The lion's name is known to everyone, it is one of the most ferocious animals in nature today, and everyone who hears this name will think of its sharp teeth and terrible exterior. But do you really know lions? You may just think you know about this animal...
Highly socialized animals
There is also the title of king of the hundred beasts, but tigers are solitary animals, while lions are highly social animals. In general, a lion herd has about 17 lions and only 1-2 male lions. These male lions patrol and defend their territory, marking their territory in a way we know as peeing. You may envy male lions for sitting on "three wives and four concubines", but they do not rule a lion group for a long time, and are often replaced by wandering male lions, and eventually withdraw.
Female lion hunting
Don't look at the male lions, but they rarely hunt. In a lion tribe, the female lion is responsible for 80%-90% of the hunting of the entire colony, while the male lion is responsible for guarding the territory and the cubs. And, even more bizarrely, when the female lion returns with her prey, she first lets the male lion eat. When the male lion is full, it is the female lion's turn to eat, and the last part is the turn of the young lion.
Lions are easily extinct
Despite being the king of nature, lions are still somewhat vulnerable to humans. In fact, lions used to have a very wide range. About 2,000 years ago, a large number of lions could be seen in Europe, but they were hunted and killed by the Greeks and Romans to extinction. Today, there are probably fewer than 30,000 lions in the world. Moreover, some countries do not have laws prohibiting the hunting of lions.
The African lion is listed as a vulnerable animal on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, while the Asiatic lion (found only in India) is listed as endangered.
Lions don't run fast
Despite being one of the strongest predators on the African land, lions are not very fast. Their average running speed is less than 50 km /h, and although they can occasionally reach a speed of 80 km/h, they will not last long before they will drop. As a result, they either crouch at the water's edge and wait for their prey to drink water, or lie in ambush behind bushes or other objects and wait until they are close enough to their prey before attacking.
Best at sleeping
In general, lions do not begin to move until after dusk. After the hunt is over, they also only need to eat for an hour. In addition, their main life content is - sleep. You may not believe it, but a lion can sleep an average of 16-20 hours a day, and sometimes even 24 hours.
Excellent night vision
Since it is dusk, it is natural to hunt in the dark. Therefore, night vision is crucial for lions. They are 6 times more sensitive to light than humans, which gives them vision in the dark that most animals can't match. Even so, the success rate of lions hunting in the dark is only about half, so many times they have to rely on scavenger to feed themselves.
Communication is basically based on roaring
Toughness is the consistent style of lions, and even ordinary communication depends on roaring. They also don't seem to care about any privacy, and once they roar, the sound can be heard for miles. However, a cub generally does not roar until the age of 2.
When a lion group welcomes a new lion, if they welcome a new member, they rub it on the head. They will growl at each other, but they will never quarrel. In short, it is impossible to make them whisper like cats.
Raising lions lasts twice as long as wild lions
In fact, although born to gallop on the prairie, lions in the wild are more likely to die than lions who are raised. According to statistics, the average lifespan of wild female lions is about 15 years, and that of male lions is about 10 years; while lions raised by humans can usually live to 30 years old.
The first reason why wild lions have a short lifespan is that they are more likely to be hunted by poachers. In addition to this, they encounter more dangers in nature, and even suffer more damage in fighting with each other, resulting in the loss of life.
Female lions give birth to a maximum of 6 litters at a time
When a lion reaches the age of 2, it is theoretically fertile. However, this generally depends on the establishment of the lion herd. The gestation period of lions is about 4 months, and on average 2 lion cubs can be born at a time, and at most 6 at a time.
Newborn lion cubs have little vision and must be carefully cared for. According to statistics, only half of the newborn lion cubs can live to 1 year old, and less than 20% live to 2 years old. There are generally two causes of early death in lion cubs, either because of attacks by other animals or death from starvation.
Lions are not picky eaters
Although he is the king of the hundred beasts, the lion is not so proud. Sometimes, they are happy to eat animal carcasses.
In addition, their food sources are very extensive, from zebras to giraffes, buffalo, wildebeest, to antelopes, warthogs, all on the menu of lions. Moreover, lions do not dislike any part of the body of these animals, including intestines and eyes.
Do not drink water for many days in a row
During drought or migration, lions often face water shortages. Over the course of time, they have evolved to be able to go 5 days without drinking water, sometimes even longer. In addition, if they live in a very water-scarce area, lions will also try to obtain other water sources, such as the stomach of their prey. In ordinary life, as long as they encounter water sources, they will drink more or less, in case of emergency.
The mane can imply a lot of information
Biologists tell us that from the mane of a male lion, it is possible to roughly calculate its age. Not only that, but the mane can also convey more information. Male lions have mostly brown or yellow manes, and occasionally black. The shallower the mane, the more vulnerable it is to attack, and the deeper it is, the more likely it is to attract the attention of female lions. At the same time, the mane can also reflect the combat effectiveness of a male lion, and the mane of a severely damaged lion will fall off.
Attitudes towards young lions are very different
Each lion group will have many female lions, and they will often give birth at very close times, resulting in many young lions in the group at the same time. The attitude of lions towards young lions is very intriguing, some female lions will take care of all the cubs in the lion group, but some female lions do not care at all, and even sometimes abandon them, but when the young lions come to eat they will not refuse.
It's hairy that when a new male takes over the lion herd, it kills the other cubs because it's not his child, and the female can't resist.
Don't run after being chased by a lion
Although the saying "don't run when you encounter a bear" is no longer valid, scientists still give advice: if you are chased by a lion, don't move! This is because lions attack humans only when they feel threatened. If you stand still, the lion will not take the initiative to attack. Of course, if the lion is too hungry, it's hard to say.