Lion

Physical Description Lions have compact bodies. Jaws for pulling down and killing prey. Their coats are yellow- gold. Adult males have long, dark, shaggy manes.

Size Male lions grow larger than females. Males reach up to 10ft. long while females only up to 9ft. They have a two-to three- foot-long tail. Male lions weigh from 330 to 530 lbs; females 270 to 300 lbs

Natural Diet Lions eat primarily large animals, such as zebra, and wildebeest, weighing from 100 to 1,000 pounds. They also catch and eat a variety of smaller animals from rodents to reptiles. Lions steal kills from hyenas, leopards, and other predators, but may also lose their catches to hyena groups.

National Zoo Diet Keepers feed the zoo’s lions beef. Once a week they give them horse tails, which exercise the lion’s teeth and jaw while they chew their meal.

Life Span The Zoo VS. The Wild Zoo lions may live up to 25 years, depending on a couple of things: When did the zoo capture the lion What condition was the animal in Wild lions only live up to 15 years. That is because they have to get their own food, and take care of themselves, while trying not to be someone else’s food.

The Past, Present, and Future More than 10,000 years ago, lions thrived from north and south America to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Today, following climatic changes and after centuries of hunting and habitat degradation by people, lions live in scattered habitats across Africa.

Skills Lions can run up to 30 mph, but only over short distances. Lions are able to take down prey three times their size. A lion’s roar can be heard up to five miles away. Roaring is believed to have a territorial function and to help animals locate each other.

Characteristics The lion is the second largest felid. Weighing up to 425 pounds. Males being slightly larger than females. Both have a rounded head and are powerfully built and have a uniformly colored coat.

How Many Lions Are Left? Habitat destruction has been the main cause of the decrease in population for both African and Asian lions. As wild lands are converted into farms and ranches,wild prey becomes scarce. Lions have also been killed because they are perceived as a threat to domestic livestock.

Resources Great cats (lions) Lion web resources for students The lion research center