8/19/2019 Factual Report Lion

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Factual Report Lion

Fun Facts About Lions

 Lions are big cats known as the “King of the Jungle”. It is because they are they sit atthe top of the food chain. They are found in Africa and India.

Lions are the second biggest cat behind the tiger. They canget up to 8 feet long and oer !"" pounds. The #ale lionsdeelop a large #ane of hare around their neck$ whichdistinguishes the# fro# the fe#ales. The #ales aregenerally larger than the fe#ales as well.

Lions are carniores so they eat #eat. They can take down %ust about any decent si&ed ani#al. Their faorite prey includes water buffalo$ antelope$ wildebeest$i#pala$ and &ebras. Lions so#eti#es also kill large beasts like elephants$ giraffes$ and rhinos.There are so#e fun fact about lion.Lions are fa#ous for their loud roar which can be heard up to ! #iles away. They can #ake such a loudroar because the cartilage in their throats has turned into bone. They tend to roar #ore at night.The lion is taller than the tiger$ but doesn't weigh as #uch.The lion's #ain co#petitor for prey in Africa is the spotted hyena.(en though the fe#ale lions do the hunting$ the #ale lion often gets to eat first.They are e)cellent swi##ers.Lions will lie about *! years in the wild. 

The White Lion

The Latin na#e of +anthera leo krugeri is not li#ited to whitelions. It applies to all ,outh African lion subspecies- the prides of which are #ostly located in Kruger ational +ark and nearbyga#e reseres./hite lions are not albino as they hae pig#entation whichshows particularly in eye$ paw pad and lip colour. The correctter# for their condition is leucis#$ a state where there is near0nor#al eye colour$ but loss of pig#ent in the skin and fur.

The cause of the unusual colouration is the sa#e as for the white tiger. A recessie gene which results inthe white appearance is found in a ery s#all nu#ber of captie lions./hite speci#ens usually hae a yellowish0brown or golden eye colour which is ery si#ilar to their tawny cousins$ though so#e hae bluish colouring like the white tiger.1nlike nor#al lion cubs which spotted at birth$ the pelage of white cubs is al#ost pure white. 2er the#onths the coat gradually darkens to beco#e a crea# or iory colour. At last count$ 34 white lions wererecorded worldwide.The i#age on this page shows one of 5incinnati's #ale white lions. As can be seen fro# the picture$ a

large area of #ane is #issing entirely on the right side- this is eident in both of the 5incinnati cats. Thecause is unknown. 

The Lions

The Lion is one of the largest$ strongest and powerful felines in the worldsecond only in si&e to the ,iberian Tiger. Although Lions are able to #ake anu#ber of different sounds it is their roar that is #ost distinctie and not onlyseres to warn off strange #ales$ but also allows #e#bers of the pride tofind one another as it's sound can trael up to si) #iles6Lion Anato#y and Appearance

Lions hae a short coat of tawny or golden fur with a long tailthat has a tuft of longer fur at the end. The #arkings on their 

coats are #uch fainter than the bold stripes and spots displayed on other felines which helps these largecarniores in going unseen when stalking prey in the long grasses. The #ales are taller and heaier than fe#ales and displaying a #ane of long hair around their faces 7in fact$ it is the only case in thefeline world where #ales and fe#ales actually look different. Thought to be connected with testosteroneleels$ the #ane of the #ale Lion ranges fro# blonde$ to red$ brown and black in colour and coers their head$ neck and chest. Lions hae strong and powerful %aws that contain 3" teeth in total which includesfour fang0like canines and four carnassial teeth that are perfectly designed for slicing through flesh. 

8/19/2019 Factual Report Lion

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Lion 9istribution and :abitat:istorically$ Lions would hae been found throughout #uch of Africa and een in parts of (urope and

 Asia as well. Today the re#aining African Lion population now only found in countries in sub0,aharan Africa. There is also still a s#all population of Asiatic Lions found inhabiting a re#ote part of the ;ir <orest in India where there are an esti#ated 3"" indiiduals re#aining. Lions are adaptable ani#als thatcan and will inhabit ery dry cli#ates as they get #ost of the #oisture they need fro# their food. Theyprefer areas of open woodland$ scrub and long grasslands where there is not only plenty oer coer butalso a wide ariety of prey. They are only not found in areas of rainforest or far into deserts. Lion =ehaiour and LifestyleLions lie together in strong social groups called a pride which is #ade up of !0*! related fe#ales andtheir cubs along with a generally single #ale 7s#all groups of 4 or 3 though are not unco##on. >aleLions patrol a territory of around *""#? #arking trees and rocks with urine and roaring to warn off intruders. The Lionesses in the pride hunt together #eaning that they are not only #ore successful ontheir trips$ but they are also able to catch and kill ani#als that are both faster than the# and #uchbigger. @oung Lion cubs spend a great deal of ti#e playing together which actually helps the# todeelop their hunting techniues. 

Lion 9iet and +reyThe Lion is a carniorous. 1nlike other felines$ Lions are not solitary hunters but instead the Lionesseswork together in order to chase down and catch their prey with each fe#ale haing a different strategicrole. This strategy allows the# to kill ani#als that are both faster and #uch larger than they areincluding =uffalo$ /ildebeest and een ;iraffe. Lion 5onseration ,tatus and Life TodayToday$ the Lion is listed by the I15 as an ani#al that is Bulnerable fro# e)tinction in it's naturaleniron#ent in the near futureThe #ain reason for the rapid de#ise of Africa's re#aining Lionpopulation is thought to be due to habitat loss as they are not only loosing big chunks of their natieranges$ but are also often then forced onto far#land or into settle#ents to find food #eaning they areoften killed.