Usually, a mature male stands 4 feet tall and his tail is 8 .5 feet long. His average weight will reach 450 pounds. Females are much smaller and weigh less than 300 pounds. Adult lions usually have a simple, spotless coat, light brown to dark ochre. Young babies have spots on their bodies, which sometimes remain on their legs and stomachs until they are fully grown. Male lions have brown manes, which will become darker and denser with age. There is a tuft of black hair at the end of the tail. "White" lions occasionally appear in the Transvaal region of southern Africa, but they are not really albinos.

Two. Geographical scope and habitat:

Thousands of years ago, lions were common in southern Europe, South Asia, eastern and central India and the whole African continent. Today, apart from about 300 highly protected animals in India's Gil National Park, the only naturally occurring lion is in Africa. (But even in Africa, lions are extinct in the north; The last Numidian male was shot as a trophy in the1930s. Lions don't live in dense forests and jungles, nor in desert areas, because there are few prey there.

Three. Diet:

Lions feed on all kinds of large and medium-sized prey. When the annual migration takes huge herds across the range of lions, they prefer wild animals (or gnu). Besides, they also eat buffalo, zebra, antelope, giraffe and warthog. They also steal prey and carrion from other predators.

Four. Life cycle/social structure:

The lion is the only cat that lives in a big family. Each lion group is different in size and structure, but a typical lion group consists of two males and seven females, and different numbers of cubs. Women are usually sisters and/or cousins who grew up together. When lions hunt as a group, they will ambush and force large prey to fall into the hands of waiting lions. Females have speed, but their weight is not enough to knock down large "family-sized" prey, such as wild animals. Although lions have great strength and adaptability, they are more likely to fail than succeed in trying to kill prey.

Sub-adult males are expelled when they are 2- 1/2 to 3 years old, and may join other males in groups. Females mature in about two years, and males mature in a few years. All big cats are ovulators, that is, the release of eggs is caused by mating behavior. The pregnant period of a lioness is between 105 and 1 18 days, and usually three or four cubs are born. Only one in five people can survive the first year. When prey is scarce, the dominance level based on size and age quickly becomes obvious. The youngest dies first.

The life span of the wild is 15- 18 years and that of the captive is 25-30 years.

Special adjustment of verb (abbreviation of verb):

The horny nipple bent backward covers the upper surface of the tongue; This is very useful for catching meat and removing parasites when combing hair. The lion's roar can be heard from five miles away, even if it is close, it is scary. Territorial growls are usually heard an hour after sunset. When they are apart, they will roar and let each other know where they are; Females often call their cubs by howling. The mature male's mane not only makes him look bigger, but also protects his throat from his mortal enemies-other predatory lions and hyenas behind his cubs or prey.

Explanatory information of intransitive verbs:

Lions are toe walkers; That is, his heels don't touch the ground. His roar is possible because the cartilage in his throat has ossified into bone (called hyoid structure). This is true of all big cats or "roaring" species. Small cats with soft throat structures can only meow.

Seven. Wild state:

Due to widespread persecution, wild cats have become one of the most threatened major land animals. Nevertheless, the number of African lions is about 200,000. Although about 150 people are injured in Gil National Park alone, they are usually protected. On the contrary, in the Skeleton Coast Park in Namibia, West Africa, all the lions are gone. Some people were killed by herders outside the park boundary; Others were forced to leave because of the drought.

African lions are now listed as vulnerable animals by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.