Scientific name:
Panthera leo

Natural spread:
Africa, India

also with the lion probably becomes unnecessary one for itself like with the tiger until into the last detail of going description of its appearance, since everyone probably saw a lion, at least on a picture, already once. The most outstanding characteristic of the males is the splendid head-mane, that continues differently strongly to individual in a stomach-mane. With a length of up to 1,90 m, the lion is the second-biggest cat, who varies as well like the tiger in the size from subtype to subtype also like between males and females, however.

Habitat As day and twilight-animals, who rarely are not night-active however either, lions live in the open steppes, light dry-forests and stony semi-deserts as far as to a height of 3500 m, in fact in Africa south from the Sahara and with little, very much threatened copies in front-India. Always, the lion avoids dense forests.

Way of life In contrast to most cats, the lion lives sociably in large associations, to which 2-3 adult males and 10-15 females and their young belong. The females remain long normally in the group its life while the males of every 3-4 years are expelled by younger rivals. Exactly adult males are expelled from the herd by the old "tomcats" and join together to "bachelor-herds", until they themselves assume control in an assorted group. Aging, kicked the ball out lions live as a loner.

Besides with the eating, peaceful harmony usually prevails in a herd without a particular ranking being obvious. The males leave the food-procurement for the group largely to the females, who don't report the males feed in turn consciously, but remove the loot those from the more powerful males. With the eating, the next is in the herd of everyone for itself. Suffer and however, injured animals are supported as well how also leading mothers rear its boys together, yes even the not own boy the suction allows!

Reproduction During the combination-time, that doesn't go down into any solid season, but itself the pairs of the group from and courts itself on almost "human" type. While the animals mate many times for itself the approximately one week of lasting heat of the female on the day. This happens on essentially quieter way as this is the case with the tiger, and only with indicated neck-bite as well as normally without concluding paw-hit of the female.

To the birth, the lioness retreats from the herd and brings to the world, that -1500 g weigh in the birth 1100, 1-7 kids after a Tragzeit of 100 -116 days. The Säugezeit amounts to 6 -7 months, however the boys take already from the 35. Meet at the first solid food to itself. its eyes open with 1-12 days and leave the throw-camp for the first time with 30 days. If the boys are 6-8 weeks old, the female comes again together with the herd where also other females ("aunts") now provide the babies.

Nutrition Lions are pure ground-inhabitants, that climb trees only extremely unwillingly and swim only very reluctantly, if also individual individuals can this very well. However, males with strong manes drown very easily. The loot is usually hunted after type of the tiger, with what escaping loot is pursued only over short distance, in singles-hunt. Occasionally the animals also hunt in troops by attacking a loot-animal-herd of different sides.

The killing of the loot comes after type of the tiger or through bite through neck or Kehlbiß into the nose to what death leads through suffocation for the victim. As loot, big game, zebras, primarily comes gnus and other antelopes, game and warthogs and various small animal in question. In India, the lion beats also stags and in some areas also pets. Very old or weak animals become rare to cannibals.

Endangering In Africa's big protectorates, the continuances of the lion are still regarded as secured, however outside the protectorates the numbers decline everywhere. A subtype of the lion, the North-African Berber-lion (Panthera Leo Leo), already was wiped out. The last copy was shot in Morocco in 1920. Another subtype, the Persian lion (Panthera Leo persica) is subject to the protection through the Washingtoner Artenschutzübereinkommen. today