Since ancient times, the lion was considered one of the strongest animals on the planet. To date, he is the largest cat. In order to understand how the lion was honored and respected in ancient times, just look at the many rock paintings, sculptures and ancient family emblems. In ancient Egypt, these predatory mammals were considered the gods of the earth. The lion is still called the king among the animals. African natives living side by side with lions call these animals "wild cat". Hence the name of the family.
In this article we will look at what family the lion belongs to, its habitat and lifestyle.
General Description
In nature, there are several types of lions that differ from each other. However, these interspecies differences are minor, and the similarities are much greater.
To understand which family a lion belongs to, it will be enough to look at it. This animal is outwardly very similar to domestic cats, but fundamentally differs in its size. An interesting fact is that the lion belongs to the big five of Africa. Therefore, with all kinds of excursions, safaris, tourists and hunters try to show these animals in the first place. The African Big Five is a collection of 5 African animals that are the most valuable hunting trophies. This includes the lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo.
The bodies of all members of the family, to which the lion belongs, have high mobility and remarkable flexibility. They have well-developed neck and paw muscles, which makes them very fast and strong. In addition, each paw has a set of sharp claws, the length of which can reach 7 centimeters. Lions have a large head with an elongated muzzle. The mouth of these animals has strong jaws, on which fangs are located, the length of which can reach eight centimeters. In addition, they have 30 sharp teeth. These features allow lions in the wild to successfully hunt animals that can sometimes exceed their own size. The mouth also has a tongue covered with a kind of tubercles. This feature helps the lion keep its coat clean. It is noteworthy that animals have the so-called mane. It is located in the head area and goes to the shoulder blades. At the same time, the lion's mane is a feature inherent only in males. The females do not have it. In addition, sexual dimorphism in these animals endows them with a number of differences. For example, males always have a large weight andsizes. The mane begins to grow in lion cubs already at the age of six months.
What family does the lion belong to
This large predator is a member of the cat family. It is a group of mammals from the order of carnivores. Wild cats are found in all corners of the earth, with the exception of Antarctica, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. However, domestic representatives of this family are ubiquitous. They are almost everywhere where you can meet people. The cat family includes 18 genera and more than 36 varieties. All representatives of this family, except for large species, climb rocks very well and swim well. Scientists divide the family itself into two main subfamilies: large and small cats. The small ones include all representatives of this predatory family, which, due to the structural features of the hyoid bone, cannot growl. To large, respectively, include all the rest. The main distinguishing feature of the family is their hunting for prey equal to or larger in size.
Lifestyle
Among the cat family, lions stand out for their peculiarity of organizing into prides. They are a group consisting of a number of adults and young. There, the cubs grow until puberty. After that, they leave their pride. However, they do not leave to become loners. This wild cat is an animal that is not adapted to life alone. Young lions are looking fora group with an old leader, whose place can later be taken. Pride exists according to certain rules. All recognize the supremacy of the leader, the males protect the territory. Aliens are expelled. It is noteworthy that the role of hunters is assigned to females. It is they who carry out the extraction of food for the entire pride. Females, unlike males, have higher flexibility and speed. In addition, the mane increases the load on the body, and in the hot African climate it contributes to overheating of the male's body. Therefore, the role of miners is assigned to females. The key to a successful hunt is consistency. The food obtained by females is divided into the entire pride. However, if a male went hunting, which is extremely rare, then all the prey is eaten only by him. The highest activity of these animals is observed at night. They have excellent night vision. This is another key sign in order to understand which family a lion belongs to, because this feature is inherent in all felines. After a successful night hunt, the lions rest in the circle of the pride members. Due to their large size and natural strength, these predators have no enemies, but they often die in the struggle for the place of the leader in the group.
Area
Today there are not so many lion habitats on the planet. A few years ago, these wild cats were found in Africa, India, Russia, Iran and southern Europe. However, a significant part of the population was destroyed by poachers, and some places became unsuitable for the normal existence of lions. To date, these animals are foundonly in southern Africa and the Indian state of Gujarat. Lions prefer to live in savannas and bushes.
Lion food
Night hunting allows these predators to get very close to their prey. Females encircle a group of ungulates and attack from all sides. The slowest or sickest individual becomes their prey. In Africa, lions eat the meat of wildebeest, buffalo and zebra. Large species of lions also prey on baby giraffes. Sometimes they can even attack hippos and young elephants. In addition, lions often prey on livestock and smaller members of their family. These are cheetahs and leopards. In India, these predators prey mainly on deer and wild boars. The daily intake of fresh meat for an adult male lion is about 8 kilograms. Females eat a little less, 5 kilograms is enough for them.
Reproduction
Lionesses reach puberty at 4 years old. Pregnancy of the female can last up to 110 days. As a rule, no more than three cubs are born. At first, lion cubs are very small and helpless. They have a weight of up to 1.5 kg, and their size does not exceed 30 centimeters. Within a week after birth, the cubs are completely blind. They begin to see only on the seventh day. At the same time, lion cubs begin to walk in a month. Before the very birth of the cubs, the female leaves the pride to equip a hidden rookery. She returns to the pride with cubs after 8 weeks. It is noteworthy that ifthe leader of the group will give way to another lion, then the cubs will be killed by the new leader. There are more than enough threats to the life of young animals, therefore, according to scientists, only 20% of lion cubs reach sexual maturity.
How long do lions live
After reaching 5 years of age, young males leave the pride in order to take a dominant position in another group. During the struggle for the leader's place, weaker and older individuals often die. In nature, these predators can live for about fifteen years. It is noteworthy that in captivity they can live 25-30 years. Lions that have found their place in the pride live longer than lonely wandering individuals.
White lion
The lion is an animal with many unique features. One of them is color. There are a large number of cases where researchers have observed the largest cats of an unusual color. It is noteworthy that animals, for example, with a black or dark mane are considered normal, but a white or black body color is an anomaly. Experts call its cause a genetic mutation, the so-called leucism. It is her fault that albino lions appear. However, they cannot be fully called that, because the eyes of these animals can be both blue and golden.
White lions differ from other species only in color and slightly larger size. The weight of such animals can reach 310 kilograms. Also, white lions have a longer body. The size of an adult male exceeds 3 meters, and females - 2, 7. Throughoutlife in such lions practically does not change the shade. However, when the animal has crossed the threshold of old age, the coat becomes ivory.
Black Lions
Scientists do not have a clear opinion about the existence of this animal. However, most are inclined to believe that such a lion does not exist. Numerous pictures of similar animals, which are full of the World Wide Web, experts call the result of graphic processing. Another way to get a photograph of a black lion is to shoot it during the twilight period. However, there is an opinion that, in contrast to albinism, there is an effect called melanism. With this phenomenon, the fur of animals has a greater amount of pigment. Similar cases have been recorded in leopards and jaguars. However, it makes no sense to single out such animals as a separate subspecies.
