Strong, fierce, and majestic, lions are the king of beasts. But how much do we know about lions?
Lions were once found throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe but now nearly all wild lions exist only in Africa, with a small population found in Sasan-Gir National Park located in western India. The national park has approximately 350-400 lions and is primarily created to protect the species.
On average, males weigh 190 kg while females weigh 126 kg. Male lions are much bigger than females and they have large manes which cover their head and neck, stretches underneath to their belly. As they get older, the manes will grow up to 16 cm long and also be a sign of dominance. The impressive mane will get darker as they age. While manes are meant to protect their neck and head from injuries during fights, it also attracts females. After birth, lion cubs usually have light spots on their fur and fades as they grow to help them camouflage and hide from enemies.
Lions do not hunt every day; in fact, they will start hunting every few days. They will feed from their kill, rest, and start hunting again. Their preys usually are medium-sized mammals like deer, zebra, and antelopes. They also ate animals which have already been killed by another predator, like hyenas. Lions do most of their hunting at night and more often during storms because it gives them a huge advantage over their prey. The noise and wind will make it harder for prey to see and hear them coming. They hunt in groups and certain lionesses may have specific roles like the “wing” and “centre”. The wings will chase the prey towards the centre.
Lions are facing threats of declination
The number of African lions have declined by over 40% in just three generations. They’re killed for illegal wildlife trade as the demand for lion bone has increased to substitute tiger bone for traditional medicine. They are also killed mainly to protect the people and livestock. The scarcity of natural prey due to the loss of habitat may cause grave losses to livestock. Climate change is another story – extreme weather conditions are causing droughts which affect the survival of animals including the lions’ prey.
Lions are the apex predator in their habitat. Hence, their existences are important to maintain and stabilise the population of herbivores. Without lions, the ecosystem cycle will be interrupted and it may affect not only the animal kingdom but humans as well.
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