Lion And Interesting facts about lions

How powerful is a Lion?

Lions belong to the cat’s family. They are known as big cats. A massive body with generous thick hair on the head of the lion makes it a muscular and dominant animal. Lions are known as big cats with an average weight of 500 pounds. Male lions may weigh between 170-230 kg, while females may weigh between 120-180 kg. Male lions are as long as 6-7 feet whereas, female lions may have a height of 2.95-3.61 feet.

Lion, a symbol of bravery

Lions are a symbol of bravery. People use lions as a metaphor for describing their bravery as something extraordinary, bravery which is distinctive than the rest. You too might have uttered phrases like

I am brave like a lion. OR I have a heart tough like a lion.

A famous Turkish proverb says:

A lion sleeps in the heart of every brave man.

Somewhere, we relate traits of a life with our daily life.

The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself. – ST. AUGUSTINE

How Fast Is the lion running?

You may have seen documentaries on lions running after their prey at high speeds, making long jumps. The lion’s average running speed is about 60km/hr making them the fastest of the animals. They make the long leading jumps, about 6meters/ jump. These powerful jumps and considerable running speeds help them exhaust their prey conveniently.

Vocalization & Roars

Lions are known significantly for their roars. A lion’s roar can be heard from a substantial distance of approximately 5 miles. Their roar is considered as loud as thunder. Baby lions known as cubs, vocalize as soon as they are born. But, their vocal cords don’t produce roars unless the cub is about one year old.

Roaring allows lions to claim their territory. It also helps them communicate with their group members and the neighbor lions. Their roar warns the intruders around their reign to make any intrusion. In short, their roar is an alarm to the trespassers around.

Habitat

Lions live in open woodlands, moors, Savanna, dense bushes, and scrubs. They live in the form of groups thus are the only cats living like a social family. The groups in which they live are known as pride. Each pride consists of one governing male, dominant over the rest. In some cases, the ruling group members can be 2-3. The rest of the pride comprises adult females who relate to each other. They bring birth to cubs. Many female lions nurture the cubs at the same time.

Lions possess a unique smell. Other animals come to know the lion’s presence by this smell. They rub themselves against bushes and woods, leaving their smell there. Other animals and neighbors get to know the territory of a lion by this unique scent.

They may live alone too. Nomadic male lions usually band together and form group of male lions called coalitions. Irrespective of how do they live, either in solitary or a group, they are still called the king of the jungle. They reign the jungle.

A famous quote about nomadic lions says,

Don’t be afraid of being alone; a lion does not rule the jungle with sheep at its side.

What is the origin and Existence of lions?

Long ago, lions were there worldwide. There were many sub-species of the lions in the early years. For example, they existed in North America and the caves of Europe. The lions in these areas got extinct by about 8000BC. Loss of habitat and different surged diseases made them extinct.

The survived species of lions are present in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Lions in Asia exist in India only. They are 500 in number only. We feel a threat of these lions to be extinct.

African lions live in the wild. They are considered vulnerable compared to Asiatic lions and considered as intimidating, formidable lion species.

Who is the king of the beasts?

Lions are termed as king of beasts in proverbs. They have big teeth which help them rip their prey by seizing it from its neck. Adult lions have teeth that are about 10 cm long. These big teeth of lions are known as canines. The carnassials sharp teeth are present at the back of the mouth. Lions have around 30 teeth in total.

Do all lions have manes?

Lions have rich, showy hair from their head to their neck. These hair are known as manes. Male lions have manes. But, not all males have manes. For example, the lions of Sabo Kenya don’t possess hair. The reason for this absence may be an approach or adaptation to scorching heat for keeping themselves cool.

Manes are the indicators of the lion’s power and may serve to intimidate or scare other males. They signalize the lion’s fitness and his ability to fight. Manes also stand for their attraction towards females.

Female lions prefer lions with full dark manes, says a report. So, lions with manes are more popular and desirous among female lions.

What do lions eat?

Lions eat meat. They can eat the meat of any animal. Most favorite preys of lions include Zebra, antelope, wildebeests, and buffaloes. Their prey also depends on the geographic environment and habitat of animals. Lions may consume 20-100 pounds of meat a day.

Hunting

Female lions are supposed to hunt for meat in pride while the male lions guard their territory. Lioness suceeds in killing prey less than 30% of the time. But, working and hunting together helps them prey faster. Lions eat the meat first. Female lions and cubs wait for their turn and eat after the lion finishes eating.

Lion Cubs

Baby lions are known as cubs. They are blind at the time of their birth and open their eyes after the passage of one week. Their milk teeth grow within the first three weeks of parturition. Other animals can antedate cubs. So, mother lioness guards and take care of them. She changes her hiding place every 3-4 days. It is because the cub’s scent attracts predators to where they live. After six-eight months of their birth, they move to savannah, following their mother, joining other pride and cubs.

Life span

An average lion’s life span ranges between 8-12 years in the wild. Their short life span is due to the attacks by animals and humans. In suitable conditions and environments, they live for 25 years or more.

Lions are powerful, brave and majestic creatures. We inspire by their heroism. They are the heroes of the jungle. They educate us to be daring, bold and fearless in our daily life especially in hard times.

 

It is better to be a lion for a day than to be a sheep all your life. – Elizabeth Kenny