THE LION

The Lion is a large feline. vertebrate, and carnivore mammal. Its scientific name is Panthera Leo.

The biological classification of the lion is: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Species: P. Leo

Some sub-species of existing lions are the South African lion, atlas lion, Asian lion, and cape lion.

1. Habitat and way of life Most of the lions that live in the wild today are found in the savannas of Africa and other semi-desert regions. It has already been extinguished from many forest areas in Asia and Europe. They live in groups of up to 40 individuals, primarily female, led by the alpha male. The activities in the group are divided among its members. While females are responsible for hunting and caring for the young, males ensure the protection of the group. Most of the lions' time is dedicated to rest, with hunting and group activities only for 5 hours a day. The rest of the time is for sleeping, relaxing, and saving energy. Also, their activities usually take place at dusk. Lions have excellent night vision, ensuring that hunting can take place at night. The communication between the lions is made through roars, and they serve to alert and demarcate the occupied territory. The roar can be heard up to 9 km away!

2. Physical aspects The male has a characteristic and imposing mane, in addition to being quite hairy. The female is more petite, much less hairy, and does not have a mane. The coat color of lions varies from yellow to brown.

Lion Lions and lionesses differ in their sizes and weights, as shown in the table below: Size Male Female Length 2.6 to 3.3 m from 2.4 to 2.7 m Height 60 to 90 cm 60 to 90 cm Weight 150-250 kg 120-185 kg

3. Food Lions are carnivorous animals, and their most common prey are zebra, buffalo, wild boar, antelopes, and deer. They are excellent predators and occupy the top of their food chains. Females usually go hunting due to their greater agility. However, hunting is not always guaranteed. Thus, lions can go up to three days without feeding.

Lions reach sexual maturity up to 4 years of age. Reproduction can take place throughout the year. Females' heat lasts from 2 to 8 days and occurs at any time of year. Mating can happen up to 50 times in a single day. Females are only not available for breeding during gestation and lactation. Gestation lasts from 100 to 119 days and results from 2 to 4 offspring. The female looks for a safe birthplace and where she can continue her hunting activities.

Cubs are born weighing about 2 kg, and their eyes only open ten days after birth. When they are three months old, they start to accompany the mother and the females during hunting. Other females can also breastfeed them in the group. An interesting feature is the possibility of crossing between a lion and a tigress, resulting in a hybrid animal, the liger. On the other hand, the crossing of the tiger with the lioness gives rise to a tiger. Ligers are rare animals that are born only in captivity. In 2013, the Ligre Hercules was considered the largest cat in the world. It was huge, measured 3.33 meters long, 1.25 meters tall, and weighed 418.2 kilos.

• Lions can eat up to 30 kg of meat in one of their meals throughout the day. • Lionesses can run up to 80 km/h when traveling short distances. Males are slower, reaching 58 km/h. • The lion is the second-largest feline in the world, behind the tiger. • Lions can live up to 20 years. • The white lion (Panthera Leo Kruger) is leucistic, a condition different from albinism. In this case, the white color is determined by a recessive inhibitor gene. Furthermore, they are not more sensitive to the sun.