Wildlife: Mammals -
Lion 2/4
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Wildlife
Panthera Leo, Lion, Leeu, Löwe.
Life history
Gestation takes up to 110 days. Litters usually contain up to six cubs are born
each year hiding in thick bush coverage. The mother lives with them far from the
pride, avoiding possible dangerous behaviour of the lions. At birth the cubs
only weigh 1.5 kilograms, only 1% of the adult weight. Only after six to eight
weeks they are introduced to the pride. Weaning starts after ten weeks and is
completed after six months. Females stay in the pride, males though leave when
they are three years of age. They become fully capable at the age of two and
become middle aged at seven years. They can live up to thirteen years. Aged and
disabled lions are often killed of by packs of spotted hyeanas.
 Behaviour
Lions are only active two to four hours a day and are most
active at night. Resting extensively during the day in the shade
of trees and rocks. They are teh only conspicuously social
species of wild cat. In the classical picture of lion social
organisation the basic union is the pride. Consisting of a pride
of two to twelve (more often three to six) closely related
females with their young, accompanied by one to six males.
However, when there is more than one male with the pride they
are most often, not always, close relatives, often brothers.
Only pride males have access to the pride's females. Males take
over prides by driving out the current males with extreme
violence, often resulting in death, and are in turn replaced by
competitors in one to ten years. After a new male has taken over
the pride he scares off all the other males and usually kills
all the cubs to make the females receptive for him. It has been
proven that females prefer prides with a broad coalition of
males so that the risk of being taken over is reduced. Females
will breed but will not reproduce until the new males of the
pride have proven to be capable of maintaining their reign.
Within the pride there is no clear dominance. Males simply use
size and strength to take food from the females. The pride does
not always live completely together. There can be several sub
groups which move separately for days or weeks. The various
prides hold territories. In which males defend territory against
males and females versus females. In the Kruger National Park
the lions claim territories up to one hundred and fifty square
kilometres. It all depends on the presence of abundant prey.
Males mark the territory by using urine.
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