King and Queen of the Serengeti

Throughout history, lions have been used as symbols of strength, courage, bravery and power. It's not surprising once you catch a glimpse of one of these great cats in the midst of a hunt. A lion's speed and strength are, in fact, what earn this cat its title as "king of the jungle".

The Lion's Share of Work

Although a lion can hunt at any time of day, one is most likely to see them going after prey (particularly large prey) during the night. Surprising to many, it is the females (lionesses) that do the majority - as much as 90 percent - of the hunting, while males stay behind to patrol the territory and protect the pride.

Typically, lions hunt together to increase their success since some prey can be difficult to catch and can outrun a single lion. Used to working together, lionesses draw upon each other's strengths in a hunt. Smaller lionesses, for example, chase the prey toward the center of the hunting females; the larger lionesses capture or ambush the prey. These skillful hunters can both run quickly and sneak up on their prey. But, as ferocious as lions can be, their hunts are only successful about half the time.

While it may seem that the lionesses are doing all the work, male lions play an important role. Male lions patrol a pride's territory, protect the pride from intruders, and help make sure cubs are fed while the females are hunting for the next meal.

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Article by Valerie Deveraux
Photographs by $PLAYER

Lions can run up to 36 mph (58 kph) but usually walk or creep first to within 30 to 60 feet (9 to 18 m) of its prey.

Male lions, distinguished by the presence of manes, stand guard.

A Meal Fit for a King Lions hunt a variety of animals, including antelope, wildebeest, zebra and other hoofed animals. They will also gladly hunt rodents, reptiles and insects. But cooperative hunting enables lions to also take on very large prey - including buffaloes, rhinos, hippos and giraffes.

Lions will also gladly scavenge or steal another carnivore's kill, even if it is spoiled. In fact, more than half of a lion's diet is made up of scavenged food! Because of their speedy digestive system, lions often return quickly to the hunt after eating in search of another helping.

Wildebeest are popular prey for lion.

Kill from another carnivore is fair game. Here a gazelle killed by hyenas is being taken over by lions.

Communal Living Most cat species live alone. But, lions are an exception. Lions live in prides - an extended family unit consisting of up to 30 lions including related females who give birth around the same time. The female lions share responsibilities of raising their young, including nursing each others' cubs. This communal care-taking means a female can leave the pride to hunt without worrying about the well-being of her cubs. A cub born into a pride is twice as likely to survive as a cub born to a lioness on her own.

The unrelated adult males of a pride may only stay with a pride a few months or a few years, while lionesses often stay together for life. New males will earn their place in a pride by fighting with the pride's males.

When not hunting or guarding, lions spend their time relaxing with the rest of the pride. The 16-20 hours of leisure time involves much playing, grooming, yawning, and even roaring. This "bonding time" is key to a strong pride.

Long Live the King

Even though the lion is not considered endangered, it is a threatened species. Recent studies have suggested that there may be as few as 25,000 lions remaining. This may seem like a big number, but it estimated that just two decades ago more than 200,000 lions roamed Africa. Habitat loss, loss of prey and disease all threaten the great cat. Human conflict, however, is perhaps the greatest threat to a lion's survival. Too often, lions take a farmer's livestock as prey, causing farmers to be rightfully angry.

The survival of lions is critical. And, fortunately, lions that are within protected areas and national parks are thriving. If an area of land can support a large carnivore such as a lion, it can also support other large mammals and the vegetation they depend upon. So, if you find yourself gazing at a landscape full of large carnivores such as lions, you know you've spotted a healthy ecosystem.

A newborn typically weighs just three pounds (1.4 kg). At full size, a male lion can weigh between 330 and 550 pounds (150 - 250 kg); a female can weigh between 265 and 400 pounds (120 - 180 kg).

When a male joins a pride, he must fight the other male lions first.

Although most noted for their hunting, lions actually spend the majority of their day - as much as 16-20 hours - sleeping or resting.

For more information, visit: The Lion Research Center African Lion Safari in Canada Wikipedia - Lion
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