Lions
Lions have the teeth of a predator
Image: Hamsterkiste
1 The Kings of the Animals
Lions grow up to 2.50 m long and up to 1.2 m tall
Image: pixabay.com
Lions are sometimes called the “kings of the animals”. They appear in the fairy tales and fables of many peoples. Statues of lions are often found in front of palaces and in large squares. Powerful men, in particular, liked to have themselves depicted with lions to make themselves appear especially powerful and strong. Lions once lived in Europe too, but they have been extinct here for a long time. Today, lions are found only in Africa south of the Sahara Desert and in India’s Gir National Park. Lions are large and strong. Males can grow up to 2.5 metres long, stand about 1.2 metres tall and weigh more than 200 kg. Females are smaller and lighter. Their coats range in colour from yellowish to dark ochre. Males have long brown manes that protect their necks during fights. It takes five years for young male lions to grow a mane. Their tails end in a black tuft. Lions can run at speeds of up to 65 kilometres per hour, but can maintain this speed only for a short time. They can jump about six metres horizontally and two to three metres high.
Find out:
1. Where can lions still be found today?
2. What is the mane for in male lions?
3. How fast can lions run?
2 Lions live in the savanna
Lioness with cub in Etosha National Park, Namibia
Image: Hans Stieglitz, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33901003
Lions prefer the savanna as their habitat. There is plenty of grass to hide in, as well as waterholes near which prey animals live. This is where lions can hunt best. The number of lions living in the wild is declining. It is estimated that only around 16,000 to 30,000 remain in the wild today. Their habitat is shrinking as more and more land is used for agriculture. Lions have also disappeared from large areas of Africa. They often spend hours lounging in the shade at their resting spots. Since they eat a lot after a successful hunt, it can take several days before they go hunting again.
Find out:
4. Which habitat do lions prefer?
5. Why have lion numbers declined?
6. How do lions spend most of the day?
3 Lions live in prides
Lions in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve
Image: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=151091702
Unlike other cats, lions live in prides, which can include up to 30 animals. Male lions are driven away when they are two or three years old. They often live with other young males until they eventually take over a pride of their own. To do this, they must defeat and drive away the old leader in a fight. Lions are not very clean. Unlike our domestic cats, they hardly groom their fur. A lion lives for about 20 years in the wild. Males often die quite young; many are killed in fights or starve after being driven from the pride. In a zoo, lions can live for more than 30 years.
Find out:
7. How many animals are in a lion pride?
8. What happens to young male lions?
9. How old can lions get?
10. Why do male lions often die so young?
4 Lion cubs
Young lions at the Eifel Zoo in Lünebach
Image: Hamsterkiste
A lioness gives birth to one to four cubs in a litter. Before giving birth, the mother finds a hiding place where the cubs are born. At first, the cubs are blind. They weigh about 1.5 kilograms at birth and are around 50 centimeters long. For six months, they suckle from their mother or other lionesses. Lion cubs are always raised by several mothers. Even after they are weaned, the cubs stay with their mother for about two more years.
Find out:
11. Where are lion cubs born?
12. How long and how much do they weigh at birth?
13. At what age do young lions leave their mothers?
5 Lions are predators
Lions on the Hunt
Image: By Gary M. Stolz, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (public domain)
Lions hunt large herd animals such as zebras, wildebeest, buffalo and antelope. The females and young lions do most of the hunting. People sometimes claim that male lions are too lazy to hunt. But they can fend for themselves, too. Since these large predators cannot run for long, they first stalk their prey to within just a few metres. They knock the animal to the ground and bite through its throat or the back of its neck. Hunting is strenuous and often unsuccessful, so lions also tend to steal prey from hyenas. Lions eat 20 to 40 kilograms of meat at a time, but can then go two to three days without food. Lions themselves have no enemies to fear. However, elephants and rhinoceroses can defend themselves well against lion attacks.
Find out:
14. Which animals are hunted by the lions?
15. How much meat do lions eat at one time?