Ask anyone who the ‘kings of the jungle’ are and they won’t hesitate – they’re lions. These majestic creatures are fascinating, and we’ve got everything you need to know about them right here.
A Prideful Bunch
Among all the big cats on the earth, lions are known to be the most sociable and they thrive in groups known as prides.
A pride normally consists of 10-15 lions, many adult lionesses and their cubs, and up to 4 males.
A Varied Appetite
Lions can survive 4 days without water, but they will drink it daily if it’s available. Adult female lions eat about 11 pounds of meat daily and adult males 16 pounds or more and they primarily prey on herbivores like zebra, wildebeest, and buffalo.
Born to Hunt
It’s not the lions but actually lionesses that are the pride’s main hunters and do around 85% to 90% of the hunting. A lioness is smaller but more alert than a lion and they work together to bring an animal down.
Lions are excellent hunters as they hunt by ambush, unlike any modern warfare. They have an amazing vision which is roughly 6 times more responsive to light as compared to human beings, which gives them a huge benefit when hunting in the dark.
King of the Savanna
Lions are known as Kings of the Jungle, but in Africa, they do not live in a jungle rather their main habitats comprise the grasslands and plains, and in Tanzania 3 of the 5 largest populations of lions can be found in the savannas. Lions interact in several ways using sounds like growls, roars, moans, and grunts and by means of visual signals and leaving behind scent markings. In order to spread their family scent as well as an act of attachment, lions rub their heads on each other.