Lions are the largest mammalian predators in Africa, living on the open grasslands and plains.
Lions are the largest mammalian predators in Africa, living on the open grasslands and plains. They hunt large, ungulate prey such as Wildebeest, Zebra and Buffalo. Male lions are bigger than the females, reaching up to in length, at the shoulder and 240kg and are distinguishable by their full mane of hair around the head and neck. The females can reach in length, tall and weigh 182kg. Lions are the most social of the big cats living in family groups, known as prides, with 4 - 12 closely related adult females, their offspring and 1 - 6 adult males. They hunt co-operatively, encircling the prey then stalking it to within 30m and all rushing at once to cut off any escape route. The lionesses do the majority of the hunting, the male's role is to defend the territory and the pride from other males, hence their larger size. The adult females often have litters at the same time. All the mothers will then suckle any of the cubs, allowing the others to go hunting. The cubs have darker spots on their coats so they are better camouflaged. The faint markings of these may be seen on some adults. Lions spend the majority of their day sleeping in the shade and a large proportion of their hunting takes place at night. Due to the increasing human population, more lions are being considered problem animals and are being shot. Also as all lions are scavengers they are vulnerable to poisoned carcasses. This had led to the lion becoming rare outside protected areas, such as game reserves and national parks.
Size: 3024px × 3077px
Location: COlchester, Essex, England
Photo credit: © Mark Redsell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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