Lion is the king of the animals. African lion

Since ancient times, the power has been recognized lion V animal world nature. His depictions in cave paintings, sculptures, coats of arms and flags indicate strength and authority.

IN Ancient Egypt man saw the beast as a powerful god of the earth. Before today he is called the king of beasts or king - lion, and protect from destruction one of the largest and most interesting animals on the ground.

Features and habitat of a lion

Among cats, only those whose size is not inferior to the king’s can enter into competition with a lion. The weight of the animal reaches 200-250 kg, the length of the body of an adult animal is almost 2.5 m, to which is added about a meter of tail with a black hair tassel. Inside there is a “spur” of terminal vertebrae, an additional weapon of the predator. Large dimensions do not prevent the animal from being agile and fast.

Males are distinguished by a mane that grows from the age of 2 and covers the body from neck to chest. The color of the mane darkens as the animal ages, adding even more significance. It is generally accepted that such a dense and elastic woolen mop softens the blows of opponents in fights.

The photo shows a male lion

The length of the mane hair reaches 40 cm. Its density, shape and color depend on many factors: age, habitat, subspecies, climate, living conditions. In captivity, the mane of lions is always more luxuriant, since it does not have to be ruffled in thickets or duels.

Big influence The formation of a mop of wool is influenced by the production of testosterone, so among lions, the leader status is always with the owner of an outstanding mane. Lionesses smaller in size, their weight is up to 140 kg, but they are more graceful than their partners, since they are the main hunters of the clan. The majestic mane and massive dimensions would interfere with tracking down prey.

The photo shows a lioness

The head of the beast is large, with an elongated muzzle and large jaws. Fangs up to 8 cm long will allow hunters to attack large animals. The body is muscular, the paws are strong, with retracted claws on the toes. The short hair on the body can be colored from whitish-gray to yellow-brown.

Main relatives lion in nature: jaguar, tiger and - animals of Africa. Their existence is confirmed by fossil remains, the age of which is estimated to be up to 1 million years.

Once upon a time, in ancient times, the habitat of lions was much larger than the present: it covered the entire territory of Africa, the Middle East, southern Europe, the south of present-day Russia, and the northwestern part.

The persecution of the animal by humans and the reduction of its habitat have become disastrous for the predator. It remains in nature only in sub-Saharan Africa and the Gir forest of the Indian state.

Of the 12 subspecies that existed, six have survived in modern times. Among the extinct subspecies is the famous Barbary a lion, the largest wild animal from relatives. The weight of the giants exceeded 300 kg, and the body length was over 3 m. The last representative of the species was exterminated in 1922.

White Lion not identified as an independent subspecies animal. The cream color of the fine coat is the result of genetic characteristics. South African captive breeders raise these to order for trophy purposes.

On the picture White Lion

Savannas are the favorite habitats of lions, but sometimes they move to forests or areas overgrown with bushes. Animals need large bodies of water and ungulate mammals - their main hunting objects.

Character and lifestyle of a lion

Among cats, lions are distinguished by the formation of a separate family group, or pride. It consists of several adult individuals, as well as their offspring. Young lion cubs leave their parent pride after reaching puberty.

They become loners for the time being, until they find a new pride with an old leader who will give in to the strong, or they remain nomads for the rest of their lives. The pride lives on certain rules to which group members report. Strangers are expelled here, males protect their territory, family ties play a connecting role.

Pictured is a pride of lions

The main breadwinners during the hunt are lionesses. Their advantage is agility, flexibility and speed. Success depends on consistency and the manifestation of Leo qualities. The productivity of hunting by an animal in a group is obvious, but the division of the prey depends on the male, if he is nearby. It should be noted that lions are aggressive towards each other while consuming food.

Males rarely hunt on their own, but if they catch the prey, the lion feeds alone. Mane increases physical activity and contributes to body overheating, therefore the main role hunters belong to females. Each predator in the pride performs a specific mission: breadwinner, guard of territory, protector of offspring.

Photo of lionesses on the hunt

The greatest activity of predators occurs after sunset. Excellent night vision contributes to successful hunting. After lions indulge in rest and caring for their offspring. Which animal can be seen in the circle of relatives during the day.

The king of beasts has practically no enemies due to his large size and strength. But death and injury befall the animals in the struggle for the place of leader in the pride. Males are not inferior to rivals in cases of collisions. Sick or injured animals weaken and become victims of hyenas, buffalos or leopards.

Large predators suffer from small ticks that infect areas where the animal cannot reach an area of ​​the body with its teeth or paws. Eating animal meat leads to infection with helminths. Diseases force prides to migrate to maintain numbers.

Lion food

The diet of predators consists mainly of artiodactyl animals: livestock, antelopes, zebras and others Savannah animals. a lion Even carrion and small rodents will not be missed. Despite the sharp and long fangs, the predator strangles its victims.

The ability to sneak up silently and then jump at the victim with lightning speed leaves no chance of salvation for many inhabitants of the savannah. The lion is strong and fast over short distances, so it gets as close as possible to herds for rapid leaps. This distance is approximately 30 m. Several predators of the same pride attack from different sides simultaneously.

Hunting takes place more often at night. One successful outing provides 4-5 pride animals with enough food for a week. The victims are ungulates weighing from 50 to 300 kg. In Africa, these are more often wildebeest, zebras, and buffalos; in India, deer. Attacks on rhinoceroses or adult giraffes are rare due to the risk of injury.

The choice of prey depends on their availability in the region; in large individuals, the predator is interested in young animals or injured and weakened individuals. At one time, a lion can eat up to 30 kg of meat, although 7 kg for a male and 5 kg for a female are enough to satiate.

If prey needs to be preserved, then lions guard it from agile hyenas, attracted by the flight of vultures over the food. Hunting unites the pride: males come to the rescue in case of a large victim, and the offspring observe the actions of the adults.

Lion cubs begin to go out for their first hunting attempts at the age of 1 year, and from the age of 2 years they independently obtain food. Attacks on humans are typical for animals that have lost the ability to hunt ungulates.

Reproduction and lifespan

Sexual maturity of lionesses occurs at 4 years of age. The birth of offspring is not tied to seasons, so there may be cubs of different ages next to the mother. Pregnancy lasts up to 110 days, and the litter, as a rule, consists of 3 cubs. After birth, they are completely helpless: small in size, up to 30 cm long and approximately 1.5 kg in weight, and blind. They begin to see after a week, and walk after three weeks.

In the photo there are lion cubs

From the place where the babies are born, remote and hidden from the pride, the female transfers the offspring to a new rookery. He does this often to protect the cubs from predators who smell the accumulated odor. , are famous lovers of hunting little lion cubs. The lioness returns to the pride after 6-8 weeks.

If the main male in a pride gives way to a stronger one, then the offspring of the former leader have no chance of surviving. The cubs will be destroyed. There are enough threats and risks for the survival of babies, so only 20% of them grow up after two years.

In a pride, lion cubs stay close to their mother; other females do not always allow other people’s babies to approach them. But there are cases when lion nurseries are formed from cubs under the supervision of one lioness while others hunt.

At the age of 4-5 years, young individuals who have left their native pride try to win the place of the old leader in someone else’s family. If the females support him, he will win. Many weakened lions die in defense of the pride.

The life of predators in nature is up to 15 years, and in captivity it increases significantly to 20-30 years. An animal's presence in a pride prolongs its life, in contrast to exiled individuals leading a wandering lifestyle. The royal greatness of the beast is revealed when surrounded by its pride, which is perhaps why people are so interested in this predator with family values.

Lions are big, lions are impressive. In addition, they are constantly threatened by hunters and habitat loss. But despite all this, there are at least seven reasons why we should be glad that these animals still exist.

It is still not known why lions roar

Only some types of cats, mostly large ones, can roar - these are lions, tigers, jaguars, and so on, since they have a special structure, allowing them to make these loud and unusual sounds. It is believed that lions use roars to communicate, especially when it needs to be done over a long distance. However, it is still not known why the growl of these animals is so low and deep. There are a large number of assumptions, each of which is based on different points of view - some scientists say that this is due to the open spaces where lions live, others explain everything by the low frequency of the lion's voice.

Lion's mane

Male lions are unique creatures in the entire feline breed, as they are the only ones that grow a large woolly mane around their necks. The fur in the mane grows to approximately 23 centimeters and can be the most different colors, from white to black. It can also cover the head, neck, shoulders and even the chest of a lion. For a long time it was believed that the mane protected the lion during fights with other males. However, there is another reason why lions have a mane - it serves as a kind of sexual identifier for lionesses, which signals the health and masculinity of the male. The darker the mane, the more testosterone in the lion’s body, the longer it will live and the faster it will recover from injuries.

Lions can count

It turns out that lions have a rudimentary ability to count. When a pride hears the sound of a lion approaching, two or three lionesses are sent to meet it. But if you hear that two lions are approaching at once, four or five animals already go towards you. Moreover, it is likely that the lions are somehow constantly aware of how many members of their pride are nearby, as well as how many strangers are nearby.

Funny faces

When a lion smells something unusual, he wrinkles his nose, bares his teeth, and clenches his jaw, which changes the “cooking” of his muzzle. This phenomenon is known as the Flehmen reaction - all cats inhale odors through their nostrils and hold them inside for a few seconds. Some other animals also act in this way, such as horses. This behavior helps transmit the smell to a special organ located in the upper part of the lion's mouth. This is the vomeronasal organ, also called Jacobson's organ, and is responsible for recognizing different elements of smell.

Lions gather in "street gangs"

Lions are the only felines that always gather in groups called prides and live together on a permanent basis. Throughout Asia and Africa, many prides of varying sizes can be found, usually consisting of one or more males, as well as a large number of females and cubs. However, the reasons for this still remain unclear. Most scientists believe that lionesses most often hunt together in order to surround the prey and make the task easier for themselves. But there is still no concrete confirmation of the connection between the hunting success of lions and their cohabitation. It is also worth noting that lions gather in prides in order to more reliably protect their territory.

Lions have unclear origins

People have been aware of the existence of lions literally since the dawn of humanity, ancestors modern people were forced to live side by side with these big cats on the territory of Africa. Despite this, details of where lions originated only began to become clearer in 2014. Research has shown that the ancient ancestors of modern lions lived on Earth 124 thousand years ago. Even then there was a division into two species, one of which still lives in Eastern and South Africa, and the other - in West Africa and India. The second species, by the way, is now under threat of extinction. This means that half of the genetic diversity of lions could disappear from the face of the Earth.

The mysterious fate of some lions

There are a number of subspecies of lions, some of which are quite mysterious. For example, Asiatic lions are a subspecies that lives in western India and neighbors local farmers who have a very positive attitude towards such neighbors. Another subspecies, the Barbary lion, is one of the most mysterious large predators currently existing - due to its impressive appearance and the uncertainty of its fate. They were once very numerous, living in pairs or small groups, and had much more impressive manes and distinct skull shapes. But today these lions hold the record for loss of numbers. So far, there is not even accurate data that these lions survived at all - already in 1942 it was reported that there were very few of them left.

Let's consider how the sign Leo and type of appearance are connected in astrology. Leo () - in their appearance there is something of their royal counterpart. Leo is the central figure of the Zodiac, belongs to the element of Fire, the constellation is depicted in the form of Leo - a symbol of courage and strength, the support of which is the Serpent - a symbol of wisdom.

Leo - appearance of the zodiac sign

Leo is ruled by the Sun, which gives him great energy. Leos are tall and broad-shouldered, but there is another type - short and stocky. He is always a confident, handsome, courageous person, often with thick hair. The gait is firm, proud, and sometimes the softness of a cat can be seen in its movements.

In women, lazy grace is combined with hidden sensuality. Among Leos sometimes there are blue-eyed ones, but distinctive feature of this sign (especially women) are Brown eyes of different shades, from light to completely dark, round in shape, with slightly upturned corners.

They have a deceptively lazy look. Make no mistake - they are very attentive and observant. The hair color is often dark, sometimes bright red, the hair is wavy, often unruly.

It is believed that among all the signs of the zodiac, Leo gives the shortest height, although we know quite tall Leos. If, for example, the Sun is above the horizon and if some typically tall signs such as Sagittarius or Libra are on the Ascendant, then one would assume that the person to whom the horoscope belongs is unlikely to be short.

What does a Leo's appearance look like?

A good example there may be horoscope number 6 here. This is Leo with Libra on the Ascendant, and the ruler of his Ascendant is in Gemini, in addition, he has eight planets above the horizon. The height of this man is about one hundred and ninety centimeters.

If you are a typical Leo, you will have a large body, the largest head in the zodiac, as a rule, large bones, large rib cage. You are muscular and slim. Your hips are narrow, your waist is high, your shoulders are wide, stand straight.

People pay attention to your hair, often reminiscent lion's mane, although often such people may be bald or have little hair on their heads. You may have Thin hair, thick beard and eyebrows. It is also possible to have a case like Lucille Ball (Sun in Leo, Ascendant in Cancer), whose hair is an absolutely incredible color. It happens that you throw up your head, trying to straighten your hair.

Appearance of the zodiac sign Leo. You have lively, laughing eyes. They are green, shiny, as if oily. Your voice can be cheerful and loud, like the roar of a Lion. Sometimes men's voices turn into a high, breaking treble, while women's voices become deep and passionate.

If you meet someone whose hands remind you of paws - wide and relatively short, you know that this is a person with the Sun or Ascendant in Leo.

Your ears are big, and top part The pinna is adjacent to the head, which makes wearing earrings difficult. Your chin protrudes forward, but is rounded. Your lips are full underlip may be bulging. From birth, Leos can often see small moles. Some Leos look awkward.

Your nose towards the end is wide and full. With age, the edges of the nostrils sag somewhat, and wrinkles appear at the corners of the lips. If you are a woman with a Leo Sun or Ascendant, as you age you may tend to gain weight in both your upper and lower body, although you will remain slim. Some Leos have round eyes, and the whites around the iris are clear.

Famous Leos - description of appearance

Leo's appearance. A good example of a person born under the sign of Leo is Robert Redford. Although he has only the Sun and Mars in Leo, the Sun is here in his house, which on a physical level leads to weight gain.

The Pisces Ascendant here contributes by giving him attractiveness and charm, but the Sun in his house is more prominent than any other planet. Redford is short. Him high waist And broad shoulders, the head is large, the hair is thick and there are birthmarks.

Another great example with Leo on the Ascendant is Pablo Picasso. He is significantly more Leo-like than Scorpio, his sun sign, with the exception of piercing eyes, a typical Scorpio sign.

The lion is one of the large predatory animals belonging to the cat family. There are several varieties of this animal; in addition, many hybrids are known that appeared from mixing different types. Each of them has certain characteristics, but also has similarities. The local population of the lands that are located near the habitat of the beast call it “ wild cat"and considers it dangerous and tries to destroy it. Because of this, the population of these animals has greatly decreased. Meanwhile, the lion is an interesting and unique animal, so it’s worth knowing how it differs from other representatives of the fauna.

Leo - characteristics and description

When characterizing an animal such as a lion, you need to provide a description of it. The different species are slightly different from each other, but they have a lot in common.

The animal belongs to the cat family, therefore in appearance it is similar to domestic cats, only it is significantly larger than them. It is one of the largest representatives of this family, second only to the tiger.

The body of the animal is flexible and mobile; they have well-developed muscles of the front legs and neck. There are claws on the paws, the length of which reaches 7 cm. Its head is large, with an elongated muzzle and strong jaws. His fangs are long (about 8 cm), the number of teeth is 30. These features give the lion the ability to hunt large herbivores. The tongue is covered with tubercles, thanks to which the lion can clean its fur from dirt and eliminate insects.

On the muzzle there are whiskers, at the base of which there are small dark spots. These spots form a pattern unique to each animal. Cubs are born spotted, but as they grow older, the spots on their body disappear, and the color of the coat becomes uniform - brown or sand. At the tip of the animal's tail there is a black tassel.

The main feature of this animal species is sexual dimorphism. A male lion and a lioness have significant differences. For example, it is impossible to say how much a lion weighs on average without knowing the sex of a particular individual. Males are significantly larger than females in size and weight. In addition, their head is decorated with a mane, which begins to grow in lion cubs from the age of 6 months. The length of the pile and the thickness of the mane depend on age and genetics.

How much does a lion weigh?

How much an adult lion weighs on average depends on the characteristics of his life. But gender especially affects this indicator. The differences in the main parameters are shown in the table.

Despite its massiveness, this predator has the smallest heart size. Therefore, a lion cannot be called hardy. It can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, but only covers short distances.

Features of life and habitat

When giving a description of any animal, you need to consider not only it appearance. It is also worth finding out how long a lion lives and where it lives.

There are few places where such an animal as a lion lives. IN last years its distribution area has decreased significantly. Previously, this animal was found not only in Africa and India, as it is now, but also in Iran, Russia, southern Europe and the Middle East. But a significant part of the population was exterminated, and conditions in many areas became unsuitable for their life. Therefore, of all the places where these animals could previously be seen, the lion now lives only in the southern part of the African continent (beyond the Sahara Desert) and in the Indian state of Gujarat. The most suitable for them are savannas, forests or bushes.

Individuals unite in small flocks - prides. A pride consists of 5 or 6 females, between which there are family connection, their cubs and the male. In some prides there may be two males if they are brothers. Young males, having reached maturity, leave the pride (they are expelled). They have the opportunity to join another pride or create their own. Some of them lead a solitary life.

How much a lioness or male lion weighs depends on their feeding habits. Since the lion is a predator, it leads a hunting lifestyle, feeding on fairly large animals. They may be:

In rare cases, an animal may attack a hippopotamus or little elephant. Sick cheetahs, hyenas and leopards can also become its prey.

Lionesses excel in hunting. They are distinguished by dexterity and agility. Hunting is more difficult for males - due to large sizes and a heavy mane. However, the male needs more food. An adult lion eats about 7 kg of meat per day, while a female needs 5 kg. These animals prefer to hunt at night, creeping up to the prey as far as possible.

Reproduction in lions is not tied to the time of year, but begins with reaching maturity. Males are considered sexually mature at the age of 6 years and females at the age of 4 years.

Males tend to fight for females. Sometimes these fights are so brutal that the competitor dies.

The duration of pregnancy in these animals is 110 days. Shortly before giving birth, the lioness leaves the pride and hides. She can give birth to 1-4 cubs, whose weight is slightly less than 2 kg. Lion cubs are born blind, and they open their eyes only 7 days after birth. For safety reasons, the mother changes her place of stay several times, carrying her children with her. She hunts and feeds her babies with milk. Training cubs to hunt begins at the age of 1.5 months, at which time the entire family joins the pride. With the beginning of the hunt, lion cubs gradually eat meat, although the period of milk feeding lasts about six months.

Lifespan of a lion

One of important aspects descriptions of these animals is the question of how long a lion lives. To answer it, you need to take into account many circumstances. How long a lion lives depends on features such as:

• Habitat. How better conditions life, the longer its duration.
• Closeness to people. In close proximity to humans, the risk of extermination of these animals and shortening their lifespan increases.
• Features of life. Lonely individuals live shorter lives than those belonging to a pride.
• Floor. Females have a longer lifespan on average than males because they are less likely to die during fights with other lions.

All these nuances affect how long a lion lives. Therefore, their lifespan varies greatly. On average it is 8-10 years. Some individuals live up to 14 years.

How long a lion lives is greatly influenced by the behavior of people. It has much more impact than other factors. If people do not seek to destroy these animals, then their life expectancy increases. Better results can be achieved if you organize living conditions suitable for animals, for example, nature reserves or zoos. In this case, lions can live 20 or even 25 years, since they are monitored by veterinarians.

Types of lions

How long a lion lives depends also on the variety of this animal. There are several subspecies of lion, each of which differs in certain characteristics, habitat, living conditions and its duration. Some subspecies of this animal have already become extinct, others are at the stage of extinction. There are also several hybrid varieties resulting from crossing with tigers, leopards or jaguars.

Scientists identify 8 main subspecies, one of which is the Asiatic lion. Another name for the subspecies is the Persian lion (or Indian). The Asiatic lion lives in the southern part of Eurasia. Its main habitat is the Girsky Nature Reserve in the Indian state of Gujarat. The Asiatic lion is considered an endangered species. This subspecies is characterized by stockiness. In height, males are slightly more than a meter. Due to its sleek and sparse mane, the Asiatic lion does not seem as large as its representatives African subspecies. The body weight of males is from 160 to 190 kg, lionesses usually weigh 90-120 kg. The length of the body is 2 - 2.5 m. The largest Asian lion has a length of 2.92 m.

The remaining species are found in Africa, which is why they can all be classified as the African lion subspecies. They are characterized by certain general features, for example, sexual dimorphism, coat color, characteristics of life and reproduction, etc. Differences may be in body size and weight.

• Barbary. This subspecies is the largest. It used to spread all over African continent, but is now completely exterminated. Males had a mass of up to 270 kg, females - up to 170. Currently, the descendants of these animals can be seen in zoos and nature reserves, but they cannot be called purebred.

• Senegalese. This is also an African lion, living in the west of the continent. The size of these animals is small, the color of the coat is light. Males have almost no mane, or it is very short. You can meet representatives of this subspecies in Nigeria, Guinea and Senegal. Senegalese lions are considered endangered.

• Northern Congolese. He has everything external features, which distinguishes the African lion. Its habitat is savannas in the northeast of Congo. The population size of these animals is gradually decreasing.

• Maasai. Otherwise it is called East African. It differs from other varieties more long paws. Their mane is directed back. The male's body length is 2.5-3 m, the female's is 2.3-2.6 m. These animals inhabit Uganda, Zambia and Mozambique. A large number of Maasai lions are kept in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya.

• Katangese. This species is on the verge of extinction. The bulk of it lives in southwest Africa (Zimbabwe, Angola). In length, adult males reach 3.1 m, females - 2.65 m.

• Transvaal. These are lions with black manes. Among the representatives of this subspecies there are individuals whose skin and fur do not have melanocytes. Because of this, they have white fur and pink skin. A lion can be from 2.6 to 3.2 m in length, a lioness - 2.35-2.65 m. Transvaal lions live in southern Africa (Kalahari Desert). They also contain national park Kruger.

• Cape. This species of animal was destroyed in the 19th century. They lived on the cape Good Hope(southern Africa). The peculiarity of the species was the black tips of the ears and the presence of a mane on the stomach and shoulders.

This classification is not the only one. There are others to which scientists can add other subspecies.

Notable is the variety of these animals, such as Mountain lion. It is not very similar to its other relatives; it differs in size and habitat. The mountain lion is distributed throughout America. Its body is from 1 to 1.8 m in length, and its weight can reach 105 kg. This is significantly less than other subspecies. The mountain lion also lacks a mane. Color can vary from gray-brown to brown-yellow. Cougar cubs are born with dark spots and stripes on their bodies, but after 9 months of life these markings begin to fade. The mountain lion prefers to live alone. The exception is the mating season and the time of raising cubs.

Another subspecies that may be interesting is the cave lion. It is included in some classifications, despite the fact that the cave lion is an extinct species, and it became extinct several thousand years ago. During their lifetime, these animals inhabited Siberia and Europe. The cave lion is one of the ancestors of modern lions. The cave lion was larger than its descendants. If you believe the images of these animals, they did not have a mane, or it was very small. It is not known for sure, but there is an assumption that this subspecies of animals also united in prides.

Despite its name, the cave lion never lived in caves. They were chosen by old and sick individuals shortly before death, which is why greatest number the remains of these animals were found there. That's why the cave lion was named so. The cave lion hunted deer and bears. This is how scientists explain the extinction of these animals. With the onset of warming, the number of bears and deer decreased, and the cave lion was not adapted to a different diet.

Black and white lions

A lion is an animal in which you can notice a lot interesting features. One feature concerns the coloring. Some classifications mention varieties such as white lion and black lion. But this is wrong. If a lion with a dark or black mane is a real existing subspecies, then animals with white or black coloring are considered an anomaly.

At the same time, it cannot be said that a lion with an exotic coloring is a fiction. Exists genetic mutation, which is called leucism. Because of it, the fur of animals acquires White color. This occurs due to a lack of melanocytes. The result is the appearance of an animal such as a white lion. One might assume that this is an albino lion, but the color of its eyes, which can be either blue or gold, says otherwise.

The white lion is almost no different in its characteristics from other representatives of the species. It is slightly larger than the others. Their weight can reach 310 kg, and the male’s body length exceeds 3 m. The females of such animals are slightly smaller - 2.7 m. A lion with white fur changes color slightly throughout its life, and by old age its body acquires an ivory shade.

The black lion, according to many scientists, does not exist in nature. They consider photos and videos of such animals found online to be the result of shooting in the dark or special processing. Some suggest that, as opposed to albinism, there is a phenomenon of melanism, in which there is too much pigment in the fur of animals. This is possible in jaguars and leopards. As a result of crossing, a lion with dark shade wool, but this is just an accident, so there is no need to distinguish such animals into a separate subspecies.

Leo is the real king of beasts

Many hunters are familiar with the habits of wild animals that live in our forests. , ... However, to broaden our general horizons, and who knows - maybe some of us will one day be able to go on an African safari - we suggest you find out about the habits of lions.

Where do lions live?

The habitat of lions is vast overgrown with grasses and small shrubs African savannas, and some countries of South-West Asia. IN early XIX For centuries, lions could also still be found in the steppe regions of India, and in ancient times, according to legends, they also lived on the Balkan Peninsula. So,

The mythical hero Hercules wore on his shoulders the skin of a lion he had killed.

Description of the appearance of lions

A luxurious mane is a sign of power

IN coloring of lions, like many inhabitants of the steppes, shades of yellow predominate, which allows these predators to be more invisible in the desert. But, at birth, lion cubs have a pattern of dark spots on a yellowish background, reminiscent of the characteristic spotted coloring of many other cats (for example, the lynx - find out about its habits), such as the leopard. This may mean that lions acquired a single-color color much later, having adapted to life in open spaces.

Males and females can be distinguished by their shaggy mane, which adds to the ferocity of their menacing appearance, although the mane is developed differently in different species. It is assumed that The lion needs the mane to show his superiority for the right to possess the female during the mating season.

The larger the mane, the stronger the male.

Habits of a lion

It is not for nothing that Leo is called the king of beasts. They live in flocks - prides, like the royal family. These animals behave impressively and with dignity, without being distracted by various external stimuli.

Researchers have often observed lions sleeping on tree branches and on the ground, lying belly up. It seemed that nothing could disturb their sleep.

Only by throwing something into their well-fed belly can you force the lion to raise its head. By the way, the face of a well-fed king of animals most often expresses good nature and indifference, in contrast to the expression of the face of a leopard.

"All animals are inquisitive, - writes hunter John Hunter, - but in terms of curiosity, a lion can be compared with a man". Therefore, it is not surprising that these animals are not afraid of fire and can come close to the fire and to the place where a person spends the night. Moreover, they can even look into the face of the sleeping person and calmly leave without touching anyone.

Lion hunt

Lions go hunting mainly at night in small groups. Their vision, like that of any cat, is good, although their pupils do not change size as much as those of a domestic cat (their pupils round shape). Usually lions They choose ungulates for the role of prey - zebras, wildebeests. These predators are good tacticians, they successfully combine the pursuit of prey with ambush. It is not surprising that they often lie in wait for their prey near bodies of water, and under cover of night they can get close to livestock.

Lions do not climb trees like other cats, but there is a known case where a hungry lion climbed a tree to take the remains of an antelope from a leopard. Also, using their superior strength, these animals can take prey from hyenas without disdaining carrion.