Before moving on to the information about lions, it is interesting and want to correct the wrong statement that they used about all over the world. It should be noted that lions do not live in forests, so the title of the King of Forests attributed to them is incorrect.
The scientific name of the lion, which is a family of Catfish, is “Panthera leo”. Its skin is light brown and yellow. There are lions in dark brown colors but they are much less common than others. Men have an imposing mane, spilled to their shoulders. The bristles on the sail are hard and durable. It is thought that men with dark and relatively larger sails are preferred by the female lions in the selection of wives.
Weight and height vary according to gender. The weight of the male lion is between 190-280 kg depending on the environment in which he lives. The female lion weighs less than the male and weighs 110-150 kg. In height, men are superior to females. The height of the male is between 2.4-2.7 m and the length of females is 2.1-2.3 m. When they stand on their feet, they come in lengths, men 87-93 cm, females 70-75 cm.
Male lion is a symbol of full power. His shoulders, feet and chest are extremely muscular. With a claw stroke, it can break the backbone of an average sized animal. Despite such a strong structure, the specially designed claws approach the prey very quietly. The nails have a very sharp structure and can be pulled in if desired.
Even in very little light, they have advanced vision capabilities. Thus, lions can hunt at night. Because they can’t move their eyes from one side to the other, they have to turn their heads to look at an object on the side.
They have a strong odor. These abilities help them in many matters. The lions see a certain area as their own area and the other lions violently resist when they enter this area. Drawing the boundary of the region is done by peeing on certain areas and the same way that another lion enters into its own area is also through sniffing. This advanced sensation helps him to find the prey that he has hidden from time to time by another predator. In order to have this special odor function, the jakobson organ located at the top of the mouth has an important function.
When a lion is seen lying in a shade, then breathing deeply and then grimacing in his mouth, it must be understood that he actually smells the environment.
The only cat that has a tassel at the end of its tail between the feline is a lion. Tail is an important equilibrium tool, and it is thought that females use their queues for communication with offspring.
In the case of lions, an important feature is the fearful roaring that can be heard from far away. They perform this movement through a two-part special bone in their throat. Roaring acts as a warning to other lions as well as the lion’s challenge.
When the lion cubs are born, their eyes are completely closed and they cannot see the surroundings. On average, females bring about 2-4 babies. However, this number can sometimes be up to 8. The pups are about 25-30 cm on average when they are first born. 400-450 grams in weight. Even if his eyes are opened after 2 weeks, he / she has to take another time to perform the visual function.
The offspring can eat soft food 4 weeks after birth. After a while, milk is introduced to the flock by the mother. Now the pup belongs to the herd and can absorb other females giving milk. Lions are extremely social animals and herd life is indispensable for them. While a small number of 4-5 female lions and a male lion, 15-18 female and 2-3 male lions can be found in a large herd.
In nature, there are almost no natural enemies for adults. Lion deaths by other animals usually occur in the hunt (from the horns or the double throw of the prey).
