African Lion (Panthera leo)

DESCRIPTION - A tawny body. White lions have been recorded (although not true albinos) while the black form - as seen in leopards and jaguars for example - has never been observed. Unlike the slitted pupil in the eyes of domestic cats, lions have a round pupil like humans. Lions are the only cats to have tufted tails and male lions the only cat to have a mane.

In African lions the mane is very thick and usually covers the ears (unlike the mane of the Asiatic lion, where the ears can be seen). It is thought that the heavy mane protects males when they are fighting. It can also emphasise his powerful size and show off the good state of his health to opposing males without wasting energy in supporting an increased body size. Mane development is influenced by testosterone and, in captivity, castrated male lions will lose their mane.

BEHAVIOUR - Lions are the only members of the cat family to live in prides. This is made up of a group of females, all related to each other, and their cubs. There is no dominant female. The pride is led by a single dominant male or a coalition of males.

The males are highly social and will hunt and scavenge together, whether they are in charge of a pride, or whether they are a group of young males living alone. If the males are living and working together as a pair they tend to be unrelated; large groups tend to be related to each other.

The roles of the males and females are quite different. Females tend to do all the hunting for the group while males expend a great deal of energy protecting their pride from outside males. Sometimes a male will only be in charge of a pride for two years. However, groups of males are more successful and can remain in control for four-five years.

There is some disagreement about why lions live in prides. There are advantages and disadvantages. Although it is easier for lions to bring down their large prey animals when hunting as a group, this may not result in the individuals getting more food than when hunting alone - there is usually a lot of squabbling and fighting going on at the kill, and it also has to be shared with members in the pride who do not hunt.

Social living can be a benefit when defending and looking after the young. Females in the pride will often give birth all at the same time - another feature unique to lions.. The young can then be reared communally, with the cubs suckling from any of the females in milk.

Lions do seem to get a lot of pleasure from each other's company, when not under pressure, and are very affectionate and playful with each other.

DIET - Generally large ungulates such as buffalo, zebra and wildebeest but lions will also take a wide range of prey, from rodents to young rhinos, hippos and elephants.

Fluid requirements - although lions drink regularly when water is available they are capable of getting the necessary moisture from their prey - and even from plants. Lions in the Kalahari desert have been seen eating tsama melons.

LONGEVITY - In the wild males generally live for 12-16 years, females 15-16 years. In captivity lions can live up to 25-30 years.

DISTRIBUTION / POPULATION STATUS - The lion formerly ranged from northern Africa through southwest Asia, west into Europe and east into India. However, it became extinct in Europe about 2,000 years ago; and there is only a relict population of about 350 animals left in the Gir Forest in India. The lion has also declined in Africa in the last 150 years. Today it is estimated there are between 30,000 - 100,000 lions, mainly in east and southern Africa; in west Africa numbers have greatly declined.

THREATS TO SURVIVAL - Throughout most of Africa, lions are becoming increasingly rare outside protected areas. Cattle culture is widespread and lions are seen as a threat to stock and are shot or poisoned. As scavengers, lion will also pick up poisoned meat meant for other harmful predators.

Trophy hunting - this is also a problem. Trophy hunting is often allowed outside game reserves to bring in revenue - in South Africa a hunter can pay 40-50,000 rand (about £7,000) for the pleasure of shooting a lion. Whatever the moral arguments on this issue, hunting can have an adverse affect on the pride - firstly it isolates the pride within the reserve or protected area by shooting any males migrating or living outside the reserve. This prevents new genetic material being incorporated into the pride.

Secondly, hunters will seek out and kill the best males in their prime. If this happens to be the dominant male in the pride it leaves a vacancy for a new male who will take over and who will then kill all the cubs sired by his predecessor. In addition, as it is usually the fittest lions and those best at survival which gain dominant male status, taking out these top males will ultimately harm the genetic fitness of the pride.

Traditional Chinese Medicine - the tiger is currently being poached, almost to extinction, to provide bones and other body parts for use in traditional Chinese medicine. As tiger bones are becoming more difficult to get hold of, the lion is considered an acceptable substitute. Even for those who insist on using only tiger bones, the two are indistinguishable to non-experts. There are rumours that dealers are already stockpiling lion bone should tiger bone no longer be available.