LION (panthera leo)

LION (Panthera Leo) Lion is regarded to be the only truly cats and live in a social group called PRIDE . The pride can be 10 to 13 members that combines females ,offspring and dominant males. By living in prides can bring down large prey like buffalo, zebra and wildebeest. When the pride is too big, females emigrate as 2 years olds, and males are forced to leave the pride at 3 years old by the dominant males . They become nomads until able to take their own territory. Usually the males (bachelor) join together to claim and hold a territory over a single male. The male lion territory is large than the females and can hold 3 to 4 pride and male (lion) hold a territory for 2years . Note (the more males in a collision the large they can hold a territory). Whe a males take over territory will kill all existing cubs in order to raise their own young. Females try to protect the cubs and sometimes also killed. They mark their territory by urinating (urine spraying) on trees and shrubs. Lion feeds on zebra, wildebeests, buffalo,impala,........ Lion prefer to live in short grasses, and Savannah woodland. The lion are slwer ovulators, needing sexual friction to increase the eggs fertilization, they mate every after 15-20MN at least24 time a day, and mate for seven days, during mating they don't hunt only drinking water, they separate from other members of the pride . Gestation period for lion is 3to 4 months and number of cubs 1-6 cubs and weaning at 7-9 months and 16 months become able to feed on their own. The interval of birth is 2yrs, females come into oestrous when offspring(cubs) are 1.5 year old and when lioness loses litter will come into oestrous within a few days to a week. Male ,puberty at 2.4yrs ,mature at 5yrs when able to take a territory and females mature at 43moths . Males weight up to 190-220 kg and females 130-170kg and the average lifespan is 13 yrs. HUNTING; Females are the hunters , males mane betray them when trying to hunt as they become suspicious to the prey, the hunted see the hiding mane , for that reason males are not good in hunting. Males feeds first, opening the ear drinking blood and eating the soft such as heart and kidney, followed by female then young . I'm this ways , young starve to death when the kill is not enough (small). Amount of food taken each 7-15kg and interval of feeding 5-6 days. ROARING (Sounding) this is an impressive natural sound in the jungle. Males roar louder and deeper at the age of 1yr and females roar at the age of 1.5 yr and led deep. The roar can be heard 8km away. This sound of the Lion implies, to advertise their presence, advertise their territory, communication to the other pride and leisure chorus sound.. NB When a new lion takes over the pride ,the first to do is to kill all the present cubs, as the female will come an oestrous at least after 3 day after take over of male dominant lion.