African lion facts pdf file

African lions declines in its african range of 3050% per two decades during the second half of the 20th century. The lion panthera leo is a species in the family felidae. Discover more about your favourite african animals by looking at these fact files. Some famous lions include simba from the lion king, the metrogoldwynmayer mascot, the cowardly lion and elsa from the movie born free. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are. Since the early 1950s, the lion population in africa has been reduced by half.

Boldness and natural behaviors in the african lion panthera leo. Both males and females roara sound heard as far as 8 kilometers away. Aug 31, 2018 lion facts, pictures, information and video. With a typical headtobody length of 184208 cm 7282 in they are larger.

Factors affecting the hunting success of male and female lions. Barbary lion has never been tested and compared to these results, and may in fact be a third. Lions reach sexual maturity at 2 years old and mate at all times of the year. In this post we will be looking at facts about the lion cubs life cycle, how they are raised by their mothers in the wild, whether the fathers are involved in this process and how they are trained to be hunters themselves. Today, the lions range is restricted to africa and one population of the asiatic subspecies, p. Living in the grasslands, scrub, and open woodlands of subsaharan africa, the lion is the second largest cat in the world behind tigers african lions are the most social of all big cats and live together in groups or prides. It is found that the international legal regime for the african lion is in fact not effective in achieving the protection and survival of the species. The wild lion lifespan is approximately eight to 10 years but can exceed 25 years in captivity. Lets enjoy some of the most interesting hyena facts for kids. The lion is a magnificent animal that appears as a symbol of power, courage and nobility on family crests, coats of arms and national flags in many civilizations. African lion panthera leo behavior, monitoring, and survival in humandominated landscapes by stephanie dolrenry a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy environment and resources at the university of wisconsinmadison 20 date of final oral examination.

All the three hyena species are distinguishable from each other. The number of african lions in the wild is declining and theyre now thought to be at risk of extinction. African lion, facts and photos national geographic. Hyena facts for kids hyena behavior, hunting, diet, and. Lions will fiercely defend their territory from members of the same sex. In life, this cat was about 14 larger than the african lion, even bigger than the siberian tiger. However due to the fierce natural competition for food and territory, leopard, hyena, african wild dog, cheetah and jackal will kill lion cubs when the opportunity rises. The trunk of the african elephant has two fingerlike structures at its tip that allow the animal to perform both delicate and powerful movements. This lesson will teach you some cool facts about this kind of big cat, where it lives and what it. A summary of most interesting statistics size, gestation.

Lions prefer to scavenge when the opportunity presents itself, and scavenged food provides more than 50% of their diets. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several lion type specimens were described and proposed as subspecies, with about a dozen recognised as valid taxa until 2017. Oct 31, 2016 learn everything you wanted to know about african lions with pictures, facts and news from our youtube channel. Panthera leo melanochaita is a lion subspecies in southern and east africa.

The lion is the most studied of all the worlds cats. At sexual maturity, some female lions remain with the pride, but all male lions leave the pride. Lions at one time were found from greece through the middle east to northern india, but today only a very small population remains in india. In the wild the lifespan of lions is approximately 15 years, however in captivity it can be as long as 30 years. The numbers of african lions are sadly on a rapid decline. African lion panthera leo behavior, monitoring, and. Big cats roar thanks to a specially designed larynx a part of the throat. Wild lions reproduce every two years, producing litters after a gestation period of 108 days. It is a shame because there are less than twenty thousand wild lions roaming the african continent 2016 and that compares to over 1.

Spending 1620 hours of the day sleeping or resting, lions are the laziest of the big cats. African lion about the african lion african lion facts. Check facts about african lions if you want to know the wild, dangerous and strong animal. Adult lions do not have many natural enemies except in some cases hyenas especially a pack pride of hyenas at a carcass and humans. The lion is found throughout the south sahara desert and in parts of southern and eastern africa.

Between 2008 and 2016, iucn red list assessors used only two subspecific names. These vulnerable species face constant threat due to loss of habitat and poaching. African lions once roamed most of africa and parts of asia and europe. If a human is attacked by a mountain lion, call 911. Females are about 40 to 50 kg lighter than males, which can have a mass of 180 up to 225 kg. The uniquely social king of the jungle live science. African males lions play a critical role in protecting cubs from intruding males. Lions once roamed africa, asia and europe, but are now only found in parts of africa and india. Males are unique among the cat species for their thick mane of brown or black hair encircling their head and neck. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Fun facts about lions african lion information for kids. Male lions within a pride do not compete for matings. They scavenge animals either dead from natural causes disease or killed by other predators, and keep a constant lookout for circling vultures, being keenly aware that they indicate an animal dead or in distress.

African lions are a kind of big cat that lives in the wild. The mane darkens with age, and the thicker and darker a mane is the healthier the cat. Since the turn of the 21st century, lion populations in. Male african lions live between 12 years, females for between 1416 years. The african lion panthera leo still roams portions of his native environment, but only a fraction of the original population remains. In this part of africa, lion populations are regionally extinct in lesotho, djibouti and eritrea, and threatened by loss of habitat and prey base, killing by local people in retaliation for loss of livestock, and in several countries also by trophy hunting. Lion hunting or trophy hunting as it is known is still going on today under licence in countries like zimbabwe and namibia.

Fun lion facts for kids interesting facts about lions. Characteristics mostly found on savannah but can also be found in varied habitats. The lion panthera leo was the most successful large carnivore during the late pleistocene, when the species range extended from south africa, across eurasia, and into the southern united states. The african lion is bigger than the asiatic lion and its the second largest big cat, after the tiger. It is the secondlargest living big cats after tigers. African lions are a golden or tawnybrown colour and have large padded feet.

African lions, lion habitat, lion cubs wildlife detective. Panthera leo persica asian lion approximately 350 lions in gir forest, western india they are listed as critically endangered age height weight male african lions live between 12 years, females for between 1416 years. Learn about lion behavior, how fast they can run, where they are found, how many lions are usually in a pride, the males mane, lioness differences and more. The african elephant is the largest land mammal on earth and perhaps one of the most intelligent. Bertola, postdoc at leiden univeristy, netherlands, applies the study of genetics to issues in conservation biology during her phd research, she applied various genetic techniques to gain insight into the distribution of lion genetic diversity. The number of african lions in the wild is declining and. Lions can consume up to 40 pounds of meat in a single meal. One of these following facts about african lions might give you much information about the animal. Bertola, postdoc at leiden univeristy, netherlands, applies the study of genetics to issues in conservation biology. Historically, they ranged across much of europe, asia, and africa, but now they are found mainly in parts of africa south of the sahara. Although extremely large prides, consisting of up to 30 individuals, have been observed, the average pride consists of five or six females, their cubs of both.

These brilliant fact file sheets are a great way to engage your children and have them actively searching for information on african animals, building their information. African lions prefer grassy plains, savannas and semi deserts found in. Interesting facts about the king of the beasts, the majestic african lion. Until 10,000 years ago the lion was the most populous animal on the planet after humans, but today is considered an endangered species with numbers as low as 21,000 in africa. If you have a facetoface encounter with a mountain lion, contact a ranger or call the midpen office at 6506911200 during regular business hours. While the endangered asiatic population is currently considered. Here are some interesting facts about african lions, and why they are still such a majestic lot, even today. With majestic manes and powerful roars, hundreds of thousands of lions once ruled the plains of africa. Learn everything you wanted to know about african lions with pictures, facts and news from our youtube channel. The asiatic lion seems to have split from the african ancestors about 100. They can be found lying on their backs with their feet up or taking a snooze up in a tree.

In a pride, lions hunt prey, raise cubs, and defend their territory together. How does this resource excite and engage childrens learning. The brown hyena displays a dark brown body together with lower legs and greyish neck. In prides the females do most of the hunting and cub rearing. While lazing around, they are very affectionate towards one another, rubbing heads, grooming, and purring. The size of a pride depends on food availability, but a typical group includes three males, a dozen females, and their cubs.

The big cats are the tiger, lion, leopard and jaguar the only 4 members of the genus panthera. The american lion panthera atrox it lived from 25,000 years ago to 10,000 years ago in north america. They are also seen in heraldry and as the mascots of sports teams. Lion prides can be as small as 3 or as big as 40 animals. But its also beautiful if you check out the male lion. Females within a pride often give birth at the same time and rear the cubs together. African lions sleep or doze, rather about 20 hours a day. Check out the wide range of interesting facts about lions. The male lion, with its long mane and proud stature, is one of the most easilyrecognizable animals in the world. Apart from the asiatic lion there are 6 living subspecies of lions, but the genetic differences are so small, that you can actually talk about 23 subspecies living in africa today.