King Of The Jungle

King Of The Jungle

Lion Male

1. Lions live in parts of Africa and India.

2. Asiatic lions live only in just the one forest in India.

3. Lions are the tallest of the cat family and the second heaviest after the tiger.  The African lion weighs 120-190 kg and is approximately 1.4-2.0 m when standing on their hind legs.  Their colouration can range from light tan to yellow, to dark brown.  

4. Visually, the male is highly distinctive and easily recognized by its mane which is unique among felines. They have strong jaws, large canine teeth and powerful legs in order to bring down and kill large prey. At full running speed they reach up to 60 kilometers per hour.

Lion Female

5. The lions tongue is like sandpaper it is used to scrape meat off of their prey bones.

6. Lions are carnivores. They hunt in packs for large prey like zebra, wildebeest and buffalo. Individuals also forage for small rodents, hares and reptiles.

7. Unlike other cat species, lions are quite social and live in groups called ‘prides’. These prides contain 4-6 adults and their cubs. Adult males defend a large area against other males and hold mating rights over the prides within their territory. Spotted Hyaenas and African Painted Dogs are the natural predators of old, young or sick lions that are too weak to defend themselves.   Lions are the only cats that live in family groups. 

8. Because male lions are so big and have a full mane, they are often too slow and conspicuous to be good hunters. The male lion protects the pride while the lionesses hunt.

9. A lion’s roar can be heard up to 8 km away.

10. The female lion is the primary hunter.  She stalks the prey to within 100 feet.  Lions are very agile with quick reflexes.  They can run up to 35 mph, but only for short distances.  Once close enough, the lion uses its paws and weight to knock down the quarry, then secures its meal with a bite in the throat or neck.

11. Food is shared with the pride with the strongest eating first.  Females do 85 to 90 percent of the pride's hunting, while the males patrol the territory and protect the pride, for which they take the "lion's(major)share" of the females' prey. The males eat until satisfied, then the females and lastly the cubs.

12. Lions are high on the food chain and therefore have almost no natural predators.  

13. Most natural danger occurs during the first few years of life.  The cubs are vulnerable to predators such as hyenas.  The biggest danger is from the males in the pride.  Once a male becomes dominant, he will kill all the young of defeated rivals, therefore solidifying his position.

14. The female lions in the pride are closely related and enter breeding season together and give birth at the same time.  This allows them to share nursing and other maternal duties.

15. Plants allow lions to hide in them to catch their prey.

16. Plants allow lions to hide in them when getting attacked by humans.

17. At dawn and dusk the roar of lions can be heard across the savanna.

18. Roaring is one way that lions stay in contact with each other.  Male lions roar to warn other males to stay away. Lions use roars to call their cubs  Including moans, grunts, snarls, and growls.

19. A Lion’s eyes are the biggest of any cat.  Lion cubs have blue but they change to amber when they are older.

20. A lion is also called the “King of Jungle”.

21. Lions live for 10-14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than 20 years.

22. Lions are the laziest of the big cats. They usually spend 16 to 20 hours a day sleeping and resting, devoting the remaining hours to hunting, courting or protecting their territory.

23. Lions are also called “Nocturnal” animals, this means sleeping during day-time & working in night.

24. Lions make many gestures towards each other.  Rubbing head, face and neck against another lion-seems to be a form of greeting.

Lions in Ashok Chakra

25. Most lions drink water daily if available, but can go four or five days without it.  Lions in arid areas seem to obtain needed moisture from the stomach contents of their prey.

26. The lion’s worst enemy-it is a surprise, it is a porcupine.

27. A lion can't actually roar until it's 2 years old.

28. A lion is the only one having a tassel on the tail. It's often used to signal to other members of the pride, with messages like, "this way.

29. Lions don’t have much stamina, thus, they only run fast in short bursts. 

30. A lion can run for short distances at 50 miles per hour and can leap as far as 36 feet.

31. A lion’s heels don’t touch the ground when it walks. 

32. When males take over a new pride, they usually kill the cubs.