Lion - African Vacations and African Safaris

The Lion - The Big Five in Africa

The Lion is a mammal of the family Felidae. It is the second largest natural living feline with the exception of the tiger. The male lion, easily recognized by his mane, weighs between 150 and 250 kg (330 and 550 lb). The average weight of a male African Lion is 415 lb. Unlike tigers, very few lions exceed 225 kg (500 lb) in the wild. However some lions in South Africa can attain weights over 500 lb. The biggest wild lion on record was a very large male which weighed in at 312.7 kg (688 lb). Female lions are much smaller, weighing between 117 and 167kg kg (240 lb and 370 lb). In the wild lions live for around 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20 years.

In historic times the habitat of lions spanned much of Eurasia, ranging from Eastern Europe to India, and all of Africa. Since the 2nd century AD, the lion has disappeared from Europe. Now, most of the population lives in Central Africa, and their numbers are rapidly decreasing, estimated as between 16,000 and 30,000 living in the wild, down from an estimated 100,000 in the early 1990s. The population is even more in jeopardy, because the remaining populations are often geographically isolated from each other, which causes inbreeding.
The last remnant of the Asiatic Lion (subspecies Panthera leo persica), which in historical times ranged from Turkey to India through Iran (Persia), lives in the Gir Forest of north western India. About 300 lions live in a 1412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat.

Lions had become extinct in Greece, their last European outpost, by 100 AD. Other extinct subspecies are the Cape Lion, the European Cave Lion (subspecies Panthera leo spelaea) which coexisted with humans throughout the last Ice Age, and the American lion (subspecies Panthera leo atrox), a close relative of the European cave lion (not to be confused with the mountain lion or puma).

Lion Behaviour:

Lions are predatory carnivores who live in family groups, called prides. The family consists of related females, their cubs of both sexes, and one or more males (often brothers) who mate with the adult females. Although it was once thought that females did most of the hunting in the pride, it is now known that males contribute to hunting. A male's hunting skills can be seen in nomadic lions, who have yet to capture a pride of their own. Regardless of who kills the prey, the male usually eats his fill first with the rest of the pride staying at respectful distance.

Both males and females will defend the pride against intruders. Typically, males will not tolerate outside males, and females will not tolerate outside females. Males are expelled from the pride or leave on their own when they reach maturity. The male lion has evolved to be a superb master and defender of his pride and territory. The mane of an adult male has been shown by researchers to provide protection during conflicts with other lions.

When a new male (or a coalition) takes over a pride and ousts the previous master(s), the conquerors often kill any remaining cubs. This is explained by the evolutionary pressures — the females would not become fertile and receptive until the cubs grow up or die. The male lions reach maturity at about 3 years of age and are capable of taking over another pride at 4-5 years old. They begin to age (and thus weaken) at around 8. This leaves a short window for their children to be born and mature — the fathers have to procreate as soon as they take over the pride.

Sometimes a female may defend her and the ousted male's children from the new master, but such actions are rarely successful.

White lions:

Although they are not often heard of due to their rarity, white lions do exist, in Timbavati, Kruger National Park, South Africa. There is a recessive gene in white lions that gives them their unusual colour (also causing white tigers, many white tigers with this gene are bred for zoos and animal shows). A white lion has a disadvantage when it comes to hunting; their white colour can give away their hiding place unlike with the regular lion that blends in with its surroundings.

Big Five Game Lion, Rhinoceros, Buffalo, Leopard and Elephant