The performances of lions 


Tamer of lithography in 1873

Animal fights were common paris generating the eighteenth century. Fights between lions and dogs in general were held in Vienna, Austria from 1800 and England from 1825

Taming of the pioneers are Henri Martin, a French, and Isaac Van Amburgh, an American. They started in the mid nineteenth century and their techniques were very quickly copiées Martin will create in the third Cirque Olympique in Paris in 1831, a pantomime extravaganza, sheltered behind a screen, called "The Lions of Mysore" with his lion Nero and Cobourg, his tiger Atyr. Isaac Van Amburgh toured England before Queen Victoria. He quickly copied the spectacle of the French. More than the traditional horse-taming, taming the beast wanted to mark human superiority over the brute forces naturelles Jean-Baptiste Pezon is another famous lion tamer. Clyde Beatty is probably the first trainer to have used the overhead support on which the deer come to asseoir
This tradition is still alive, some trainers today, as the duo of magicians Siegfried & Roy and their white lions are still famous.

Zoos

Flehmen Lion at Melbourne Zoo

The species is considered, such as tigers and sharks, as the attractor public so they are very present in zoos. 2002 also zoos currently holding about 1,000 existing African lions and 100 Asiatic lions in the 2000s. They help raise awareness about the environment and conservation of these espèces

Exchange programs have long existed to diversify the gene pool of lions in captivity, though they did not include subspecies, creating a genetic pollution in populations of different origins. Current programs begin to take compte and try not to reproduce all the lions of different subspecies. The Species Survival Plan is a coordinated effort in this direction by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In 1982, procedures were put in place in North America to preserve the genetic heritage of the Asiatic lion. The component for African lions started him in 1993, especially for the subspecies of South Africa. Most individuals detained are of uncertain origin, however, making their reintroduction impossible or presque

The subspecies of the lion of the Atlas, the most spectacular because most, not only through existing animals kept by zoos. One can see twelve at Port Lympne Zoo in Kent, UK. They all descended from animals that belonged to King of Morocco. Eleven specimens, considered Atlas lions, are also held by the zoo in Addis Ababa, a specimen is identified Zoo Neuwied, some specimens of the zoo Amnéville The WildLink International, in collaboration with Oxford University, have launched an ambitious international breeding conservatory called Barbary Lion Project, which aims to identify and reproduce those lions in order to reintroduce a national park Maroc

The lion in captivity
The lions live in captivity since ancient times, on-off periods. The Romans used them in their games eg. There are lions permanently in the West since the creation of menageries, zoological parks ancestors in the eighteenth century. In America, the first lion was also exhibited in Boston in 1716. In addition, the entertainment, like taming in the circus or even fighting lion, require the establishment of farms. Lions reproduce very well in captivity and can live twenty years, the record is currently held by a lion of Honolulu Zoo born in 1986

History
The Assyrian monarchs stood in the ninth century BC. J.-C. and Alexander the Great, according to legend, lived with tame lions by the Malhi northwest of Inde Later, the Romans kept organizers of games. As well as famous Roman Sulla, Pompey, Julius Caesar, ordered the capture of hundreds of lions to fois Marco Polo reported that the Indian princes continued in taming and even Kublai Khan kept lions inside his habitations

William of Malmesbury reported him as lions were kept in England, in Woodstock by the will of Henry Ier the lion being present on English heraldry

Protection
Approximately 16 500 to 30 000 lions still live freedom. IUCN is part of the principle that in 2004 the number of lions has declined worldwide over the past two decades from 30 to 50%. The reasons for this decline are not fully known. It is assumed that the reduction of game hunted by the lion, the conflict between man and the lion and habitat degradation are the main reasons for the decline of lion populations. Across Africa, the lion has disappeared over 80% of its former territory. The African lion is considered "vulnerable" on the Red List of Threatened Species IUCN, due to the steady decline in the size of this species. In West Africa, the number of lions is less than 1500. This species meets the criterion of "regionally endangered." There are more than 200 to 300 individuals in Asia, threatened by the loss of their genetic heritage.

New strategies to protect the lion aimed at improving opportunities for peaceful coexistence in the future between lions and men: an integrated land use with wildlife, reduce conflicts between man and the lion and the prevention of illegal trade of the lion and its derivatives. The future of these "fat cats" already appears on a better path in a few large reserves of South Africa and East while very precarious in Asia to offset the latter, the Indian government has place in the 2000s a lion reintroduction project in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary: the Asiatic Lion reintroduction Project

Predation humans 


Lion of Tsavo naturalized in Chicago's Field Museum

Normally, lions do not attack humans. Sometimes these days that some lions attacking humans in Africa, invariably, those carrying out reprisals. The causes of human predation are systematically examined by scientists. Between 1990 and 2005, 563 villagers were attacked by lions in Tanzania, which corresponds to an increase considérable It seems they only attack because their prey become rare. In Tanzania, these attacks took place in the Selous Game Reserve, Rufiji District and Lindi region where man expands its presence and where the lion population increases through measures protection Some lions can also be forced to attack humans because of a physical problem, can not attack other prey. In 2006, a lion suspected of killing 35 personnes had defective teeth.
There existed some lions who seemed human prey. The stories of the dead and hounding of those rare specimens called man-eaters were written by their hunters. John Henry Patterson in 1907 wrote The Man-eaters of Tsavo which was shot several movies such as Bwana Devil in 1952 and The Ghost and the Darkness in 1996. The specimen is also known to Mfuwe.

Effect of reduction of habitat
Diseases are another problem, especially in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. Since in 1995, a first fatal case of tuberculosis occurred among lions, extensive studies have been conducted in the park. According to the report, the infection rate of animals in the southern sector of the park by the deadly bacteria was more than 90%. The infection came from the buffalo hunted by lions, in contact with domestic cattle, have introduced the disease into the park and infected lions. About 70% of cattle suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis (phthisis), while among the lions, the disease occurs mainly in the digestive system. The animals become weaker, lose weight much and die within a few years. Besides tuberculosis, there is a second very common disease. Approximately 60-70% of the Kruger Park lions are infected with feline immunodeficiency virus, which "paralyze" the immune system of the animal and opens the way for tuberculosis. Exterminators against both viruses, there is no vaccination.

In 1994, one third of the lions of the Serengeti National Park have died after contracting the disease Carré against which they are very vulnerable.

Currently, lion populations are highly concentrated as contained in parks or reserves, other areas become unfit to survive by becoming farmland. The loss of genetic diversity leads to the appearance of disease as has been observed in the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, where lions present 120 in the 2000s down from 1960 three lions of years. But some biologists estimate that 500 to 1000 adult individuals genetic diversity necessary for a population of them to be considered viable, that is to say having the minimum of genetic diversity necessary to survie Few of these people fit this criterion. In 2007, these lion populations are not yet considered at-risk populations, although no study on this issue is undertaken. Unlike other species, no large-scale preventive transfer is made to reduce the risk of loss of genetic inheritance. However, to solve specific problems of the reserve of Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, artificial insemination attempts were made to avoid difficulties with social integration problems associated with introductions

The man and the lion hunt

Mosaic lion hunting Pella.

Lion chased by the Tswana, illustration of the nineteenth century.

"Until the lions have their historians, tales of hunting will turn always to the glory of the hunter. "

- African proverb

Since ancient man hunting a lion. This is also when the animal is adult, the only predator (the cubs left alone can be preyed upon by leopards, hyenas and even lions outside the group). Man hunt the lion to ensure the safety of its herd, to protect themselves, but also as evidence of a sign outside vaillance or even for shows that were the Roman games. Therefore, the hunts and battered have eliminated many subspecies. The invention of the firearm and the "sport hunting", will accelerate at the rate of disappearance of other large mammals, the Big 5.
In East Africa, from the 1900s, protective measures, which consisted in creating the game reserve as Kilimanjaro National Park and a ban on hunting in these areas were taken. Time to Kill is buying, the cost limit catches by a sort of auction calculated on past requests. The ritual hunts also continue and it is not uncommon to see lions mutilated. Performed the ritual hunts end with the sale of trophies, linking this to practical economic interests. The Kenya Wildlife Service reports that between 1999 and 2003, 49 lions were killed by the Maasai. Lion populations have continued to fall so in the 2000s, this method of wildlife management has been questioned. Indeed, the total population of African lions increased from 50,000 to 15,000 specimens (at worst) in the years 1990 Hunting, poaching and decline of wilderness make the species vulnerable so he had to take further protective measures. Circus lions, those for taming and zoos are no longer taken from the wild. Traditional hunting and poaching are fought. Sport hunting is prohibited in Botswana in February 2001 by the management department of the local wildlife as well, with 53 trophies recorded in 2000, hunting has reported five million dollars to the hunting industry and 100,000 dollars to fund the foreign country  the "stumpage fee" of around 80,000 euros against 3000 for a guépard The Office of the Zambian Wildlife Management itself has taken a measure prohibiting the same year. In South Africa, nearly 300 farmers raise about 5000 lions for hunting, 480 lions, including 444 bred in captivity, were hunted in the country, for a price ranging from 6 000 to 8 000 USD and the female 20 000 to 30 000 USD mâle A legislation would prohibit this practice.

In Asia, the lion has disappeared since the mid-nineteenth century in the wild, as by hunting than by reducing its habitat.

Interspecific interactions between predators

The relationship between lions and spotted hyenas in areas where they coexist is unique in its complexities and intensities. Lions and hyenas are at the top of the food chain, feeding on the same prey, and are therefore in direct competition. As such, they often struggle to steal and occasionally kill himself. Although hyenas have a reputation for being opportunistic scavengers profiting from hunting the lion, the opposite situation is very common. At Ngorongoro Crater, the population of hyenas far exceeds that of resident lions, as they obtain much of their food by stealing hyena prey. The quarrel between the two species, however, does not exceed a single battle for food, it's actually the boundary between the respective sets the limits of these conflicts because unlike other species, the territories do not overlap, as if groups of hyenas and lions belong to the same species.

However, males are very aggressive toward hyenas, they kill them when they can, sometimes without eating. Dereck and Beverly Joubert have observed several cases of male lions to hyenas attacking systematically, even when they were on the powerplay. The most famous lion killer hyenas was called Ntchwaidumela, its murderous assaults against hyenas, for no apparent reason have led to some nice documentaries such as "Lions and Hyenas, facing death" Conversely, hyenas are major predators of lion cubs (with leopard), harassing liones

Lions dominate smaller felines such as cheetahs they. They steal their prey and kill their young, sometimes adults. Cheetah has a 50% chance of losing his prey vis-à-vis other prédateurs and lions are the main predators of its small, with an estimated nine small even ten killed by a lion in their first weeks of life. Can survive on small prey and climb trees, leopards suffer less from this prédation

Lions are also in competition with the Nile crocodile, and sometimes, depending on the respective sizes that either eat. Lions have been seen killing crocodiles and pieces of lion were found in the stomachs of crocodile

Relationship with man

Food and hunting


Battle for the prey




Young elephant who was the prey of lions in Savuti




A lion and a cub eating a buffalo
The lion hunting generally in the dark or the cool hours of the morning darkness and milder temperatures are an advantage. Moreover, the lion is idle 20 to 21 hours per day, from 10 to 15 hours sieste. It consumes an average of 7 kg of meat per jour. However, if hunting was good and if she missed a few meals, the lioness can swallow up to 30 kg of meat at once, while the male can swallow up to 40 kg. The lions hunt only when their food supply is exhausted.

The main prey of cattle are large, medium and small size:
antelopes of all sizes of Lechwe waterbuck, kudu great, nyala, black roan, oryx, eland, hartebeest, wildebeest, oribi, dik-dik, steenboks.

He also hunts buffalo, young elephants, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, rabbits, birds and sometimes fish. In some areas, lions specialize even for a specific type of prey. And large groups of lions, about 30 individuals, regularly attack adult elephants. In wetlands of the Savuti and Linyanti, they may even attack hippos. But generally most of hippos, rhinos, elephants are too large because of their stature, because lions usually flee the angry elephants and rhinos.

The very fast antelope, such as gazelles, hartebeest, springbok and impala are generally excluded from their prey, lions are forced to hunt animals slower and fatter.

Around the age of two years, the cubs learn the art of hunting and go to three years with their mother chasing a first time.

In the savanna, open environment, the lions are easily spotted by their prey. In addition, a vigorous animal can overcome a Lonely Hunter. A young Cape buffalo was seen fighting with a lion for 90 minutes to finally lose not only its tail. The hunt for two or more thus offers a better chance of success and allows you to take impressive. Lionesses provide 80 to 90% of the catch when hunting. Males, heavier, slower and more easily detectable by their corpulence and their manes, are less effective.

The lions and lionesses use different techniques depending on terrain, their preferences and methods of human prey. The lioness hunting usually at dawn or dusk, or at the cover of darkness. On the lookout, hidden behind the tall grass, waiting for an animal has fallen head to graze, showing signs of inattention or is in isolated position. This may lead a quiet approach up to 30 meters, then load and projected violently prey on land. Weighing all his weight on her, she seized her by the throat. Trachea and esophagus severed, the victim dies within minutes. The lionesses often keep their prey by the muzzle until it suffocates.

When they hunt in packs, the lionesses encircle the prey or the herd, and come close together, they crawl on his belly often several hundred meters to their prey, in which case the environment is used most intelligently as possible to camouflage themselves. A distance of about 30 meters is reached, then the prey is loaded. Each jump is about 6 meters long and can be double in length and four meters in hauteur. The prey is then killed by a sharp bite to the neck or neck so as to reach the jugular vein or carotid artery.

Because lionesses hunt in open spaces, common hunting increases the chance of successfully hitting a prey. They also refer the prey between them. In addition, the prey in the group can be more easily defended against thieves like wild dogs and spotted hyenas.

The percentage of successful attempts also varies depending on the species hunted: about 14% in the case of antelopes (hartebeest, waterbuck, kudu, eland, hartebeest, oryx), 38% for zebra and wildebeest and 47% for warthogs. Night hunting results in 33% success rate, against 21% for the day-fighter, and attacks in the bushes (41%) were 3.5 times more likely to succeed than attacks on open ground (12%) - based on studies. In times of drought, lions will even eat dead animals from disease or remains of other predators. In the Serengeti Park in Tanzania, where most ungulates have migrated in search of tender grass and water, the lions attack the sedentary animals: giraffes, warthogs, small mammals (dwarf antelopes, rabbits), birds , young snakes or crocodiles. The nights of dry seasons, the lionesses hunt impala sometimes at night; very common African antelopes living in semi-forest, sedentary, fast, agile and alert the day, but they are more vulnerable in the dark at because of their views clearly below that of beasts.

Males of the group participate in hunting rarely, for example if very large prey are attacked like buffaloes, giraffes and elephants Preadult; their main role is to protect the company of other lions. After a success, the group hierarchy comes into effect: the male may eat first, then follow the females in high places and finally small. There is rarely, with the corpse, the struggles of rank where group members inflict significant injury.

Often, the lions are brought to eating carrion. Male lions who were driven out of a clan are forced to feed exclusively on this diet. This leads them to hunt their loot other scavengers such as leopards. Often, the lion must also spotted hyenas hunt their prey.

Reproduction and infanticide
Only males at the top of the hierarchy can be repeated, because the dominant has full authority over the harem. But this period lasts on average two to four years. However, each female is raising only one litter at a time, a dominant male newcomer at the top of the hierarchy can not afford to wait up to two years before they can mate. To make fertilizable females, he does not hesitate to kill small

Reproduction

Mating of a lion and a lioness.
Lions reach sexual maturity and social at the age of three or four years, their physiological maturity at 30 months for males and 24 months for femelles. There is no defined breeding season. To check the fertility of a female, the male uses the Jacobson's organ, located on the palate, with the inner surface of the nose. To do so, the lion is the upper lip and opens its mouth. This process is called Flehmen.

Even if a male gets to the top of the hierarchy, it can not reproduce with a female with her consent. It's turning around, as they rolled to his feet, rubbing his head against her neck, the female produces the dominant male. She gets on his stomach and raises the rump; this position, called lordosis, allows the male better penetration. During mating, lions guard the female's neck in his mouth and bites her neck. This guard instinctively calm the male penis is covered with spiny protuberances and when it withdraws, it is assumed that the lioness is in pain. Thus she protested with a roar and turns frequently against him in an aggressive posture. It is the penetration triggers the spawning of eggs that are fertilized by sperm  If a lioness agrees to reproduce, they will mate every fifteen minutes, until fifty times a day, in which case Each report takes about thirty seconds, until the female estrus, which lasts only four jours or termine

After a gestation period of about four mois, the lioness, hidden away from the group gives birth to a quatre cubs, blind, from 1.1 to 1.37 kg. During their first six weeks of life environ, they will qu'allaités by the mother in the cache by its four mammary glands. If the latter is quite remote from the group, only the mother goes out hunting. Sometimes the young remain until 48 hours alone in the cache which can be dangerous, particularly because of hyenas and many other predators. After three to four semaines, the lioness brings its young in the group and they mingle with other cubs. Acceptance issues are rare.

From that moment, the young lions suck not only their mother, but also other lionesses, so that education is for all the females in the group. Around the age of six mois, the cubs are weaned, they are still about two years from their mère.

The lifespan of a lion rises from twelve to fourteen years in the wild, rarely more than twenty years. However, only the females reach a certain age. The males are usually killed by a younger competitor or, after a long wandering, no longer find a group and starving. However, some lions lived in the zoo until the age of 29 years.

Some observers reported that two lions or lionesses could also interact with each other and show signs of homosexuality. In nature, about 8% of intercourse takes place between lions, while lions homosexual activity, however, are observable in captivite

Communication

Two young lions roaring
Lions communicate by many means. They are social animals and therefore communication is more developed than other cats. Their voice communication consists of grunts, growls, hisses, moans, meows, and the famous roar. Their hyoid bone is only partially ossified, it is this provision which allows them to roar, but thus they are not able to purr, strictly speaking, but they do, like other beasts, by expiration. It is heard when two lions interact each other on a friendly basis. Purring does not sound like a kitten, but as a grunt or a serious snoring. The roar has various meanings, depending on the situation in which it is used. Roar is used to divide the territory, call the other group members, intimidate rivals and strengthen the "family" ties between group members. The roars of the male are stronger and deeper than those of the female. By a strong expiration, the lions roar, returning their flanks and chest swelling, often in a low growl starting with a few low grunts and groans, which tell other lions that group lives in the area, and stay outside the territory. On a clear night, it can be heard up to five kilometers distance Females use a low grunt to call their young.

Body language is of equal importance. The lions have a complex ceremonial greeting in which they moan gently one and the other, swinging his head sideways and keep the tail lifted up, or resting on the back of the other lion. Like some other cats, lions are hitting their heads and bowing. Licking the head, shoulders and neck is also a sign of affection. The lions, like other wild cats have black ears with big white circles on their backs. These large white circles are used to indicate mood: when they are angry, lions and other carnivores are expanding their ears flat against their heads. It is unclear whether a cat is angry at a distance, but if you see flashing white circles, you can remotely know that he is furious and he better not come close. This avoids many combats .

Lifestyle And Social behavior                                         

A lioness in search of game.
Unlike other big cats, rather solitary, lions live in troops, who are permanent social units, composed of related females with one another, unrelated males to females and their offspring. The size of the territory and the number of prey determine the size of the group varies from 3 to 30 individuals. There is usually in the group one to seven adult males and one to eighteen females. The territory of a troop covers 20 500 km2. In the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, lion density can reach a person per square kilometer. In the crater of Ngorongoro, the maximum number of individuals is 1.6 to 2.4 sq km. Borders of their territories are defined by their feces and urine, indicating that there defense entering the area. They also scrape the ground with their fore and hind legs, depositing a substance secreted by glands in their pads 


Young males are about two to three years in the group, until they reached sexual maturity. They are then driven by the dominant lion. Against by females usually spend their entire lives in the group of birth and breed. This prevents inbreeding.


When the young males of the group were driven by their fathers, they become nomads and together form a "coalition", sometimes joined by other young males. The link between the male is very strong. Young males move together very long distances, do not respect territorial boundaries, but do not base their own territory. Since males have very little success in hunting, compared to females, young nomads mostly eat carrion.
Such coalitions of young males will try to lead a troop in ousting the resident males. However, this is not always successful. Such struggles are usually bloody, and it is not uncommon for them to come to an end fatally. If the old males of the group lose the fight, they are hunted and then lead a solitary life. They often die as a result of their injuries. If the newcomers win, they frequently come to infanticide, that is to say they kill the young of their predecessors. This behavior allows females to quickly find an estrus and thus be capable of breeding again. Males can mate and earlier and ensure their own offspring. This behavior is adaptive: in fact, competition is fierce between coalitions of males and young males will soon try to dethrone to take their turn leading the group. Males have not time to waste and they must hold at the top of the group until the cubs are old enough to be spared. Males are rarely more than three or four years as head of the group, and therefore do not have time to wait that made the predecessors have become adults to spawn. Often the females attacked the male assassin


In general, the lions do not practice full mutual toilets with only the back of the nose is clean, but when coarse dirt, for example by the blood of prey, there may be a member to make fur care.

Distribution and habitat

Current geographical distribution of the lion in Africa
Formerly, the lion must have had geographical distribution over the spread of all land mammals. The American lion (Panthera leo atrox) was present from Peru to Alaska throughout the late Pleistocene, while cousins ​​occupied Siberia and Central Europe, and others were divided between India and South Africa. The extent of the distribution, however, loses its importance at the end of the ice age.


The distribution of the lion in historical times, more limited, however, was important. It covered large parts of Africa, but also Southern Europe and the Middle East and India. To antiquity, lions were still living in the Balkans, Southern Europe (Panthera leo europaea) and in Anatolia and the Middle East, and many authors who were contemporaries make their report (Herodotus Aristotle or Bible, among others). It is assumed that in Europe, the lion has disappeared because of the man in the first century AD. JC.


Today, its circulation is largely confined to sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, the extreme southern Africa has more lions since the 1860s, when the extinction of the Cape lion (Panthera leo melanochaita). In North Africa, the Atlas lion (Panthera leo leo) died in the 1920s. And in the same way, the populations of Asian lions (Panthera leo persica) have almost fully disappeared in the twentieth century. A last group of survivors, however, has taken refuge in the National Park Gir Forest in Gujarat, India where there remain some 300 specimens. Significant populations of African lions are located in national parks of Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa are rare outside protected areas. Classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the lion is at risk of extinction.


The lions have a great capacity to adapt and many different habitats. The preferred habitat of the lion is the savanna, but it is also found in dry forests and semi-deserts. We do, however, never found in the dense rainforests and arid deserts. Therefore, the species naturally lacking in the Central African rainforest and driest deserts of North Africa and the Middle East.

Caudal outgrowth 

The most amazing thing in lions is their tail ending in a brush of black hairs, not only the latter is vital against flies, but the end is a vertebra undeveloped, discovered by Didymus of Alexandria. The latter found at the end of the tail, hidden among the hairs, a horny black stud, and he supposed that this was the body that, when the lion, in time of danger, violently shook its tail, it stung to the sides like a spur and excited to jump on his enemies. This observation went almost unnoticed, and that is not modern naturalists had no knowledge, either because they doubt the révoquassent, none of them spoke to Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, who confirmed the accuracy of the fact anatomical reported by Didymus, but without endorsing the view of it on the uses of this part.


All the tip of the tail of the lion, black ergot consistency cornea, 8 to 11 mm in length, is surrounded at its base by an annular fold of the skin and firmly adheres to a single follicle apparently glandular ; color is that of the horn, also becoming increasingly obscure, until the end that is almost black. It is laterally compressed in its whole extent from the tip to the right third of its length, it bends slightly at this point, which is marked by a low depression from this curvature, it expands rapidly until at its base. These parts, however small, cornea and the tip are literally buried in the middle of the terminal tuft of the tail. Gerard Paul Deshayes, in 1829, describes this part as a sort of nail or production cornea shaped like a cone slightly curved towards the tip, adhering by its base to the skin only, and not to the last vertebra , which it is separated from 4 to 6 mm. This pin can be easily detached, the adhesion is not very strong and it remains soft at its base throughout the game which adhered to the skin. It often fails on the specimens, the presence of this body seems independent of age and the sex



Physical performance
It is commonly believed that the lions are faster than males and can reach speeds close to 60 km/h, but this speed can be maintained only over short distances. Very muscular and long, they can make remarkable leaps, of about 3.70 meters in height and 11 meters longueur

Coat color
Related: White Lion and leucistic.


Their short coat is sand-colored, yellow-gold or dark tan. The inside of the legs is always clear, as the belly, buff males, almost white in the female. The cubs have dark spots on the entire body, but disappear already during the first year. In very rare cases, these spots are still visible in adulthood, but remain insignificant, being visible as près

As with tigers, lions exist in occasional cases of leucistic; least a hundred spécimens in the world possess this genetic uniqueness due to a recessive gene, which gives a blonde color, cream or white coat. The leucistic is different from albinism, and poses no direct problem on the physiology of a animalNote. The eyes retain their pigments and usually stay normal color (hazel or gold), but can also be blue-gray or gray-green. The lips and pads are also normally pigmented.

In the male leucistique, the mane and the tail tip, usually dark or black, are very pale. The best-known specimens are probably the white lions of Timbavati in South Africa, where two white lions were born of a lioness and a lion tawny privée in a nature reserve. Chris McBride was the first to observe them in October 1975 and has written two books on the subject. In 2005, two young lions with white fur and blue eyes are born in a zoo near Agen10 and four Jurques the zoo, near Caen, May 20, 2007, two white parents également Beauval Zoo in Loir-et-Cher was the first French fleet to present a couple of white lions in public
There is no tangible evidence of the existence of lions melanistic (black)

Body 
The lions have a large and well developed muscles. Their body is elongated and squat on thick muscular legs. They can take down prey up to several times their own size. Their jaw is powerful to be able to rip the thick skin of prey (such as wildebeest), and to stay hooked on prey that seek to bring down the predator's back. The leg muscles are also capable of inflicting serious damage. A big swipe of a lion is powerful enough to rupture internal organs and even to break 

vibrissae

Like other felines, the lion has many thick mustache, also known as vibrissa. These long hairs sensitive to vibrations help the lion to move in the dark, or when the visual field is obstructed. Most of his hunting run at night, they help to almost "feel" his way in the dark, the nose toward the sky, and feeling the ground in total darkness. The longest mustache on his upper lip are, what are the vibrissae mystaciales. The whiskers above the eyes are called vibrissae superciliaires. There are also whiskers on either cheek, called genial whiskers. The whiskers can grow not only on the face, but as well on the back of the legs: these are called carpel hairs and are used to feel vibrations terrestres

It is possible to identify the lions by counting the black dots that speckle their skin over their lips, the base of the hairs of their mustaches.

Males have a long mane, usually dark brown, but in some cases, black, light brown or tan. The lions of Tsavo National Park, for their part are devoid of manes. The mane appears around the age of three years and extends to the cheeks above the shoulders, sometimes also on the belly and chest. The shape and color of males can vary not only between individuals but also in the same individual during his life according to its physical constitution.


A long, dark mane is an indicator of a good constitution and a large fighting force, because the hormonal status and nutrition have an effect on the thickness and the length of crinière Experimental tests with manes stuffed showed that females respond positively to models with a long, dark mane, and that males avoid models with pronounced manes. The explanation is that dark and thick mane is a handicap, because it captures and retains heat. Males and disabled, but nevertheless "survivors", was revealed to be the carriers of better genes. This is proved by the fact that an animal weakened in one way or another has a mane clearer and less important (changes in appearance of the manes were observed in the same individual over time) 
In practice, the mane may be a protection against claws in combat against rival males.

Thermographic image of a lion
Moreover, recent research also showed that temperature also has an important effect on the length of the mane, and males of colder regions, even regardless of subspecies, forms mane more important than those living in hot areas. Thus, males of zoos more continental climates are most often a mane much larger than their counterparts in countries remained more chauds


Among Asian lions, and some specimens of West Africa (the park of Pendjari in Benin, for example), the mane is clearly less pronounced than their African cousins, the hairs are unique also be thinner.

The lion is the second largest feline after the tiger, and thus the largest carnivore in Africa. A male is 136 to 198 centimeters in length from tip of nose to base of tail and has a tail of an average of 90 centimètres Males reach a mass between 140 and 215 kg at the age adulte The lioness adult is 150 to 210 cm without the tail and has a tail measuring about 85 centimeters. They weigh between 110 and 170 kilogrammes and have a size average of 20 to 50% less than that of a mâle On average, the lions have a shoulder height greater than that of tigers, but are shorter. The largest lions live in southern Africa, the smallest in Asia. The world record is held by a lion of the Transvaal kg 313

The lion (Panthera leo) is a carnivorous mammal of the Felidae family of genus Panthera (cats). He is nicknamed "the king of beasts" because its mane makes it look like the Sun, which appears as the "king of the stars." The adult male, easily recognizable by his mane important, shows a mass medium which may vary according to geographical areas where it is, from 174.9 kg for the lions of Kruger to 217 kg for the Transvaal lions. Some rare specimens can reach exceptionally exceed 250kg see. An adult male eats 7 kg of meat every day against 5 kg in females. The lion is a gregarious animal, that is to say that he lives in large family groups, unlike other cats. His life expectancy in the wild is between 7 and 12 years for males and from 14 to 20 years for females, but it frequently exceeds 30 years in captivity.
The female lion is a lioness, she will chase her little lion cub is. The male lion does not hunt but he is charged with combat intrusions into the territory and threats against the troops. The lion roars. There is currently in the wild more than 16 500 to 30 000 specimens in the African savannah, divided into ten sub-species1 and about 300 in Gir Forest National Park northwest of India