Lion

Animal Unique | Lion | Lion is a carnivore (meat eater) and a hunter. Lions are mostly found in Africa and a small reserve in India. The lion is the second largest member of the cat family that lives in Africa. It hunts many animals and people they can live in cold regions, a very hot environment or in dense forests. In the past there were lions in the wild in Europe. Today, many lions live in zoos around the world. In the past they lived in northern India, Pakistan, and Arabia. Lions are also used as symbols of courage. They appear in heraldry often than any other animal. They are considered the king of animals and the icon of courage and royalty. The lion is the highest of all living cats, bigger than the tiger. Behind only the tiger, the lion is the second largest living felid in height and weight. Its skull is very similar to that of the tiger, although the frontal region is usually depressed and flat, with a shorter post-orbital region. The largest skull has broader nasal openings than the tiger. Because of the amount of variation in the skull, two types, generally only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator species. Lion color varies from light buff to yellowish, reddish or dark ochraceous brown. The abdomen are generally lighter and the tail tuft is black. Lion cubs are born with brown rosettes...

Read More........→August 10, 2012

Lions added to endangered species list

In response to the alarming decline of lion populations in the wild, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has listed two lion subspecies as endangered and threatened. Without action to protect them, African lions could see their populations halved by 2035. This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced it will list two lion subspecies under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Panthera leo leo – located in India and western and central Africa – will be listed as endangered, while Panthera leo melanochaita – found in eastern and southern Africa – will be listed as threatened. In the last 20 years, lion populations have declined by 43% due to a combination of habitat loss, loss of prey base, trophy hunting, poaching for skins and uses in Chinese traditional medicine, and retaliatory killing of lions by a growing human population. The killing of Cecil the lion in July of this year served to further highlight this issue. Coupled with inadequate financial and other resources for countries to effectively manage protected areas, the impact on lions in the wild has been substantial. Having once been present in south-eastern Europe and throughout much of the Middle East and India, the animals have now lost 85% of their historic range, as shown on the map below. Their numbers could be halved again by 2035, according to a...

Read More........→October 18, 2016