Page 14 - Animals of the Wild April 2017(1)_Neat

The lion or better known as the King of the Jungle is the second largest cat species after the tiger.
Lions are found in sub-Saharan Africa and India. Lions are highly social animals and live in prides of
up to 30 lions. The pride consists of a couple of male lions, female lions and their young. The size of
the pride depends on the available resources. The more prey and water is available, the bigger the
size of the pride.

Lions are the only felid member where the male and female looks totally different. The females
don’t have a mane. The males have a mane which becomes lighter with age. Both sexes have a tuft
at the end of their tail. The lion is the only felid who has a tuft tail. The tassel can be seen from 7
months.

Lions are both nocturnal and diurnal and prefer grasslands, savanna and open woodlands. They are
territorial. The male will mark the territory with urine and protect it with roaring. These roars can be
heard for up to 8 kilometres. Lions can live up to 14 years in the wild. The male lion has a mane to
protect his neck while fighting. A healthy lion has a dark full mane and will be chosen by the females
for mating above other male lions. These healthy males will have a better reproductive life with a
higher survival rate for their offspring. The length of their mane shows their fighting success.
Castrated lions will have little or even no mane. Lions can sleep between 16 and 20 hours a day.

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