long lush manes, the length of which is about 40 cm. The hair of lions grows on the head, neck and chest and forms separate manes that join into one. There is a hair brush on the tail, the length of which is not more than 5 cm. Inside it has a small curved bone.

Lions have a yellow-gray color, however, some individuals may differ in shade. The color of the mane is the same as the color of the skin, the hairline of the shoulders is very dark, sometimes black. The coat on the belly and back is short. Lionesses do not have manes, which makes them more resistant to heat. Also because of this, they easily pass through any dense thickets. Probably, this is the reason why lionesses are engaged in hunting, and lions protect the territory.

These animals have large sizes. The average weight of a male is 180 kg, and the maximum is 250 kg. Females weigh an average of 125 kg, with a maximum of 180 kg. Lions living in southern Africa are larger than representatives of the eastern and western regions. At the withers, males reach a height of 120 cm, females - 90 cm, extremely rarely - 100 cm. The body of a male reaches 2.5 meters in length, females - 1.8 meters. Tail length ranges from 70 cm to 1 meter. Maximum weight, which was recorded - 370 kg, the maximum length was 3.6 meters.

Pride, reproduction, lifespan

This predator is the most socially organized of all members of the cat family. African lions live in groups with large numbers, the so-called prides. All pride females try to get pregnant at the same time, because. it is easier to feed and look after cubs born at the same time. The duration of pregnancy is 110 days. Lionesses give birth in secluded places outside the pride: in caves, thickets of bushes.

Up to 4 cubs weighing up to 2 kg, helpless and blind, are born. Babies open their eyes 10 days after birth, after another 10 days they begin to walk. The female constantly goes to hunt, leaving the cubs alone. To prevent other predators from finding babies by smell, lionesses change their den every few days.

Females return to prides when the cubs are already 1.5-2 months old. The cubs are fed with milk for six months. Lionesses have different attitudes towards offspring: they love males less. When the father of the offspring dies, another lion kills his male cubs. At the same time, the lioness may not react to this in any way, but she will protect the female cubs to the end and will not allow anyone to touch them.

Listen to the voice of the African lion

When the males are 2-3 years old, they are expelled from the pack and they lead a solitary lifestyle. Then they either create their own group or join an existing one. Some males live all their lives alone or in pairs. Lionesses stay with their mothers forever. All lionesses of the group are relatives, there are no other females in the flocks. Young lions are very high level mortality, up to 2 years out of 100 lions, only 20 will survive.

Males become sexually mature at 3 years of age. The first birth in females takes place at 4 years. The heyday of the powers of a predator from 4 to 10 years. Then the lions gradually age. The life span in the wild is up to 15 years, in captivity - up to 20-22 years.

Food and hunting

The usual habitat for African lions is the savanna, where many ungulates live with them. They form the basis of the diet of these predators. Females hunt, and males at this time protect the territory from attacks by lions from other prides. Such collisions are not uncommon, and one of the lions often dies as a result.

They hunt mainly at dusk, in the early morning and late evening, although sometimes lionesses go hunting during the day. Small prey is eaten on the spot, large prey is taken to a group and there they all eat it with the whole flock.

Healthy and strong animals and the sick and wounded receive food on equal terms. Lions do not start hunting until they have eaten past prey. At this time, they do not attack potential victims, even if they are nearby.

Most of the time, these felines are resting.

Enemies

These giant cats often feud with, because these animals have the same diet of food. Predators often take the prey of hyenas, which are forced to sit and wait for the lions to satisfy their hunger. If the hyenas are a flock, and the number of lionesses is small, then the hyenas select prey. In these confrontations, strength always wins. The same thing happens in the confrontations between lions and cheetahs and leopards.