Lions do most of their hunting at night as their eyes have adapted to the dark and this gives them a huge advantage over their prey.
Interestingly though, lions also hunt during storms. The noise, rain and/or wind make it harder for prey to see and hear them, increasing their chances of a successful hunt.
When hunting, lionesses have specific roles. Some play the role of 'centre' and others the role of 'wing' - the wings chase the prey towards the centres.The main threats are retaliatory or pre-emptive killing of lions to protect people and livestock; and decreasing natural prey populations and habitat (for example, due to expanding human settlements, agriculture and poaching of antelope for wild meat consumption).
When their natural prey is scarce, lions can cause grave losses to livestock, which can massively reduce the income of local people.
Climate change is another increasing threat – extreme weather may cause more droughts or delay the rains, affecting lions’ prey.
They’re also killed for the illegal wildlife trade. In recent years, the demand for lion bone as a substitute for tiger bone in traditional Asian medicine has risen. A subspecies of lions descended from the African lion called the Asiatic lion (Panthera Leo persica). The Asiatic lion population is about 650 individuals large and exists only in Western India's Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. Asiatic lions are smaller compared to African lions. Male lions look different compared to females because of their manes. The females are also slightly smaller than adult males. Males stand at 1.2 meters with a 3.3-meter body length. Females are 1.1 meters tall and have a body length of about 2.4 meters. Male lions weigh about 189kg, while female lions weigh around 126kg.
The muzzle of a lion, like every human fingerprint, is unique. In nature, there are no two identical lions with very muzzles. At the same time, the claws of a lion grow up to 7 cm, and the teeth of an adult - 30.
If the animal is complete, then the living creatures that he hunts, which serve as his prey, can quite easily walk next to him - at this moment, they have nothing to fear for their lives since such animals will not attack just like that, for the sake of entertainment.
Many mistakenly believe that people are attacked only by an old or wounded animal that cannot entirely hunt antelopes or gazelles. But as statistics show, more young individuals in excellent physical shape become cannibals.Lions are the only social species among the big cats. They live in groups called a ‘pride’ consisting of several females and their cubs and a dominant male among other males. Lions are pack hunters and use clever strategies to corner and trap their prey. The females of the pride are the primary hunters, while the males assist only when required. The males are fiercely territorial and send out loud roars that can be heard up to 8 km away to ward off other males and predators. The males are significantly larger and more powerful than the females. The average male stands at 4 ft at the shoulder and weighs over 250 kg. The lionesses care for their cubs until they are able to fend for themselves.
While they were plentiful in number a few decades ago, lions have been victims of habitat destruction and poaching. Lions can live up to 16 to 20 years in the wild, while in captivity they only live to about 10 years. People most commonly see lions in zoos, circuses and wildlife safaris. Lion reserves in Africa, where some are bred for conservation, have shown promise in bringing back the declining lion population. We must learn about the effects of deforestation and poaching and work to prevent the killing of these beautiful animals.
