Binoculars Western Field

African Lion

An animal of enormous power, the African lion weighs about four hundred and fifty pounds to five hundred and fifty healthy adult males, while females are usually 300 to 300 kilos. The length is between six to eight feet for males and five to six feet of women, excluding a tail of about three feet. significantly more individuals were recorded if. Most wild lion ever weighed about 700 pounds. In captivity, a sample of more than £ 800 is documented. Height at shoulder height is about four feet of men and three and a half feet for females.

The lion's coat is red and raw. The coat is short and somewhat rude. Males are distinguished by their large mane covering the head, neck and stomach and back. The hair is pale goes first and all shades of gold with a black lion with aging. A lion's mane of black means fully ripe with a good reproducibility and lionesses often preferred by their partners. In parts of Africa, including Senegal and particularly Tsavo, Kenya, without manes of male lions are recorded, possibly in the adaptation of the habitat of this region difficult. In general, is under the muscle for both sexes. Lionesses are more athletic, because that allows them to excel in hunting, its role in the pride. Male lions are larger the added weight and strength, enabling them to combat intruders and defend the territory of the pack. The weapons are claws and fangs nearly three inches. powerful jaws and skull is larger than any other cat species. The eyes are highlighted in the case of most land predators and not on the side as in the case of dam. The field of vision that is so essential for predators to watch out for hunters comes with big eyes. This field of vision is compromised for better perception depth and binocular vision in the lions eye comes with a relatively narrow, which helps to judge the distance of prey to swoop down on it. The tail has a tuft Hair that covers the spine at the tip of the tail. the skin of the abdomen is released and shields the internal organs of hunted ungulates viscous kicks for a death.

Social cats, Lions in Africa are the top predators and keystone. They live and hunt together, which increases the chances of success and survival for themselves and their offspring during difficult seasons. Lionesses do more hunting by creating a trap for hunting. Each lion has a specific role in this form of hunting groups. In general, age and down are selected and isolated herds. Then one or two lions set to break cover and the prices at the dam. Animal Panic and usually end up off the jaws of a lioness waiting for your flight. The reservation will be made by the suffocating bite to the neck of small dams or cover mouth and nose large prey. In contrast to previous beliefs, is now estimated that male lions are involved in up to fifty to sixty percent of all hunting, especially useful in handling large prey like buffalo. Other animals include a variety depending on the type and abundance of prey in a given territory. These include eland, oryx, antelope, impala, kudu, warthogs, wildebeest and zebras. Sometimes, even the young giraffes and rhinos, hippos and elephants are killed. opportunistic predators, hunting lion does not eat anything and when necessary, including carrion. Some lions in Botswana have been filmed the slaughter of elephants after a period severe drought. The calves were taken regularly and sometimes they were adults at the cover of darkness.

African lions are in the top food chain in the African savannah and not hesitate to annihilate the competition if the opportunity arises. Spotted hyenas conflict is common are often able to intimidate the lions and cubs, because of their greater numbers, but suffer a lot when they come into contact with men. Adult male lions have witnessed the display behavior of wild hyenas and not several times actively hunting and killing off the hyenas and young adults. Sometimes the lions have been killed off hyenas exploration. conflict Interspecific with other big cats also occurs in Africa and Lions often kill leopards and cheetahs and their offspring, perhaps to protect themselves from competition.

A number of subspecies of lions are recognized, depending on their range in Africa.

Azanda Panthera Leo (lion North-East Congo) – North-eastern Congo

Bleyenberghi Panthera Leo (lion or Southwest African Katanga) – South-West Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Katanga (Zaire) Zambia and Zimbabwe

Krugeri Panthera Leo (lion Transvaal or South African) – Transvaal region of South Africa, including Kruger National Park

Panthera Leo nubica (East African Lion or Massai) – Eastern Africa from Ethiopia and Kenya to Tanzania and Mozambique

Panthera leo senegalensis (West African lion) – Africa West from Senegal to Nigeria

Territorial cats, African lions live in areas with pride to several tens of square kilometers depending on the concentration Lions and prey in a particular region. Males regularly patrol the territory, marked with the smell of their legs and urine. At dusk and dawn, roaring for establish their presence and warn the intruder. The noise is stronger than cats and can be heard at a distance of five miles. A pride consists of one to four males and even more a dozen females and pups. Females are usually interrelated and often remain in a pride for the duration of their lives, while young men are initiated by adults when they are between two to three years. These young people then lead a nomadic life, to form coalitions with other solitary males and hunting and survive on their own. When four or five years, are able to feel proud of themselves. Then move on to the domain of men of established residents pride and try to seize territory and lionesses. This battle is often bloody and sometimes deadly. If residents lose men, sneak and nomads are quick to kill all the little fertilized by males before. This makes females in heat. The new males also kill or drive out young males. Support is often brutal and sometimes take months. After the lions were finally installed, the new males have only two or three years on average to produce young of their own success that can reach adulthood and propagate their genetic line before being ejected as well. Females come into heat all year round and produce a litter two to three young after a pregnancy that lasts three to four months. Young people learn the game of one year and two years are completely independent. Maturity is reached for four years for women and five for men. The shelf life is between twelve and fifteen years in the wild and around 25 years in captivity.

About the Author

The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on African Lion.

Conservationists@Google: Sea Shepherd Society