One
look at a big male lion, with its magnificent mane and proud
walk, and it is easy to understand why lions are called the
'king of beasts.' Their strength and beauty, combined with their
bold natures, have fascinated people for ages.
How
they multiply
Lion
cubs (baby lions) need lots of loving care.
At
birth, cubs are blind, can
barely crawl, and weigh less
than five pounds.
For
the first few weeks, the cubs stay hidden away from the pride.
Then their mother brings them out to join the 'family.'
When
the mother is away hunting, other lions feed and watch over her
young.
What
they eat
Lions
are meat eaters. They prefer
larger prey such as buffalo-because larger prey provides more
meat.
More
often, lions capture zebra, or other hoofed animals.
If
their regular prey is unavailable, they will eat hares, tortoises.
A
starving lion will eat almost anything it can find including snake,
insects, peanuts, fruit - even rotten wood.
How
they hunt
Female
lions work together when hunting. The team
divides into two groups. One group silently circles around
to get ahead of the prey. When the first group is in position,
the second group shows itself and purposely scares the
prey. The frightened prey stampedes-right into the first
group of lions.
Most
lions can leap 35 feet through
the air in a single jump, and they use their
sharp claws and teeth to grab startled animals.
A
lion is so strong
it can easily knock down-and hold down-prey that is three
times bigger than itself.
When
they can, lions get food by taking it away from other
animals.
Where
they live
Lions
are found today in only a few parts of the world. They live in
small areas of Africa and in a very small
section of India. In the past, lions lived almost all
over the world - on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.
