The lion is the king of all animals. They live in wild places and also in the zoo. The lions are powerful, and they accept the challenges of forests and zoos. Lions eat the carnivorous. They prey on other wild animals and eat them. One interesting fact about lions is they always prey in the form of a group. Lion survives more in the zoo as compared to wild areas. In zoos, they attain proper food and care, while in untamed, man haunts them. That is why now lions are extinct from the land.
Lions belong to a group of animals, and their class is mammals. They belong to the family of Felidae-family group. A healthy male lion weighs about 160-220kg, while a lioness weighs about 110- 170kg. The color of the tail of the lion is dark as compared to other bodies. Currently, lions are mainly live in Africa and Asia. Nearly all the wild lions are live in Africa, below the Sahara Desert. Many populations of lions exist around Gir Forest National Park in west India. Now lions are found in Africa and India. Every year, over 250 people have killed by lions.
How often do lions eat?
Lions need a meal every three or four days. Lions need an average of 5kg and 7kg of meat per day. But lions can survive more than a week without food. When they do not get food for one week, then they do prey. They can eat 50kg of meat at a time after preying. 50kg is the quarter weight of an animal’s body weight.
Home of a lion- Den:
Den is the name of the place where the lion lives. Lions mostly live in groups. In one group, more than one lioness lives along with the lion and their cub. Fifteen members live in the Den. However, lions do not live in the Den for a long time. Lions are beautiful creatures, and they love to live in a social group. That social group of lions is called pride. The average pride consists of 15 individuals, including their young ones, more than two territorial males that are their brothers or pride mates.
African Lions:
Lions are one of the most recognizable animals in Africa. They occur enormously in the African wilderness. In Africa, lions are signifying as power, courage, and strength. Lions roam in open places of Africa, where there is no boundary between human livings and the national park. Mostly, lions are dispatch by human beings without any need. The fact of their killing is that they are becoming extinct in this era. Lions are now lying in African areas of western India. But in Africa, lions that are in the wilder area are not saving because people can kill them at any time. However, lions that are in zoo or captivity areas are 100 times save than wasteland. In the zoo, lions get proper food, medical care, and everything.
Do lions need to eat every day?
Lions do not need to eat every day. Adult female lions need to eat 11 pounds of meat in one day, while adult males need to eat 16 pounds of meat each day.
Lions do not need to drink every day, but they need to eat:
Lions can survive for four days without drinking. But if the water is available to them, then they do drink water every day. Lions need to eat every day, The lionesses need 11 pounds of meat, and males need 16 or more than 16 pounds of meat each day. They prey in the form of a group, and later they share the food among their pride. Lions prey on large animals, zebra, and buffalo; also prey on small animals, lizards, birds, mice, tortoises, etc.
Lionesses do most of the Haunting:
As mentioned, lions prey in the group. In one pride, lionesses are the great hunters. They are smaller and lighter than males, so they all do teamwork to bring down the animal, which they want to pray. In eating, they follow the hierarchy; male adults eat first, second lionesses, and finally their cubs. Protecting the pride and pride’s territory is the responsibility of the male lion. The pride’s territory can extend up to 100 square miles. Anywhere, in pride territory, lionesses do 90% of the haunting.
Lions are Social and are superb Haunters:
Lions are socially able among all the big cats. They live in a social group called pride. About 10-15 members live in one social group. They haunt the predators in the team. Sometimes, in one pride, 40 members live together and make one social group. In each pride, male adults, their females, and their offspring live together. After haunting any animal, they share the meal among all members of one pride. A lion’s vision is six times more sensitive than a human’s. This sensitivity gives them an advantage during hunting at night. Lions mostly amaze their predators, form semicircle with their lionesses in bushes, and roar upon their predator.
Lions do not live in the wilderness:
The lion is known as the king of wilderness, but they do not live in the bush. In Africa, mostly lions live in grasslands and on plains. Lions roam in the open areas of Savannas of Tanzania. Many people keep cubs as a pet animals with proper food and medical care. The average life of such lions may lead to 23 years old. But hardly a wilder lion can survive 10-12 years.
Lions are the second-largest cat on the Earth:
After the Siberian tiger, a lion is the 2nd largest- big cat. Lions can grow up to 10 feet in length and weigh up to 550 pounds. Lions are found in dark brown color, pale yellow color, and orange-brown color with a deep chest and heavy muscular body. Commonly, lionesses can grow to a length of 9 feet and weighs 390 pounds.
Summary:
Lions are pack-haunting carnivorous. They do teamwork to bring down the animal during prey. They commonly prey on herbivores. Three-quarters of lion populations are under in decline. The main threats to lions’ life is a lion- human conflict and loss of territory. Most of the time, lions live on the grasslands in Africa, but they can also climb on the tree if they have to climb. Big males cannot climb on the tree because of their weight. Lions can live till 20-23 years if they live under the captivities. Wilder lions can survive hardly till ten years. Currently, Lions occur in eastern and southern Africa. However, historical marks show that lions roamed in Egypt and Northern Africa. Lions do not need water daily, but they need to eat each day. Their cubs are tiny in size, and they are vulnerable after their birth till three to four weeks for haunting.
How long do lions live- Lion Lifespan:
The lifespan of an animal is the average number of years between its birth and death. Like all other animals, Lions can survive better if they live in captivity rather wilder areas. In captivities, lions are safe from natural disasters and predators. Lions, in the wasteland, face many threats, as they face human conflict.
- Lions live for a maximum age of 16 years in the wild if they can protect themselves from threats.
- They live longer in captivity as compared to the wild. Because in the wild, they tend to food scarcity and natural disasters.
- Lions live 20-23 years in captivity because, under imprisonment, they have medical care and food according to their need.
- The average lifespan of the lionesses is longer than a male lion.
How long do male lions live- Male lion Lifespan:
- Male lions usually have less lifespan as compared to female lionesses. Male lions have 12 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity.
- In the wild, many lions die before reaching old age. But lions strive to become the king and face many conflicts to save their territory.
- Old lions are expelled from their territories because powerful lions take their position. Hence, old lions die because of hunger.
- The leading male lion in his old age also becomes weak because he has to do more tasks for guarding the pride territory. Despite that, he fulfills his duty but becomes fragile and dies because of his dullness.
How long do female lion live- Lionesses lifespan:
- Lionesses live naturally longer than lions because they do not have to do conflict for pride territory like a male lion.
- When any other lion attacks on the pride, they kill the male and leave the females. So, females can survive for a long time as compared to male lions.
- In the wild, female lions can live up to 15-16 years. While in captivity, they live up to the age of 26 years. Mostly, Lionesses can live up to 29 years.
African Lion Lifespan:
- In Africa, lions mostly live in wilder areas, in plains. African lions live for 10-14 years in the wild.
- African lions, in captivity, live almost for 20 years.
White lions lifespan and oldest lion Ever:
- White lions are those that have white color due to genetic mutation. White lions are rare and cannot be seen everywhere like brown lions.
- They set in in Southern Africa.
- Like other lions, white lions can also survive for 10-14 years in wilder areas and up to 20 in captivity.
- Zenda was the African oldest lionesses. She remained in the USA zoo.
- The historical records show that the oldest lion was 29 years old.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
How long can a lion live without food?
Lion can survive for 14 days without food. If the lion is healthy and lives in its Den, then; it may live for a longer time. The Maximum record of a lion that can survive without food is almost one month. Lion can live without water for many days, but meat is its crucial need.
What are the lion’s weaknesses?
Old lions fell into different diseases and were easily preyed on by other animals. Many lions that live in captivity die just because of old age. One another significant weakness of lions is, they cannot run fast. Lions have a heavyweight, almost 550pounds. So they cannot run fast. They cannot climb on the tree. They climb on the tree sometimes but do not look good in leopards.
How lions communicate?
Lions do communicate in several ways, as they roar, growls, and grunt. One compelling way of their communication is they rub their heads with one another to show the act of bonding. They spread the**" family scent"** by stroking their heads. You can hear lions roaring up to 5 miles away.
How female lions raise their cubs together?
Females in one pride tend to give birth at the same time. All the females of one pride rear up their cubs at a time, in the same place. Lionesses raise their cubs until they reach 2-3 years of age because they are little; their eyes remain close until four weeks. Cubs also have other names;" whelps" and “lionets.”
Which animal can kill the lion?
When lions become old, then younger members of pride excel them from pride. Sometimes younger members kill the old male lions. The old lions can only protect themselves from conflicts; when they are with pride, but when they leave pride, other animals, like giraffes and, deer can kill the lion.
Conclusion:
To conclude, lions live on average of 14-16 years, while human beings live on an average of 45-50 years old. Lions are a powerful predator. Wilder lions have to combat for food and security as compared to those that live in captivity. Lion can drink 8 cups of water in a day. When lions roar, their speed is so high that you can hear from a distance of 5 miles. Lions directly protect their pride territory.