you may already know that lions are big
cats
weighing up to 500 pounds and growing up
to 10 feet long
lions are the second largest members of
the cat family after tigers
but here are some things you probably
didn’t know about them
lions have significant roars
a lion’s roar may be heard up to five
miles away and can be nearly as loud
as thunder
lions begin to vocalize as soon as they
are born but their vocalizations don’t
start to develop into roars until the
lions are about one year old
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roaring allows lions to claim their
territory by communicating their
presence to potential intruders it also
helps them communicate with fellow lions
within their pride
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lions are the only cats that regularly
live in social groups
called prides these groups are family
units that include as few as three and
as many as 40 lions
they typically have one dominant male
but may sometimes have two to three
leading males at a time
the rest of the pride’s adult members
are females and they are often related
to each other they give birth around the
same time which allows their cubs to
nurse from multiple females
lions are not the most successful
hunters
but they do consume a lot of meat
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lionesses who are the primary hunters of
a pride only succeed in making a kill
less than 30 percent of the time their
prey such as zebras and antelope are
usually faster and larger than the
lionesses
but by working together the females
increase their chances of exhausting
their prey and killing it
despite their unsuccessful attempts to
catch prey
lions may still consume about 20 pounds
of meat a day and some are capable of
devouring nearly 100 pounds a day
not all male lions have manes
the male lions of sabo kenya are
mysteriously mainless
speculation as to the explanation ranges
the lions may have higher testosterone
levels
or the lack of mane may be an adaptation
for keeping cool in the heat
when the lions do have manes the hair
usually serves to intimidate other males
or impress females
similar to a male peacock and his
feathers
one study in the serengeti showed that
females preferred full dark manes as
they may signal fitness and ability to
fight
lions were once scattered worldwide
around 124 000 years ago several
subspecies of lions existed throughout
the planet
this included the cave lions of europe
and the american lions of north america
unfortunately both became extinct by
about 8000 bc
the surviving subspecies the african
lions of sub-saharan africa and the
asiatic lines of india have declined due
to poaching habitat loss and disease
an estimated 20 000 african lions remain
in the wild and they are classified as
vulnerable
asiatic lions are listed as endangered
with a population of only about 500.
lions are some of the most formidable
creatures on the planet
their impressive size and appetite
strong social cohesion
and regal appearance make it clear why
they are considered the king of beasts
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so
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you
