The Lion (Panthera leo)Fact Sheet
Classification of the lion (Harrington and Meyers, 2004).
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Subphylum - Vertebrata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Carnivora
Suborder - Feliformia
Family - Felidae
Subfamily- Pantherinae
Genus - Panthera
Species - Panthera leo
Common name: Lion
Scientific name: Panthera leo
Description:
The lion is the second largest species of Felidae (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005). Adult lions weigh between 126 to 272 kg, are between 2.40 and 3.30 m in length and between and on average between 1.1 and 1.2 m in height (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers 2004). In size and in general the African and Asian subspecies are very similar, the Asian subspecies is smaller in size with adults weighing on average between 110 to 190 kg, they have a longitudinal fold of skin running along the length of the belly, and their manes are shorter but have thicker tufts of hair on the tip of their tails and on their elbows (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004).
Reproduction:
Lions are polygynous and have no fixed breeding season; they breed year round but peaks during rainy season (Estes, 1993; Harrington and Myers, 2004; Nowak, 2005; Skinner and Chimimba, 2005). Male lions reach sexual maturity around the age of 5 years old and females reach sexual maturity around 4 years of age (Harrington and Myers, 2004, Schaller, 1972). Female lions are polyestrous, and come into estrus in response to within-pride mechanisms such as when other lionesses are in estrus or after the loss of cubs from male infanticide which can occur at pride takeovers (Estes, 1993; Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004). The gestation period is around 3.5months on average and females can have between 1 to 6 cubs per litter, and newborn cubs weigh between 1 to 2 kg (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004; Skinner and Chimimba, 2005). If the cubs survive to maturity, the interbirth period is 20 months on average and if they do not survive the interbirth period is between 4 and 6 months (Haas, Hayssen & Krausman, 2005; Harrington & Myers, 2004). In the wild, when cubs are born they are usually kept hidden until they are mobile at about 4 to 6 weeks old (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004; Schaller, 1972). Cub’s eyes are typically open by 11 days and begin walking within two weeks and eruption of milk teeth begins at 3 weeks of age, allowing young to take solid foods at around 8 weeks of age (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Schaller, 1972).
Habitat and ecology:
The lion has a broad habitat tolerance and can live in forest, mountain, scrub, grassland and deserts, with the exception of tropical forest and the interior of the Sahara desert (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004). The Asiatic lions live in scrubland and deciduous forest in the Gir forest in India (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Mitra, 2005) and the African lions live mostly in plains or savannas (Harrington and Myers, 2004). The home range size of the African lion can be from 20 to 400 km², and often is dependent on the prey density (Harrington and Myers, 2004; Schaller, 1972). In Africa each pride has a territory of between 26 to 226 km² on average but can be considerably larger (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005).
Group living distinguishes lions from the rest of the Panthera group, as they are the only truly social felids, which live in social units called prides (Estes, 1992; Meena, 2009; Wilson, 2000). Related females remain together in prides and related and unrelated males form coalitions to compete for prides (Estes, 1992; Bauer, Nowell and Packer, 2008). The average pride size consists of between 5 to 9 adult females, their dependent offspring and a coalition of between 2 to 6 males, but size of pride varies, for example pride sizes are smallest in arid areas (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Skimmer and Chimimba, 2005). Prides are fission-fusion societies, where pride members come and go and are rarely seen all together (Boinski and Garber, 2001; Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005). Lion social systems vary with respect to habitat, prey availability, competition and pressures imposed by humans (Meena, 2009; Schaller, 1972). But not all lions live in a social unit, a small amount of lions are nomadic (Schaller, 1972). Nomadic lions are usually young or adult males without a pride, and are often observed following migration of prey (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Schaller, 1972).
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Subphylum - Vertebrata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Carnivora
Suborder - Feliformia
Family - Felidae
Subfamily- Pantherinae
Genus - Panthera
Species - Panthera leo
Common name: Lion
Scientific name: Panthera leo
Description:
The lion is the second largest species of Felidae (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005). Adult lions weigh between 126 to 272 kg, are between 2.40 and 3.30 m in length and between and on average between 1.1 and 1.2 m in height (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers 2004). In size and in general the African and Asian subspecies are very similar, the Asian subspecies is smaller in size with adults weighing on average between 110 to 190 kg, they have a longitudinal fold of skin running along the length of the belly, and their manes are shorter but have thicker tufts of hair on the tip of their tails and on their elbows (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004).
Reproduction:
Lions are polygynous and have no fixed breeding season; they breed year round but peaks during rainy season (Estes, 1993; Harrington and Myers, 2004; Nowak, 2005; Skinner and Chimimba, 2005). Male lions reach sexual maturity around the age of 5 years old and females reach sexual maturity around 4 years of age (Harrington and Myers, 2004, Schaller, 1972). Female lions are polyestrous, and come into estrus in response to within-pride mechanisms such as when other lionesses are in estrus or after the loss of cubs from male infanticide which can occur at pride takeovers (Estes, 1993; Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004). The gestation period is around 3.5months on average and females can have between 1 to 6 cubs per litter, and newborn cubs weigh between 1 to 2 kg (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004; Skinner and Chimimba, 2005). If the cubs survive to maturity, the interbirth period is 20 months on average and if they do not survive the interbirth period is between 4 and 6 months (Haas, Hayssen & Krausman, 2005; Harrington & Myers, 2004). In the wild, when cubs are born they are usually kept hidden until they are mobile at about 4 to 6 weeks old (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004; Schaller, 1972). Cub’s eyes are typically open by 11 days and begin walking within two weeks and eruption of milk teeth begins at 3 weeks of age, allowing young to take solid foods at around 8 weeks of age (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Schaller, 1972).
Habitat and ecology:
The lion has a broad habitat tolerance and can live in forest, mountain, scrub, grassland and deserts, with the exception of tropical forest and the interior of the Sahara desert (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Harrington and Myers, 2004). The Asiatic lions live in scrubland and deciduous forest in the Gir forest in India (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Mitra, 2005) and the African lions live mostly in plains or savannas (Harrington and Myers, 2004). The home range size of the African lion can be from 20 to 400 km², and often is dependent on the prey density (Harrington and Myers, 2004; Schaller, 1972). In Africa each pride has a territory of between 26 to 226 km² on average but can be considerably larger (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005).
Group living distinguishes lions from the rest of the Panthera group, as they are the only truly social felids, which live in social units called prides (Estes, 1992; Meena, 2009; Wilson, 2000). Related females remain together in prides and related and unrelated males form coalitions to compete for prides (Estes, 1992; Bauer, Nowell and Packer, 2008). The average pride size consists of between 5 to 9 adult females, their dependent offspring and a coalition of between 2 to 6 males, but size of pride varies, for example pride sizes are smallest in arid areas (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Skimmer and Chimimba, 2005). Prides are fission-fusion societies, where pride members come and go and are rarely seen all together (Boinski and Garber, 2001; Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005). Lion social systems vary with respect to habitat, prey availability, competition and pressures imposed by humans (Meena, 2009; Schaller, 1972). But not all lions live in a social unit, a small amount of lions are nomadic (Schaller, 1972). Nomadic lions are usually young or adult males without a pride, and are often observed following migration of prey (Haas, Hayssen and Krausman, 2005; Schaller, 1972).