KING OF BEASTS

An Overview

      Lions (Panthera leo) are classified into the Order Carnivora and Family Felidae. Being in the Order Carnivora means that all lions have powerful jaws and teeth adapted for stabbing, tearing, and eating flesh. Being a member of the Family Felidae means that all lions are cats, or felines, and thus share similar basic qualities and characteristics with other cats; from sabertooth to house cat.
      There are 5 subspecies of lions: Angolian lion (P. l. bleyenbergerghi), Asiatic lion (P. l. persica), Masai lion (P. l. massaicus), Senegalese lion (P. l. senegalensis), and Transvaal lion (P. l. krugeri). The Angolian lion lives in Angolia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Zimbabwe. The Asiatic lion is only present in the wild in the Gir Forest of India. The Masai lion lives in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The Senegalese lion reigns in West Africa, whereas the Transvaal lion reigns in Transvaal. Since they're territories have not been known to overlap, it is easiest to discern which subspecies you are dealing with in the wild based on you location.

      The King of Beasts is distributed throughout Africa, from Sub Sahara to South Africa (excluding the Congo rainforest belt). We must not forget Gujarat, India where the Gir Forest Sanctuary holding the last wild Asiatic lions is located in our calculations. With the multiple countries in which these cats reside also comes an equally varied array of habitats. From the savanna woodlands of East Africa to the sands of the Kalahari Desert, lions have adapted to rule it all.
      Lions are known to us humans to be quite large, but there are subtle differences between adult males and females. From head to rear, males can be 8.5 - 10.8 ft, whereas females can only be 5.2 - 6.2 ft long. At shoulder height, males can be up to 4 ft and females up to 3.6 ft. The length of the tail for both males and females ranges from about 2 - 3.3 ft. Males can weigh from 330 - 530 lbs, while females only weigh 270 - 400 lbs. While adult lions can live up to 18 years in the wild, they can live up to 25 in captivity. This increase in longevity is due to many factors, including consistent food, shelter from harsh elements, and expert veterinary care.
      The typical menu in a wild lion's life would be mainly hoofed mammals such as gazelles, zebras, antelopes, giraffes, and wild hogs. The young of larger mammals, such as elephants and rhinos, are sometimes also hunted. Lions will also take smaller prey such as rodents, hares, small birds, and reptiles. However, since lions tend to gorge on food until full and then sleep it off, I doubt they would go for small prey often unless larger delicacies were scarce. Nonetheless, regardless of their diet, females typically need about 11 lbs, while males need about 15 lbs a day.
      Females are sexually mature at about 36 - 46 months in the wild and about 24 - 28 months in captivity. I can guess that they are sexually mature sooner in captivity because they are generally healthier and receive all the best nutrients needed to grow than they would in the wild. Once conceived, and after a gestation period of 100 - 119 days, around 2 - 4 cubs are born per litter. Cubs can be born at any time of the year, and are completely independent by about 2 1/2 years.
      From a distance, lions look a general golden brown, but up close there are distinctions throughout a lions coat. A lion can be light to dark tawny, with a lighter coloring on its abdomen and inner side of its legs. The back of the ears are black. Immature youngsters have a rosette pattern which fades as they mature, although the pattern may remain on lower abdomen and legs on adults. The male's mane varies from platinum blonde through reddish brown to black.


Purpose of the Mane

      Male African lions are recognized worldwide by the hair growing around their head, neck, and upper chest. Like a crown on a king, a lion's mane is impossible to ignore. Dr. Craig Packer is the leading researcher of lions and has been recording the lives of lions in Tanzania for years. Curious about why lions had manes, he set out to answer the questions: Why do lions have different colored manes? Do the colors serve a special purpose, or are they just for show?
      In order to discover possible answers to the purpose of the mane, Dr. Packer and his research team ordered 4 life sized lion dummies from a Dutch toy company. Each had a different type of mane: one was short and blond, one was short and black, one was long and blond, and one was long and black. The dummies were placed throughout the lion territory of Tanzania and watched by hidden cameras. Packer and his team wanted to see how real lions would react to these plush replicas.

      Their findings were astonishing. The male lions would attack the blond plushes but stay well away from the black-maned plushes. In contrast, the females would ignore the blonds and rather shamelessly attempt to seduce the black-maned plushes. With these reactions in mind, the Packer team went through their data --- which consists of multiple generations of lions from multiple families --- and searched for the differences between light- and dark-maned lions.
      It turns out that the darker maned lions have higher testosterone levels than the lighter maned lions. This increased testosterone concentration in the body increases the lions ability to sire healthier cubs, heal faster after being wounded, and become stronger than lighter maned males. The purpose of a lion's mane is to indicate the testosterone level of its wearer. Furthermore, lions seem to know --- whether by experience or by being born with the knowledge already engrained into their DNA is unclear --- that darker-maned males will make better mates to females and worse foes to males.


Conservation Status

      African lions are listed and ranked as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with numbers declining due to habitat loss. In even worse condition, the Asiatic subspecies (P. l. persica) is ranked as Critically Endangered.
      The Cape lion (P. l. melanochaiatus), and the Barbary lion (P. l. leo), formerly found in North Africa, are both listed as Extinct.

      When asked by a reporter: Why are you so devoted to the study and conservation of these creatures?, Packer responded, "So that 100 years from now, there are still lions in Tanzania."


Disney Side-Note

      In Disney's 1994 animated movie "The Lion King", a lion cub named Simba leaves home and gives up his right to be king after being tricked into thinking he killed his father. His father is Mufasa, a large golden lion with a flowing red mane. Simba's evil uncle (Mufasa's brother), Scar, is a washed out gangly creature with a scraggly black mane. While Mufasa is the stronger king and father figure, Scar is and outcast who is disliked by the rest of the pride.
      In light of Dr. Craig Packer's new discovery, having Mufasa drawn with a darker mane and making Scar a blond would have been more accurate. However, since it's a movie, I'm going to let it slide. Red and gold are the colors of bravery and have been associated with lions for centuries, and black and scars are usually accompanied by the antagonists in stories.

      While this subject is interesting to think upon, I do not think Disney should change their perspective on lions, and "The Lion King" is perfect just the way it is.