Male lion keeping watch
Serengeti National Park, summer ´98

The lion - Panthera leo

 

In a nutshell

Total length	male 2,5-3,3 m, female 2,3-2,7 m (tail 1 m)
Shoulder height	male 1,2 m, female 1 m
Mass	male 150-260 kg, female 122 -182 kg
Home range	26-220 sq km, even over 2000 sq km
Social structure	prides, 3-30 or more
Gestation	100-114 days
Number of young	1 - 6 (average 2-3)
Diet	medium to large mammals (mainly ungulates); mice to young elephants
Life span (wild)	male 12 years, female 15-16 years
Number surviving	approx. 50 000 and falling

Description

The largest of the African cats. Males considerably larger than females. The mane of the adult male is that of long hair extending from the sides of the face onto the neck, shoulders and chest, varying in color from blond to black. The manes of populations living in Africa today seldom extend far over the shoulders nor hang in a fringe under the belly (as they did in extinct forms in northern Africa and in the Cape). The body hair is short, ranging in color from reddish-gray to pale tawny. Ash gray is not uncommon as a body color. The tail is the same color, but tipped with slightly longer, dark hair. Small cubs are faintly spotted on the sides but this usually disappears with age. Numerous races and subspecies of lion have been described from Africa, a number based on zoo specimens. However, variation is great even within any one population. Therefore, it is preferred to regard all lions as belonging to Panthera leo leo. Two races that were recognized as having occurred at opposite ends of the continent, the so-called Cape (south) (P.l.melanochaita) and Barbary (north-west) (P.l.leo) lions, are now extinct. The Barbary lion persisted until the end of the 19th century and possibly into the early part of the 20th century. The validity of these separate races is thought to be questionable, as these populations were once contiguously linked with other populations with their isolation being a relatively recent development inflicted by man.

Sources:

Stuart, Tilde & Chris. 1996: Africa's Vanishing Wildlife, Smithsonian Institution Press: Cape Town

Bosman, Paul & Hall-Martin, Anthony.1997: Cats of Africa, Smithsonian Institution Press: Cape Town

Kingdon, Jonathan. 2001.The Kingdon field guide to African mammals. Academic Press: Somerset