The Lion Pride

Lions are light brown in coloring that sometimes looks like gold in the bright sunshine. The males have a big, bushy mane that distinguishes them from the females. The lion has a long tail, which ends in a black tuft. The lion's fur is short but silky. The male is larger than the female and has a mass of about 200kg. The shoulder height for the male is 125cm and all lions are said to have a life span of about 20 years. A lion's walking speed is approximately 4km/h and their charging speed can reach a limit of 60km/h. Lions are usually found in groups called prides. There can be 30 or more lions in a pride and they usually all hunt together as they have more success that way.

Hunting!
Lion's have a very unique way of hunting. More often than not it is the lioness that actually kills the prey. The lions surround their prey and then the male lion will let out a terrifying roar, which freezes the prey into immobility. In those few seconds that the buck-or whatever they are chasing-is frozen in fear, two or three of the lionesses will charge it and pounce. They use their large front paws to grab their prey and while they hold it down they use their razor sharp teeth to bite into the neck and strangle it. Sometimes the lionesses don't have much trouble because in some cases, the impact of their paws when they land on the buck will break its neck and so it won't give up much of a struggle. Lions have to be careful when taking down their prey because sometimes the buck will kick violently, and if it's hoofs make contact with any part of the lion's body the lion may walk away from the kill with a couple of broken bones, depending on where the hoofs hit him

. Often times a lion will steal a kill from a cheetah because the cheetah is too tired to fight for it. Lions have pale lines just under their eyes. These marks help the lion to see better at night by reflecting more light into his eyes.
Lions are very good at conserving their energy and will sleep quite often. Indeed, a lion sleeps as much as 18 hours a day. When the sun sets on the horizon, then the lions become very active. They hunt right through the night but they stop for many rests. When the sun rises in the east the lions will find a nice shady tree and settle down to sleep the day away, with full tummies and a contented sigh.

Breeding!
Mating amongst the lions takes place the whole year round, but it peaks in autumn or early winter. A litter consists of a maximum of 6 cubs. When a lioness is ready to give birth, she leaves the pride and gives birth to her cubs in a dense patch of bush. If the other cubs in the pride are the same age as hers she will take them back to the pride when they are a few weeks old. If the other cubs in the pride are older than her cubs then she will look after them on her own because there would be too much competition from the older cubs. Lion cubs are quite safe because they usually have the protection of the other lions in the pride.

Communication!
Lions communicate by using sounds. This way we can often tell if the lion is angry, hurt, or just keeping contact with the rest of the pride as they move through the bushes. An angry lion will growl and snarl or hiss. When a pride of lions move through the bush while hunting, they often keep contact by means of soft, low grunts. A lioness will flick her tail rapidly from side to side if she is angry and is about to charge. When a lion hunts, they move close to the ground with their bellies almost on the ground. They move forward slowly and quietly. This immediately tells others what the lion is doing.

Arial's Underwater Kingdom Simba's Feline Friends Roly Poly's Gourmet Dishes Links Index