Lioness Resting at the Masai Mara National Park in Kenya, Africa
The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia (where an endangered remnant population resides in Gir Forest National Park in India) while other types of lions have disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline of 30–50% over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West African lion population is particularly live for 10–14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than 20 years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than 10 years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they scavenge as opportunity allows. While lions do not typically hunt humans, some have been known to do so. Sleeping mainly during the day, lions are primarily nocturnal, although bordering on crepuscular in distinctive, the male lion is easily recognized by its mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human culture
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: The Masai Mara National Park, Kenya, Africa
Photo credit: © Perla Copernik / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, african, animal, animals, apex, carnivora, carnivorous, cat, cats, copernik, endangered, fauna, felidae, feline, felines, grasslands, horizontal, hunter, kenya, kenyan, leo, lion, lioness, lions, maasai, mammal, mara, marsh, masai, national, panthera, park, perla, predator, pride, republic, savana, savanah, species, wildlife
