Lion From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation).

Page semi-protected Lion[1] Temporal range: Early Pleistocene to Recent Male Female (lioness) Conservation status Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[2] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Species: P. leo Binomial name Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758)[3] Distribution of lions in India: The Gir Forest, in Gujarat, is the last natural range of about 400 wild Asiatic lions. There are plans to reintroduce some lions to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. Synonyms Felis leo Linnaeus, 1758[3] The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weigh t,[4] it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia (where an endangered remnant population resides in Gir Forest National Park in India) while other types of lions have di sappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large lan d mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from we stern Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.[5] The lion i s a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline in its African ra nge of 30 50% per two decades during the second half of the 20th century.[2] Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Althou gh the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the Wes t African lion population is particularly endangered. Lions live for 10 14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer th an 20 years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than 10 years, as injuries su stained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity. [6] They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest. Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Gr oups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. Lions are apex and keystone predators, although they scavenge as opportunity al lows. While lions do not typically hunt humans, some have been known to do so. S leeping mainly during the day, lions are primarily nocturnal, although bordering on crepuscular[7][8] in nature. Highly distinctive, the male lion is easily recognised by its mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture. Depiction

s have existed from the Upper Paleolithic period, with carvings and paintings fr om the Lascaux and Chauvet Caves, through virtually all ancient and medieval cul tures where they once occurred. It has been extensively depicted in sculptures, in paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary films and literature. Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman Empire, and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoos over the world since the late eighte enth century. Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endang ered Asiatic subspecies. Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 Taxonomy and evolution 2.1 Subspecies 2.1.1 Recent 2.1.2 Pleistocene 2.1.3 Dubious 2.2 Hybrids 3 Characteristics 3.1 Mane 3.2 White lions 4 Behaviour 4.1 Group organization 4.2 Hunting and diet 4.2.1 Predator competition 4.2.2 Man-eating 4.3 Reproduction and life cycle 4.4 Health 4.5 Communication 5 Distribution and habitat 6 Population and conservation status 6.1 In captivity 6.2 Baiting and taming 7 Cultural depictions 8 Heraldic depictions 9 See also 10 References 10.1 Cited texts 11 External links Etymology The lion's name, similar in many Romance languages, is derived from the Latin le o;[9] and the Ancient Greek ???? (leon).[10] The Hebrew word ?????? (lavi) may a lso be related.[11] It was one of the species originally described by Linnaeus, who gave it the name Felis leo, in his eighteenth-century work, Systema Naturae. [3] Taxonomy and evolution The lion's closest relatives are the other species of the genus Panthera: the ti ger, the jaguar, and the leopard. P. leo evolved in Africa between 1 million and 800,000 years ago, before spreading throughout the Holarctic region.[12] It app eared in the fossil record in Europe for the first time 700,000 years ago with t he subspecies Panthera leo fossilis at Isernia in Italy. From this lion derived the later cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea), which appeared about 300,000 years a go.[13] Lions died out in northern Eurasia at the end of the last glaciation, ab out 10,000 years ago;[14] this may have been secondary to the extinction of Plei stocene megafauna.[15] Subspecies Traditionally, 12 recent subspecies of lion were recognised, distinguished by ma ne appearance, size, and distribution. Because these characteristics are very in significant and show a high individual variability, most of these forms were pro bably not true subspecies, especially as they were often based upon zoo material

of unknown origin that may have had "striking, but abnormal" morphological char acteristics.[16] Today, only eight subspecies are usually accepted,[14][17] alth ough one of these, the Cape lion, formerly described as Panthera leo melanochait a, is probably invalid.[17] Even the remaining seven subspecies might be too man y. While the status of the Asiatic lion (P. l. persica) as a subspecies is gener ally accepted, the systematic relationships among African lions are still not co mpletely resolved. Mitochondrial variation in living African lions seemed to be modest according to some newer studies, therefore all sub-Saharan lions sometime s have been considered a single subspecies, however, a recent study revealed lio ns from western and central Africa differ genetically from lions of southern or eastern Africa. According to this study, Western African lions are more closely related to Asian lions than to South or East African lions. These findings might be explained by a late Pleistocene extinction event of lions in western and cen tral Africa and a subsequent recolonization of these parts from Asia.[18] Previo us studies, which were focused mainly on lions from eastern and southern parts o f Africa, already showed these can be possibly divided in two main clades: one t o the west of the Great Rift Valley and the other to the east. Lions from Tsavo in eastern Kenya are much closer genetically to lions in Transvaal (South Africa ), than to those in the Aberdare Range in western Kenya.[19] Another study revea led there are three major types of lions, one North African Asian, one southern Af rican and one middle African.[20] Conversely, Per Christiansen found that using skull morphology allowed him to identify the subspecies krugeri, nubica, persica , and senegalensis, while there was overlap between bleyenberghi with senegalens is and krugeri. The Asiatic lion persica was the most distinctive, and the Cape lion had characteristics allying it more with P. l. persica than the other sub-S aharan lions. He had analysed 58 lion skulls in three European museums.[21] By far most lions kept in zoos are hybrids of different subspecies. Approximatel y 77% of the captive lions registered by the International Species Information S ystem are of unknown origin. Nonetheless, they might carry genes which are extin ct in the wild, and might be therefore important to maintain overall genetic var iability of the lion.[17] It is believed that those lions, imported to Europe be fore the middle of the nineteenth century, were mainly either Barbary lions from North Africa or lions from the Cape.[22] Recent Range map of the commonly accepted subspecies of the lion in the late twentieth century Eight recent (Holocene) subspecies are recognised today: P. l. persica, known as the Asiatic lion or South Asian, Persian, or Indian lion , once was widespread from Turkey, across Southwest Asia, to India and Pakistan, however, large prides and daylight activity made them easier to poach than tige rs or leopards;[23] now around 400 exist in and near the Gir Forest of India.[24 ] Genetic evidence suggests its ancestors split from the ancestors of sub-Sahara n African lions between 203 and 74 thousand years ago.[14] P. l. leo, known as the Barbary lion, originally ranged from Morocco to Egypt. I t is extinct in the wild due to excessive hunting, as the last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922.[25] This was one of the largest of the lion subs pecies,[26] with reported lengths of 3.0 3.3 m (9.8 10.8 ft) and weights of more tha n 200 kg (440 lb) for males. It appears to be more closely related to the Asiati c rather than sub-Saharan lions. A number of animals in captivity are likely to be Barbary lions,[27] particularly the 90 animals descended from the Moroccan Ro yal collection at Rabat Zoo.[28] P. l. senegalensis, known as the West African lion, is found in western Africa, from Senegal to the Central African Republic.[29][30] P. l. azandica, known as the northeast Congo Lion, is found in the northeastern parts of the Congo.[29] P. l. nubica, known as the East African or Masai lion is found in East Africa, f rom Ethiopia and Kenya to Tanzania and Mozambique;[30] a local population is kno wn as the Tsavo lion.

P. l. bleyenberghi, known as the southwest African or Katanga lion, is found in southwestern Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Katanga (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[30] P. l. krugeri, known as the southeast African or Transvaal lion, is found in the Transvaal region of southeastern Africa, including Kruger National Park.[30] P. l. melanochaita, known as the Cape lion, became extinct in the wild around 18 60. Results of mitochondrial DNA research do not support its status as a distinc t subspecies. The Cape lion probably was only the southernmost population of the extant P. l. krugeri.[17] A newly discerned lion subspecies could exist in captivity in Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa.[31] Researchers compared the microsatellite variations ove r ten loci of fifteen lions in captivity with those of six different wild lion p opulations. They determined that these lions are genetically unique and presumab ly that "their wild source population is similarly unique." These lions with males that have a distinctly dark and luxuriant mane seam to define a new subspecies perhaps native only to Ethiopia. These lions were part of a collection of the la te Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.[32] Pleistocene Several additional subspecies of lion existed in prehistoric times: P. l. fossilis, known as the Middle Pleistocene European cave lion, flourished a bout 500,000 years ago; fossils have been recovered from Germany and Italy. It w as larger than today's African lions, reaching sizes comparable to the American cave lion and slightly larger than the Upper Pleistocene European cave lion.[14] [33] Cave lions in the Chauvet Cave, France P. l. spelaea, known as the European cave lion, Eurasian cave lion, or Upper Ple istocene European cave lion, occurred in Eurasia 300,000 to 10,000 years ago.[14 ] This species is known from Paleolithic cave paintings, ivory carvings, and cla y busts,[34] indicating it had protruding ears, tufted tails, perhaps faint tige r-like stripes, and at least some had a ruff or primitive mane around their neck s, possibly indicating males.[35] P. l. atrox, known as the American lion or American cave lion, was abundant in t he Americas from Canada to Peru in the Pleistocene Epoch until about 10,000 year s ago. This form is the sister clade of P. l. spelaea, and likely arose when an early P. l. spelaea population became isolated south of the North American conti nental ice sheet about 0.34 Mya.[36] One of the largest purported lion subspecie s to have existed, its body length is estimated to have been 1.6 2.5 m (5.2 8.2 ft). [37] Dubious P. l. youngi or Panthera youngi, flourished 350,000 years ago.[5] Its relationsh ip to the extant lion subspecies is obscure, and it probably represents a distin ct species. P. l. sinhaleyus, known as the Sri Lanka lion, appears to have become extinct ar ound 39,000 years ago. It is only known from two teeth found in deposits at Kuru wita. Based on these teeth, P. Deraniyagala erected this subspecies in 1939.[38] P. l. vereshchagini, the Beringian cave lion of Yakutia (Russia), Alaska (USA), and the Yukon Territory (Canada), has been considered a subspecies separate from P. l. spelaea on morphological grounds. However, mitochondrial DNA sequences ob tained from cave lion fossils from Europe and Alaska were indistinguishable.[36] P. l. mesopotamica or Mesopotamian lion, flourished during the Neo-Assyrian Peri od (approximately 1000 600 BC).[39] It inhabited the Mesopotamian Plain where it p robably represents a distinct sub-species. Nearly all ancient Mesopotamian repre sentations of male lions demonstrate full underbelly hair in which until recentl y was only identified in the Barbary lion (Panthera leo leo) from Northern Afric a and in most Asiatic lions (P. l. persica) from captivity in colder climates. A ncient evidence from adjacent landmasses reveal no substantiation for lions with underbelly hair in this manner so that the distinct phenotype of depicted lions in ancient Mesopotamia (including Babylon, Elam and ancient Persia) represent a

n extinct sub-species. Many of the images of these lions are derived from lion h unting sculptures so that the extinction of this sub-species likely resulted fro m overhunting in the ancient world. P. l. europaea, known as the European lion, was probably identical with Panthera leo persica or Panthera leo spelea. It became extinct around 100 AD due to pers ecution and over-exploitation. It inhabited the Balkans, the Italian Peninsula, southern France, and the Iberian Peninsula. It was a very popular object of hunt ing among ancient Romans and Greeks. P. l. maculatus, known as the marozi or spotted lion, sometimes is believed to b e a distinct subspecies, but may be an adult lion that has retained its juvenile spotted pattern. If it was a subspecies in its own right, rather than a small n umber of aberrantly coloured individuals, it has been extinct since 1931. A less likely identity is a natural leopard-lion hybrid commonly known as a leopon.[40 ] Hybrids Further information: Panthera hybrid, Liger, and Tiglon File:Lion Cubs Phinda 2011.ogv Video of lioness and her cubs in the wild, South Africa Lions have been known to breed with tigers (most often the Siberian and Bengal s ubspecies) to create hybrids called ligers and tiglons (or tigons).[41] They als o have been crossed with leopards to produce leopons,[42] and jaguars to produce jaglions. The marozi is reputedly a spotted lion or a naturally occurring leopo n, while the Congolese spotted lion is a complex lion-jaguar-leopard hybrid call ed a lijagulep. Such hybrids were once commonly bred in zoos, but this is now di scouraged due to the emphasis on conserving species and subspecies. Hybrids are still bred in private menageries and in zoos in China. The liger is a cross between a male lion and a tigress.[43] Because the growth-i nhibiting gene from the female tiger mother is absent, the growth-promoting gene passed on by the male lion father is unimpeded by a regulating gene and the res ulting ligers grow far larger than either parent. They share physical and behavi oural qualities of both parent species (spots and stripes on a sandy background) . Male ligers are sterile, but female ligers often are fertile. Males have about a 50% chance of having a mane, but if they grow them, their manes will be modes t: around 50% the size of a pure lion mane. Ligers are much bigger than normal lions, typically 3.0 to 3.7 m (9.8 to 12.1 ft ) in length, and can weigh 360 to 450 kg (790 to 990 lb).[43] The less common tiglon or tigon is a cross between a lioness and a male tiger.[4 4] In contrast to ligers, tigons are often relatively small in comparison to the ir parents, because of reciprocal gene effects.[45] Characteristics

A skeletal mount of an African Lion attacking a Common Eland on display at The M useum of Osteology, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma The lion is the tallest (at the shoulder) of all living cats, averaging approxim ately 5 cm (2.0 in) taller than the tiger. Behind only the tiger, the lion is th e second largest living felid in length and weight. Its skull is very similar to that of the tiger, although the frontal region is usually more depressed and fl attened, with a slightly shorter postorbital region. The lion's skull has broade r nasal openings than the tiger, however, due to the amount of skull variation i n the two species, usually, only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species.[46] Lion colouration varies from light buff to y ellowish, reddish, or dark ochraceous brown. The underparts are generally lighte r and the tail tuft is black. Lion cubs are born with brown rosettes (spots) on their body, rather like those of a leopard. Although these fade as lions reach a dulthood, faint spots often may still be seen on the legs and underparts, partic ularly on lionesses. Lions are the only members of the cat family to display obvious sexual dimorphis

m that is, males and females look distinctly different. They also have specialis ed roles that each gender plays in the pride. For instance, the lioness, the hun ter, lacks the male's thick mane. The colour of the male's mane varies from blon d to black, generally becoming darker as the lion grows older. During confrontations with others, the mane makes the lion look larger Weights for adult lions range between 150 250 kg (330 550 lb) for males and 120 182 kg (265 401 lb) for females.[4] Nowell and Jackson report average weights of 181 kg (399 lb) for males and 126 kg (278 lb) for females.[25] Lions tend to vary in si ze depending on their environment and area, resulting in a wide spread in record ed weights. For instance, lions in southern Africa, tend, in general, to be appr oximately 5% heavier than those in East Africa.[47] Head and body length is 70 250 cm (2 ft 4 in 8 ft 2 in) in males and 140 175 cm (4 ft 7 in 5 ft 9 in) in females; shoulder height is up to 123 cm (4.04 ft) in males and as low as 91 cm (2.99 ft) in females.[48] The tail length is 90 105 cm (2 ft 11 i n 3 ft 5 in) in males and 70 100 centimetres (2 ft 4 in 3 ft 3 in) in females.[4] The longest known lion, at nearly 3.6 m (12 ft) in total length, was a black-maned m ale shot near Mucsso, southern Angola in October 1973; the heaviest lion known i n the wild was a man-eater shot in 1936 just outside Hectorspruit in eastern Tra nsvaal, South Africa and weighed 313 kg (690 lb).[49] Another notably outsized m ale lion, which was shot near Mount Kenya, weighed in at 272 kg (600 lb).[25] Li ons in captivity tend to be larger than lions in the wild the heaviest lion on r ecord is a male at Colchester Zoo in England named Simba in 1970, which weighed 375 kg (827 lb).[50] However, the frequently cited maximum head and body length of 250 cm (8 ft 2 in) fits rather to extinct Pleistocene forms, like the America n lion, with even large modern lions measuring several centimetres less in lengt h.[51] The most distinctive characteristic shared by both females and males is that the tail ends in a hairy tuft. In some lions, the tuft conceals a hard "spine" or " spur", approximately 5 mm long, formed of the final sections of tail bone fused together. The lion is the only felid to have a tufted tail the function of the t uft and spine are unknown. Absent at birth, the tuft develops around 5 months of age and is readily identifiable at 7 months.[52] Mane The mane of the adult male lion, unique among cats, is one of the most distincti ve characteristics of the species. It makes the lion appear larger, providing an excellent intimidation display; this aids the lion during confrontations with o ther lions and with the species' chief competitor in Africa, the spotted hyena.[ 53] The presence, absence, colour, and size of the mane is associated with genet ic precondition, sexual maturity, climate, and testosterone production; the rule of thumb is the darker and fuller the mane, the healthier the lion. Sexual sele ction of mates by lionesses favors males with the densest, darkest mane.[54] Res earch in Tanzania also suggests mane length signals fighting success in male male relationships. Darker-maned individuals may have longer reproductive lives and h igher offspring survival, although they suffer in the hottest months of the year .[55] In prides including a coalition of two or three males, it is possible that lionesses solicit mating more actively with the males who are more heavily mane d.[54] A maneless Tsavo lion male, Tsavo East National Park, Kenya Scientists once believed that the distinct status of some subspecies could be ju stified by morphology, including the size of the mane. Morphology was used to id entify subspecies such as the Barbary lion and Cape lion. Research has suggested , however, that environmental factors influence the colour and size of a lion's mane, such as the ambient temperature.[55] The cooler ambient temperature in Eur opean and North American zoos, for example, may result in a heavier mane. Thus t he mane is not an appropriate marker for identifying subspecies.[17][56] The mal es of the Asiatic subspecies, however, are characterised by sparser manes than a

verage African lions.[57] In the Pendjari National Park area almost all males are maneless or have very we ak manes.[58] Maneless male lions have also been reported from Senegal, from Sud an (Dinder National Park), and from Tsavo East National Park in Kenya, and the o riginal male white lion from Timbavati also was maneless. The testosterone hormo ne has been linked to mane growth, therefore castrated lions often have minimal to no mane, as the removal of the gonads inhibits testosterone production.[59] Cave paintings of extinct European cave lions almost exclusively show animals wi th no manes, suggesting that either they were maneless,[35] or that the painting s depict lionesses as seen hunting in a group. White lions White lions owe their colouring to a recessive gene; they are rare forms of the subspecies Panthera leo krugeri The white lion is not a distinct subspecies, but a special morph with a genetic condition, leucism,[16] that causes paler colouration akin to that of the white tiger; the condition is similar to melanism, which causes black panthers. They a re not albinos, having normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin. White Transvaal lion (Panthera leo krugeri) individuals occasionally have been encountered in a nd around Kruger National Park and the adjacent Timbavati Private Game Reserve i n eastern South Africa, but are more commonly found in captivity, where breeders deliberately select them. The unusual cream colour of their coats is due to a r ecessive gene.[60] Reportedly, they have been bred in camps in South Africa for use as trophies to be killed during canned hunts.[61] Behaviour

Adult male lion of the Okondeka pride stretching in Etosha National Park Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per d ay.[62] Although lions can be active at any time, their activity generally peaks after dusk with a period of socializing, grooming, and defecating. Intermittent bursts of activity follow through the night hours until dawn, when hunting most often takes place. They spend an average of two hours a day walking and 50 minu tes eating.[63] Group organization Two lionesses and a mature male of a pride, northern Serengeti Two males and a female in Masai Mara, southwest Kenya Lions are the most socially inclined of all wild felids, most of which remain qu ite solitary in nature. The lion is a predatory carnivore with two types of soci al organization. Some lions are residents, living in groups centering around rel ated lionesses, called prides.[64] Females form the stable social unit in a prid e and do not tolerate outside females;[65] membership only changes with the birt hs and deaths of lionesses,[66] although some females do leave and become nomadi c.[67] The pride usually consists of five or six females, their cubs of both sex es, and one or two males (known as a coalition if more than one) who mate with t he adult females (although extremely large prides, consisting of up to 30 indivi duals, have been observed). The number of adult males in a coalition is usually two, but may increase to four and decrease again over time. Male cubs are exclud ed from their maternal pride when they reach maturity at around 2 3 years of age.[ 67] The second organizational behaviour is labeled nomads, who range widely and move about sporadically, either singularly or in pairs.[64] Pairs are more frequ ent among related males who have been excluded from their birth pride. Note that a lion may switch lifestyles; nomads may become residents and vice versa. Males , as a rule, live at least some portion of their lives as nomads and some are ne

ver able to join another pride. A female who becomes a nomad has much greater di fficulty joining a new pride, as the females in a pride are related, and they re ject most attempts by an unrelated female to join their family group. The area a pride occupies is called a pride area, whereas that by a nomad is a r ange.[64] The males associated with a pride tend to stay on the fringes, patroll ing their territory. Why sociality the most pronounced in any cat species has de veloped in lionesses is the subject of much debate. Increased hunting success ap pears an obvious reason, but this is less than sure upon examination: coordinate d hunting does allow for more successful predation, but also ensures that non-hu nting members reduce per capita calorific intake, however, some take a role rais ing cubs, who may be left alone for extended periods of time. Members of the pri de regularly tend to play the same role in hunts and hone their skills. The heal th of the hunters is the primary need for the survival of the pride and they are the first to consume the prey at the site it is taken. Other benefits include p ossible kin selection (better to share food with a related lion than with a stra nger), protection of the young, maintenance of territory, and individual insuran ce against injury and hunger.[25] File:Lion.ogv Video of a wild lioness Lionesses do most of the hunting for their pride. They are more effective hunter s as they are smaller, swifter and more agile than the males, and unencumbered b y the heavy and conspicuous mane, which causes overheating during exertion. They act as a coordinated group with members who perform the same role consistently in order to stalk and bring down the prey successfully. Smaller prey is eaten at the location of the hunt, thereby being shared among the hunters; when the kill is larger it often is dragged to the pride area. There is more sharing of large r kills,[68] although pride members often behave aggressively toward each other as each tries to consume as much food as possible. If near the conclusion of the hunt, males have a tendency to dominate the kill once the lionesses have succee ded. They are more likely to share this with the cubs than with the lionesses, b ut males rarely share food they have killed by themselves. Both males and females can defend the pride against intruders, but the male lion is better-suited for this purpose due to its stockier, more powerful build.[69] Some individuals consistently lead the defence against intruders, while others lag behind.[70] Lions tend to assume specific roles in the pride. Those lagging behind may provide other valuable services to the group.[71] An alternative hypo thesis is that there is some reward associated with being a leader who fends off intruders and the rank of lionesses in the pride is reflected in these response s.[72] The male or males associated with the pride must defend their relationshi p to the pride from outside males who attempt to take over their relationship wi th the pride. Hunting and diet Lioness roars in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania While a lioness such as this one has very sharp teeth, prey is usually killed by strangulation The lioness is the one who does the hunting for the pride. The male lion associa ted with the pride usually stays and watches its young while waiting for the lio nesses to return from the hunt. Typically, several lionesses work together and e ncircle the herd from different points. Once they have closed with a herd, they usually target the closest prey. The attack is short and powerful; they attempt to catch the victim with a fast rush and final leap. The prey usually is killed by strangulation,[73] which can cause cerebral ischemia or asphyxia (which resul ts in hypoxemic, or "general", hypoxia). The prey also may be killed by the lion enclosing the animal's mouth and nostrils in its jaws (which would also result in asphyxia). Smaller prey, though, may simply be killed by a swipe of a lion's

paw.[4] Lions are powerful animals that usually hunt in coordinated groups and stalk the ir chosen prey. However, they are not particularly known for their stamina for i nstance, a lioness' heart makes up only 0.57% of her body weight (a male's is ab out 0.45% of his body weight), whereas a hyena's heart is close to 1% of its bod y weight.[74] Thus, they only run fast in short bursts,[75] and need to be close to their prey before starting the attack. They take advantage of factors that r educe visibility; many kills take place near some form of cover or at night.[76] They sneak up to the victim until they reach a distance of approximately 30 met res (98 feet) or less. Lioness in a burst of speed while hunting in the Serengeti The prey consists mainly of large mammals, with a preference for wildebeest, zeb ras, buffalo, and warthogs in Africa and nilgai, wild boar, and several deer spe cies in India. Many other species are hunted, based on availability. Mainly this will include ungulates weighing between 50 and 300 kg (110 and 660 lb) such as kudu, hartebeest, gemsbok, and eland.[4] Occasionally, they take relatively smal l species such as Thomson's gazelle or springbok. Lions hunting in groups are ca pable of taking down most animals, even healthy adults, but in most parts of the ir range they rarely attack very large prey such as fully grown male giraffes du e to the danger of injury. Extensive statistics collected over various studies show that lions normally fee d on mammals in the range 190 550 kg (420 1,210 lb). In Africa, wildebeest rank at t he top of preferred prey (making nearly half of the lion prey in the Serengeti) followed by zebra.[77] Most adult hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, elephants, and s maller gazelles, impala, and other agile antelopes are generally excluded. Howev er, giraffes and buffalos are often taken in certain regions. For instance, in K ruger National Park, giraffes are regularly hunted.[78] In Manyara Park, Cape bu ffaloes constitute as much as 62% of the lion's diet,[79] due to the high number density of buffaloes. Occasionally hippopotamus is also taken, but adult rhinoc eroses are generally avoided. Even though smaller than 190 kg (420 lb), warthogs are often taken depending on availability.[80] In some areas, lions specialise in hunting atypical prey species; this is the case at the Savuti river, where th ey prey on elephants.[81] Park guides in the area reported that the lions, drive n by extreme hunger, started taking down baby elephants, and then moved on to ad olescents and, occasionally, fully grown adults during the night when elephants' vision is poor.[82] In the Kalahari desert in South Africa, black-maned lions m ay chase baboons up a tree, wait patiently, then attack them when they try to es cape: Baboons caught up a tree by Kalahari lions (1 of 3)

Baboons caught up a tree by Kalahari lions (2 of 3)

Baboons caught up a tree by Kalahari lions (3 of 3)