Lions are one of the largest cats in the world. Known as the king of the jungle with a very powerful head and jaws, the lion is a ferocious carnivore. Their cone-shaped teeth allow them to cut and bite large pieces of meat from other animals and even from their own species, when they fight.
Currently, it is the star of many cartoons, which is why it is a symbol for adults and children, since all time. However, even if they seem friendly felines on TV, we dress up as lions and we love their furry appearance as a big cat, we must know that they are quite dangerous for humans.
Within the classification as a living being, these large predators are in one of the highest places in the food chain. They have five large pads on each leg, to walk on the plains and move over large territories.
In each of these pads they have their nails, which function as claws to catch their prey and hold them tightly. These claws are extremely sharp at their tips, which allow them to dig in and tear the skin of animals.
When they are hungry, they are extremely strong and violent animals, even many male lions kill small lion cubs. For this reason, generally the females that have young always walk together, preventing any attack by the males.
When they become adults, they have a maximum weight of 250 to 300 kilos and are almost always light yellow. Males have a dark brown mane around their heads, and a long tail which is tipped with a bit of black or dark brown hair.
Lions have a somewhat short life expectancy, since they too have predators. However, they can last from 15 to 25 years of life.
The lion has the ability to roar so loud that it can be heard ten kilometers away; in addition, they can run up to 60 kilometers per hour. Also, lions have a very effective night vision to hunt in the dark of the night, and a hearing so sensitive that it detects noises a kilometer away.
On the other hand, in ancient times, during the Roman Empire, lions were kept in captivity, in large numbers of males and females, starving. This in order to make shows and put them together with the humans, to witness how the lions ate the human beings.
Today, we have many captive lions in large cages, special breeding sites, and large zoos. But it is very expensive, since they need to eat 10 to 15 kilos of food daily and have specialized care with veterinarians and assistants.
There is a species that is in extinction and that is being treated in captivity to reproduce them in greater quantities before being released into the jungle. This is the case of the great white lion, which is equal to the lion and the lioness in size and weight, but its fur is completely white. These beautiful white lions have this special feature thanks to a small difference in their genes; that is why there are very few in the world of this peculiar color.
On the other hand, the little lions with three months of birth are observing the behavior of their mothers who teach them to hunt. But it is not until they are 12 months old that they begin to hunt some small prey, to satisfy their voracious hunger and develop their hunting instincts.
In many parts of the world, lions are hunted for their fur to make bags and coats. Also, many lions have lost their lives at the hands of humans, as they get into farms and eat cows, leaving people without food. For this reason, many farmers with firearms have taken their lives.
Ancient animal
These animals have been highly respected by some ancient tribes, since many lions have been drawn in stone in many caves in Spain. We can name the case of the famous tribe of Judah in the East, where they took the lion as a symbol calling it the lion of the tribe of Judah.
Likewise, many ancestral indigenous tribes venerate it as a sacred image of the representation of their strength and dominion over nature. In such a way that lions are amazing wild animals that cannot be tamed, since at any moment their predatory instinct is awakened.
It is true that they can eat any human being that is nearby, but for them it would be like eating any other animal that is providing meat. They generally do not attack humans if they are not disturbed.
Instructions
Next, we explain what lions eat:
- Lions in nature are carnivorous animals and can eat up to 20 kilos of meat in a day.
- They use stalking as one of their techniques to approach their prey, very stealthily and very slowly.
- Lions are always found in prides of up to 40 lions, including males, females and cubs.
- Its main strategy is to gradually surround its prey until all fronts are covered before attacking.
- Generally, they are very aware of the cubs of other species, since they are easier prey to hunt.
- One of the animals that most hunts are the wildebeest, which is the combination between the buffalo and the horse, but they also eat small animals, such as rodents, birds, reptiles, anteaters, porcupines, primates and files.
- Lions have even been observed in the wild having confrontations and trying to hunt medium-sized crocodiles.
- They focus on large prey to have more meat at the time of eating and serve their food for the herd.
- The lionesses are the ones who are almost always in charge of hunting and designing group strategies to be effective in their task.
- After they grab their prey by the neck, they try to kill it by suffocating it by putting great pressure on the prey’s trachea.
- On the other hand, the other lionesses begin to bite and tear meat from the soft parts of their bellies and the rear parts of the prey, until the victim dies of suffocation and bleeding. Subsequently, the females eat first, then the males and finally the young.
- Lions are often injured when trying to hunt larger animals such as giraffes, hippos, rhinos, buffalo, elephants; because these large animals are very ferocious and have how to defend themselves from attacks, also doing it in a group as if they were large armies.
- For example, giraffes and zebras defend themselves by throwing powerful kicks that can kill a lion in a single blow, if they grab it by its heads.
- Buffalo and rhinos have powerful horns, capable of piercing and knocking the lion into the air with a single blow.
- On a few occasions, lions have been observed eating fresh grass, but it is not because they like it, but when they have an upset stomach. This fiber helps your digestive system to activate and get rid of any bacteria that is causing you discomfort.
- The cubs join the pack to go hunting after they are a year and a half old, observing the hunting methods and technique, little by little they learn.
- When there are many shortages of meat, the lions eat the cubs and even the older cubs, fighting against themselves.
- In summer, only the most resistant and strongest of their species remain, who earn an important position within the herd?
- After eating so much meat per day, lions need to drink large amounts of water in order to process so much protein. That is why we sometimes see lion’s drinking water and they last up to 25minutes drinking water from a pond or river in their area.
- Let us remember that at the time of hunting their prey, they spend a large amount of energy and dehydrate very quickly due to the temperature.
- Generally, the females are the ones that hunt the most and chase the prey for the longest time. Male lions, being heavier and having such a large mane that covers their entire head, get tired faster and need more water.
- Lions like fresh, newly wedded meat; it is very rare to see a lion eating carrion, this would only be in very extreme cases of scarcity.
- On the contrary, almost always after everyone eats there is always a small portion of meat and bones left for birds of prey and other animals to eat.
- Sometimes the cubs hunt the birds of prey that descend to eat the lions’ scraps.
- Even if there are many shortages, lions have been seen trying to kill large snakes to satisfy their hunger, at great risk of being bitten.
What do you need:
The lion only needs its teeth, its claws and its appetite to devour meat from different animals such as:
- Buffalo or cows.
- Reptiles.
- Primates.
- Wildebeest.
- Giraffes.
- Hippos
- Rhinos.
- Snakes
- Pigs and boars.
- Birds.
Tips
Here are some tips regarding captive lions:
- Do not try to have a lion as a pet in your house, because when they are cubs they are very tender, but as they grow they unleash their natural instincts.
- Lions are kept in captivity in special places with very secure cages, such as zoos and special breeding sites.
- Remember that they need a large amount of meat to maintain them and specialized veterinary care for this wild species.
- Do not forget that they are animals to be free in nature. If a lion ever escapes and you are close, do not run away, because this will attract his attention; try to get to a safe place by walking slowly.
