Lion symbolizes strength, courage, Dominance, royalty, and ferocity. Despite of known as the “king of the jungle”, lion lives in grasslands, plains & savannahs. They are the habitat of grasslands, shrublands, and open woodlands. Famous for its black & yellow manes, a lion can leap 36 feet. Lion loves to take a long nap of 20 hours. Serengeti National park is famous for the highest population of African lions. Most of the people love to hear the “roar” of a lion. The roar of a lion can be heard 5 miles away. Here, are 10 more amazing and fascinating facts you should know about the lions.
10. African lions are most social among all the big cats
Among all of the carnivores, lions are most social. Lions live in groups of 15 to 25 members named as “pride” with a majority of the lioness and few cubs. There is 1 to 4 lion in pride to protect the territory of the pride. As a social predator, the lions give the highest priority to the territory and pride. In pride, most lions have a blood relation with each other. it is also a fact that Male lions don’t continue with the group after reaching the age of adolescence. These lions generally form a coalition with their cousin brothers and other solitary lions to survive. They also attack & take over the dominating males of other pride to form their own.
9. It is the lioness who does the majority of the hunting
Most of the hunting is actually done by lioness as they have to feed the members and cubs of the pride. Amazing fact is they are the better hunter than lions. Due to the lightweight and flexible body, their speed is 30% more than the speed of the lion. Having a slimmer body helps them to stay hidden for a long time in the grass which helps them to hunt more.
8. Most of the wild lions are found in the southern and eastern parts of Africa
Lions actually live in grasslands, shrubs and open woodlands, which are majorly found in southern and eastern parts of Africa. That’s why South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Namibia, Malawi, Uganda, Somalia, Zambia, Botswana have most lions. Grasslands, plains and woodlands are their main habitats.
7. Lions can reach up to a speed of 50 mph
When it comes to speed, the lion can run 81 kilometers per hour but in a limited time. Lion weights vary between 190kg to 250kg. Despite having a heavyweight and large body structure, the lion can reach up to a speed of 50 mph for a short burst.
6. They spend 20 hours a day sleeping.
One of the most amazing facts about the lions is they sleep a lot. The scientific reason behind it is they have very few sweat glands, which means they sleep to conserve more energy. Another reason is especially the male lion cannot tolerate heat particularly in savannah areas. You can see them snoozing under the tree while the herd of herbivores passing nearby them.
5. The lion population in Africa has been reduced by half since the early 1950s
The lion population in Africa has been reduced by half since the early 1950s because of pesticides, poisons, poaching and trophy hunting. For agriculture, the people use poison to protect the domestic animals that result in the death of a lion, a reduction of 90% of the lion population. Furadan, a poison made by the American company as a crop pesticide, is used, to harm the lions. Whenever, there is an increase in the population of humans and their livestock near the natural habitats, the population of lion and other predators decreases. Bovine tuberculosis and severe drought also have a severe impact on the lion population in Africa. In early 1950 and before, there is a remarkable decrease in lion population because of trophy hunts and animal sports. Exporting of the lion or its skin to the USA shows high revenues in black markets of Africa. China and the USA have been the major importer of lion skin and body parts for medicinal and luxury purposes.
4. White lions are not albinos
It is a myth that the white lions have albinos which is a congenital disorder. White lions have rare genes that produce lighter pigmentation otherwise known as less-severe mutation. In albinos, the color of the skin around the eyes and face turn out red or pink.
3. Although known as “King of Jungle”, lions actually live in grasslands & plains
Lion actually lives in grasslands, scrubs, woodlands, semi-arid plains or near the river and their tributaries because their favorites prey as buffalo, zebra, wildebeest and antelopes and warthog live in the same areas. Amazing facts about the lions are that they give importance to food more than water. In tropical forests, it’s very difficult for them to hunt in a muddy and wet area. As the forest doesn’t have an open space and plain grassland to hide, the lion cannot hunt.
2. The lion is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List
In IUCN Red List 2004, the lion is listed as an endangered species due to the reduction of the lion population by half over the last two-decade with a number of less than 23000.
1. Tanzania has the most number of lions in the world
Among the African destinations, Tanzania has a lion population which is more than the half of the total population of the world. Serengeti National park in Tanzania is famous for lions. You can watch how lions hunt their prey live.
We hope the information given by us will help to improve your knowledge of the unseen facts about the lions.
