Lions

Lions

  Lions are the second largest big cat after the tigers. Male lion with its characteristic mane is one of the best known of all predators. The male lion’s mane serves a number of purposes. Their color and size shows the males health and maturity. Lionesses are known to favor males with healthily looking mane. It also makes the male lion look bigger and more intimidating to other loins and to the spotted hyena. 

  Male lions are taller the tigers can weigh more than 500 pounds as adults. Lions are the most social of all cats. They live in groups called prides with at least one male, five or more related lioness, and their cubs. After the cubs become adults they are force to leave the pride. They become wandering nomads looking for different prides to join or start their own. Lions have specific roles in the pride base on gender and they display sexual dimorphism. The lionesses in the pride do most of the hunting. The males patrol the fringes the prides territory and help protect their cubs when the lionesses are gone.  

  They hunt groups mostly at night using stealth to get close to the potential victim and then make fast coordinated ambush attack. Most of their prey is large mammals like zebras, wildebeest, impalas, buffaloes, wild boar, and deer. It not uncommon for lions the steal kills from other predators and eat carrion. Lions are apex predators in Africa but feed on the same prey as spotted hyenas. The two species challenge each other over food and space. Violent attacks are not uncommon. Because the spotted hyenas are smaller the lions will steal their kills. Spotted hyenas will leave or wait until the lions are done. Rarely do spotted hyenas force the lions away from their kills. 

  Lions in the wild live today in sub-Saharan Africa with a small population in India. In the ancient past lions could be found in both North and South America, from Europe to India, and in most of Africa. They were one of the most wide spread mammals on Earth along with humans and wolves. Because of habitat loss and growing human populations lions have declined to the point of becoming endangered.