The lion is the largest African carnivore. It is a sandy coloured cat, and adult males have a mane of long hair on the side of the face and top of the head, extending onto the shoulders. The mane is usually tawny, but in some individuals it may be almost black.
Lions are pretty much at the top of the food chain. They kill whatever is available, zebra, wildebeest, antelope, wild hogs, buffalo, young giraffes – and humans. The conflict between human and lion has increased as humans continue to encroach on lions’ traditional territory, and humans are the only predator for an adult lion.
The rarest sub-species is the Asiatic lion, of which there are only around 300 now left in India’s Gir Forest. Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than their African cousins. Male African lions can weigh up to 250kg, have a shoulder height of 1.2 metres and can run at up to 60 km/h, for short distances. Although known as the kings of the jungle, lions actually live on savannah grassland and open plains and can leap up trees but are clumsy climbers.
The lion is the only social cat, living in prides comprising 15-40 females and cubs, with males staying for short periods of up to two years. When a new male becomes part of a pride he will kill all the existing cubs, although the females will fight to protect their young. Once the cubs are dead, the females will mate with the new male, ensuring his genes dominate the pride. The main job of males in the pride is defending the pride’s territory. A male’s loud roar warms off intruders and attracts stray members of the pride, and can carry for as far as eight kilometers.
Lions are active in the early evening, and spend around 20 hours a day resting. Hunting is usually done at night by the lionesses, in groups of two or three, using teamwork to stalk, surround, and kill their prey, though male lions in the Kruger often hunt their own food. After the kill the males eat first, followed by lionesses and finally the cubs.
