|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 28 November 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The lion's pride Second only in size to the Siberian tigers among the big cats, the lions are the largest carnivores in Africa and the second largest feline predators in the world. With their large, muscular, tawny coloured bodies and magnificent manes, which vary from tawny to black, it is easy to understand why the male lion is called the 'King of beasts'. Their strength and beauty, combined with their bold nature have fascinated people of all ages and they are mentioned in folklore of almost all cultures, even in parts of the world where lions have never been found. Our national flag depicts this magnificent creature with a sword and legend has it that the Sinhala race descends from a lion ... The lions are the most social of all big cats and live in groups called a pride which range from half a dozen to over thirty lions. A pride A typical small pride could consist of 4-12 related adult females, their offspring and 1-6 adult males. These prides too may be scattered in several groups within a pride's range. These small groups are called 'companionships' or sub prides. There are two main species of lions, the Asian and African. In earlier times lions lived almost everywhere in the world except Antarctica and Australia, mostly in Northern India, the Middle East and Africa. But today, they are distributed only in South Sahara to South Africa (excluding the Congo rain forest) and North Western India, mostly in the Gir forest in Gujarat. They live mostly in open savanna to semi-desert areas and never in forests. Lions are top predators in any ecosystem they live in. It is the female lions that do most of the hunting. The female lions work together to hunt their prey dividing themselves into two groups. One group silently circles around to get ahead of the prey and once the first group is in position, the second group makes an appearance and frightens the prey right into the jaws of the first group of lions. Most lions can jump 35 feet through the air in a single leap and they can easily knock down and hold down prey three times their size. Large prey The lions prefer large prey such as buffalo and wildebeest but they also eat zebra, antelope and other hoofed animals. If their regular 'food' is not available they opt for hares, tortoises and even porcupines! In fact, a starving lion will eat almost anything it can find and that includes snakes, insects, fruits and even rotten wood. Females can breed several times a year but they avoid littering until the cubs are two years old. They take good care of their babies which are born blind like the litter of domestic cats. The cubs which can barely crawl weigh less than five pounds. The male lion is amazingly tolerant towards the naughty behaviour of the cubs and allows them to tug his mane or play with the black tufts at the end of its tail. Well, those of you who have seen Disney's famous animated movie 'Lion King' would recall how lovingly Simba's father tolerates its antics as a cub. ****
The powerful male, with its magnificent mane is the 'king of beasts' Fact file * Average males weigh 350-450 pounds or more and females up to 250-350 pounds. * The males reach an overall length of about 11 feet from the tip of the nose to the tail and females are a little shorter. * Like many cats, lionesses head-butt in greeting. * The African lion is most known for its striking mane. * Females in a pride stay with the pride as they mature but males leave the pride at reaching maturity, between three and four years. * Currently West Africa is said to hold less than 1,000 animals, East Africa around 10,000 and South Africa over 10,000. * Due to hunting and overpopulation of humans, the lions are dwindling in numbers. * Lions are primarily ground-dwellers but occasionally climb tree branches to rest. * A lioness will give birth up to about six cubs. * Lion cubs suckle to about six months but start eating meat at about three months. * Lions can survive in arid climates too, even though they prefer open woodlands and thick bush, scrub and tall grassy areas. * In captivity lions can live 25-30 years as compared to about 12 years in the wild for males and 15-16 years for females, where they are exposed to hunters. * The lion's roar could be heard over a distance of 3-5 miles. * By nature a creature of dusk and night, the lion passes the hottest part of the day sleeping. * North African lions are solitary by nature. * White lions are rare. The legend of the white lion has been prevalent
in African folklore since the dawn of time.
|
|
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Politics | Produced by Lake House |
