About Lions
What would you say the fiercest animal is? Maybe you said the Grizzly bear. You might have said the polar bear? Did you say the tiger? Or the king of the jungle, a lion. Lions are big animals that weigh in at 550 pounds. There scientific name is Panthera Leo. You see lions in the zoo all the time, right? Then who would guess that these animals are vulnerable? 10,000 years ago lions were the most widespread large land mammal next to humans. Over the last 20 years lion's numbers have decreased by 30-50% in its African home. These animals living up to 14 years in the wild, sleeping through day and hunting at night, have found their habitats destroyed outside of reserves and parks.
Growing Up As A Lion
The lion is the king of the jungle - a huge creature with sharp teeth and a mane. But would it surprise you to hear that it's not the one who hunts? This lion lets the females hunt while he watches the young cubs. But it's not always the male watching cubs. Before the cubs are born, the female moves into a den away from the pride. She stays there till the cubs are 6-8 weeks old. But when cubs are born they are blind and helpless. They weigh from 2.4 to 4.6 pounds and start to walk at 3 weeks. But the world is not always safe for cubs. There are predators such as jackals, hyenas, leopards, martial eagles, and snakes. Sometimes buffalo, if they smell lion cub will stampede the den, doing their best to kill the young lions. This is why females move dens several times a month. Even if the cubs get back to the pride alive they face being dominated at mealtimes by bigger cubs and dying of starvation. Also, if a new male comes, he kills all cubs under the age of 2. A mother will defend her cubs, but one lioness cannot overpower a full grown male. But all is not lost for cubs yet. If a group of mothers team up, they may have success.
