Panthera leo
The Spanish name for Lion is Leon
The African Lions are one of two types of lions: African and Asian
African Lion Home: The open plains and savannahs of central Africa.
Asian Lion Home: The Gir Forest Sanctuary in India
Food: Wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, topi, hartebeests, antelope, gazelle, and warthogs
Size (length with tail & weight): 7.9 to 9.5 feet
265 to 420
pounds
Life Span in the Wild: 10 to 12 years
Life Span in Captivity: 20 years or more
Lion Trivia:
- Lions have tawny yellow coats. The male lions have manes. The
larger the mane, the larger the male appears in size. The males with
the larger manes are perceived as more powerful by the other lions.
- Lions are the only wild cat that lives in prides. The prides are
family groups of three to thirty males and females.
- A lion can run faster than 30 miles per hour over short distances.
- A lion is one of only 4 wild cats that roar. The roar can be heard
for 5 miles or more under the right conditions. It is believed that a
lion's roar helps them locate one another, announce their presence and warn
rivals.
- Each Lion at the Austin zoo eats 8 pounds of
meat per day. One day each week, the Lions are given a femur bone
which helps to clean their teeth. Lions can develop kidney problems if
they are overweight.
- In the wild, these big cats will eat more at one setting, but they will not eat as often.
Lions are an Endangered Species
The African Lion is losing its home to farms and ranches. As the habitat is destroyed, the lion's prey becomes scarce. The homeland of the lions is becoming increasingly smaller resulting in the isolation of some prides. Some subspecies are now endangered.
It is believed that there are now only 200 or less prides of Asian lions left in the wild. These remaining Asian lions are only found in the Gir Forest Sanctuary in India, where they are protected.
The main threat to all lions existence is the destruction of their habitat, resulting in the lose of their food source. In addition, some lions have been killed because they were thought to endanger farmers' livestock.
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Species Survival Plan (SSP) have devised plans to help save the lion.
Kruger National Park in South Africa, Kenya's Ambos Eli National Park, Serengeti National Park and the Gir Forest Sanctuary in India all protect the lions living within their borders.
Our Meet the Animals section includes research from the following websites:
The Austin Zoo's website: www.austinzoo.org.
Spanish translations courtesy of the Austin Zoo.
Rolling Hills Refuge Wildlife Conservation Center http://www.rhrwildlife.com/animbot.htm
The Birmingham Zoo http://www.birminghamzoo.com/
The WWW Virtual Library: Zoos http://zoonet.home.mindspring.com/www_virtual_lib/zoos.html
Photographs in Our Meet the Animals Section from PrintMaster Platinum v8.0 software.