Lion as a wild animal:fact things to know about lion

 Let talk about nature, there are 8 fact to know about lion. 

here in this article we will be talking about some fact you have to know about lion as a wild animal.

 lion is a large cat animal which is native to Africa and India. 

It has a muscular, broad-chested body, short, rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic i.e is occuring in two different forms, (Male and female forms); adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent longer hair.

Lion body structure data

Length: 1.8 – 2.1 m (Male, Head and body), 1.6 – 1.8 m (Female, Head and body)

Height: 1.2 m (Male, Adult, At Shoulder), 90 – 110 cm (Female, Adult, At Shoulder)

Mass: 190 kg (Male, Adult), 130 kg (Female, Adult)

Lifespan: 15 – 16 years (Female, Adult, In the wild), 8 – 10 years (Male, Adult, In the wild)

Speed: 80 km/h (Maximum, In Short Bursts).

Classification of lion 

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Feliformia

Family: Felidae

Subfamily: Pantherinae

Genus: Panthera

Species: P. leo 

most common fact to know about lion

1. NEARLY ALL MOST WILD LIONS LIVE IN AFRICA, BUT ONE SMALL POPULATION EXISTS ELSEWHERE:

In the wild, there are two common recognised lion subspecies. 

The African lion (Panthera leo leo) is found in Africa, south of the Sahara desert. The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) exists in one small population around Gir Forest National Park in western India.

Wild lions in the west and central Africa are more closely related to these Asiatic lions in India than to those found in southern and east Africa.

2. MALE LIONS CAN WEIGH 30 STONE:

On average, male lions weigh 500pounds (almost 250 kg) and females weigh 300pounds (almost 120 kg). 

They need this weight and power behind them to hunt large prey and defend their pride,which they are know as king of the jungle.

3. THEY START OFF SPOTTY:

Young lions have a structure having a flowerlike form and spots on their sandy coats, but these generally disappear as they mature. 

4. THE MAGNIFICENT HAIR ON MALE LIONS TELL A STORY:

Male lions grow impressive hair the older they get. These hairs grow up to 16cm long and are a sign of dominance. The older they get, the darker their hair go.  

As well as attracting females, their hair may also protect their neck and head from injuries during fights. 

5. LION CUBS ARE REARED TOGETHER:

A pride of lions is usually made up of related females and their cubs, plus a male or small group of males who defend their pride. The lionesses rear their cubs together and cubs can suckle from any female with milk. 

6. LIONS CAN GET THEIR WATER FROM PLANTS:

lions can go up to four days without drinking water,.Lions are highly adaptable animal which can live in very dry areas like the Kalahari Desert. but if available, they will drink water every day. 

 Here they get most of their water from their prey and will even drink from plants such as the Tsamma melon. 

7. LIONS ARE BIG EATERS:

Lions can eat up to 40kg of meat in a single meal - around a quarter of their body weight. 

They have long canine teeth which are used to grasp and kill their prey. Lions do not chew their food. Small incisors at the front of their mouth are used to grip the meat whilst their sharp carnasial teeth in the back of their mouth tear it into chunks they can swallow.

8. THEY HUNT DURING STORMS:

 

naturally lions will hunt every 2-3 days,however only about 30% of their hunts are successful,.customarily, lions hunt mostly at night,.Lions do most of their hunting at night as their eyes have adapted to the dark and this gives them a huge advantage over their prey and rest during the day but are often active at dawn and dusk and on cooler days. During the day they rest in thorn thickets, often near water holes.

They hunt more during storms as the noise and wind make it harder for prey to see and hear them.  

When hunting, lionesses have specific roles. Some play the role of 'centre' and others the role of 'wing' - the wings chase the prey towards the centres and the center catch the prey to hunt on.