For the life of me, I don’t know why it took me this long to get to the lion. It could be because I always preferred tigers, but I also kind of gravitated towards animals that people might not already know much about. Still, I guess it’s time to look at the ‘King of the Jungle’ who lives in a grassland environment. Who’s really going to try to correct them anyway?
Diving right into their status, lions are considered vulnerable. They live predominantly in Africa and are extinct in multiple countries there. It is estimated that there are around 20,000 lions left in the wild. Human activity is the major culprit since lions are an apex predator with only alligators, desperate pythons, and other lions to worry about. Poaching and habitat destruction are the big ones. Are we surprised? With humans and lions living so close to each other, there are many violent encounters as well. There are about 100 fatal lion attacks per year, which is about the same as fatal elephant attacks. By the way, the animal that kills the most amount of people per year is the mosquito at around 725,000.
Do I really have to describe a lion? It’s a large cat that lives in a group known as a pride. The males have large manes, which are big things of fur around their necks. Females don’t have this trait. I’ll just jump the list:
- The African Lion lives in Africa (duh), but there is another subspecies called the Asiatic Lion. They are a very small population living in western India, which is actually the only ones that live in an actual jungle.
- Manes are used to attract females as well as protect the neck and head from injury during a fight.
- Females raise the cubs and they do so as a group. A cub can suckle from any female if it is hungry.
- Lionesses do the hunting with some driving the prey towards those that are waiting.
- Due to their keen night vision, they hunt mostly at night. They will also take advantage of storms where they rain and wind help hide their presence from prey.
- A lion’s roar can be heard from 5 miles away. They are also the only cat that roars as a group.
- Lions can live in deserts because their bodies are able to get water from plants and prey.
- Their tongues are like rasps, which help them scrape meat off the bones.
- Male lions do some hunting, but their primary role is to patrol their territory and maintain scent markings. They are always on guard for threats, especially other males that will want to take over the pride.
- While not as prevalent as one would think, a male lion will kill the cubs after taking over a pride. Some say this is to remove the bloodline of their defeated rival and cement their claim. Others point out that doing so causes the females to return to fertility and interest in mating faster.
- Lions can sleep from 16-20 hours a day.
- They are not above scavenging and stealing kills from other animals such as hyenas and leopards.
On to the pictures . . . Okay, I shouldn’t have typed ‘Lion Hunting’. I regret that Google Image Search:
Legends of Windemere 
Amazing creatures even if everyone is familiar with them. Probably draws more likes than banana slugs or abalone.
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Wouldn’t doubt that.
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We got to see lions when we were in Kenya. At one point we stopped because a female was lying on the ground resting. A male appeared and circled her. Our guide said the male will circle five times or so to indicate he wants you-know-what. The female raised her head, gave a grunt, and went back to sleep. Guess that showed him. He wandered off.
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A true gentleman of the jungle.
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Well, she’s just provided him with a kill so he’d eaten his full. I think she figured she’s done enough! Some wives might feel the same way!
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I guess there used to be Asiatic lions that did live in jungles, but it is something of a misnomer now. King of Beasts may still apply, I guess.
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That’s probably a better title.
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Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
In the jungle the mighty jungle la la la la la
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Thanks for sharing.
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My pleasure 👍😃
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Great coverage of this majestic animal, Charles. Thanks.
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You’re welcome.
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I’m with you on the lions v tigers debate. I prefer tigers.
Wonderful pictures and videos. Thanks for sharing.
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You’re welcome.
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Such an interesting post, Charles. I want to sleep like a lion! 🙂
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Thanks. I’d love to have their sleeping habits.
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Yes, it’s even better than “I slept like a baby.”
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Especially since babies don’t sleep that long.
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Nice info on Lions, Charles. I still prefer lions over tigers because of their social life. There is so much to learn about them.
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I always liked the mystery around tigers. They seemed more magical than lions for some reason.
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Would you mind unraveling the mystery for me your next post?, I would like to know more about what makes the tiges magicathem….
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I did a tiger post in February of last year. It was one of my earlier animal posts. They’ve been a major factor in various mythologies for centuries. For example, I believe the Chinese see them as embodiments of yang energy. The magical aspect probably comes from their solitary and stealthy nature. Not to mention how deadly they can be.
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‘tigers magical’
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