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Overview
ED_LHIST.TXT
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Courting and Mating
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Cubs
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Daily Activity
ED_LHIST.TXT
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Mortality
ED_LHIST.TXT
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Origins
ED_LHIST.TXT
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Physiology
ED_LHIST.TXT
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Sub-Adults and Adults
ED_LHIST.TXT
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Cub and pangolin
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Cub near den
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Cubs times two
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Death of a lion
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Drinking water
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Female, bared teeth
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Females nuzzling
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Injured lion
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Lean on me
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Male and cub at kill
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Mating snarl
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Results of mating
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Scratching the tree
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Seated cub
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Sub-adult walking
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Sub-adults resting
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Three cubs
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Alert sub-adult
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Eating meat
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Frisky cubs
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Frisky cubs, part two
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Licking and grooming
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Lion with cub
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Males play biting
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Mating
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#
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No animal seems more at home 
in the vast landscape of the 
Serengeti than "The King of 
Beasts":
  -- whether surveying his 
     domain,
  -- bringing down prey,
  -- or merely walking from one 
     area to another.

In this "Life History" section, 
discover the origins of the lion 
species, and follow the lion 
through its entire life cycle: from 
cubhood through adulthood.

Learn how lions court and mate, 
and how the female lioness gives 
birth.



#
20
Watch the baby cubs as they take 
their first steps, and play along 
with the frisky larger cubs.

Find out about the physiology of 
lions: their body size and weight, 
and what parts of the lion's body 
contribute to their ability to 
hunt and live successfully in the 
Serengeti.

"Daily Activity" shows how lions 
eat, rest, and groom, and the 
section on "Mortality" presents 
the dangers that lions face.

Your "Lion Safari" begins with a 
click on the topic of your choice.

Have a good trip!


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#
16
A female may enter estrus (or 
heat) as early as 24 to 28 months, 
although 3 to 4 years is more 
common. Estrus usually lasts a 
week to 14 days, and occurs 
several times a year.

An estrous lioness is restless: 
lying down, getting up, rolling 
over, twisting on her back.

Sometimes, the lioness approach-
es the male, circles him, and 
perhaps crouches in front of 
him.



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During mating, the female makes 
an almost continuous deep growl, 
and her facial expression is 
threatening.

The growl of the female may 
suddenly turn into a snarl, and 
she will turn toward the male.

If he doesn't leave her fast 
enough, the male may get slapped 
or clouted by the female!

In most cases, the female lion 
then rolls on her side or back. 
The male, too, often rolls over on 
his back.



#
18
Brief altercations may take place 
over an estrous female, but they 
are uncommon.

The lioness often makes the 
decision, and may accept several 
males in succession if she is not 
attended by one particular male.

This is necessary, since nearly 
80% of the sexual activity does 
not result in pregnancy.

Approximately 3-1/2 months 
after a lion successfully mates, 
she temporarily leaves her pride 
or group to have her cubs.



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Cubs can be born during any 
month.

Sometimes 2 or 3 lionesses give 
birth about the same time, and 
they mutually care for all the 
cubs.

The size of the litter varies from 
1 to 6 cubs, but the average seems 
to be 2 or 3.


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Cubs weigh about 2 to 4 pounds 
(approximately 1 to 2 kilograms) 
at birth.

The baby cub's fur is soft, 
woolly, and grayish-yellow, with 
dark spots. Their eyes do not 
open until 3 to 15 days later, and 
are a gray-blue which changes to 
amber at about 3 months. Their 
first teeth appear around the 20th 
day. At 1 month, lion cubs can 
make most adult sounds in rough 
form, except for the full roar, 
which does not appear until sub-
adulthood.



#
16
After lionesses give birth, they 
place their cubs in thickets to 
keep them protected. A lioness 
with newborns is often separated 
from the rest of the pride while 
she tends to her offspring.

Cubs usually remain hidden until 
they are about 4 to 6 weeks old 
and are able to walk. Lionesses 
pick up the baby cubs by the 
scruff of their neck, but by 6 to 7 
weeks old, the cubs squirm and 
fuss if the mother attempts to do 
this.



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During the first two months, cubs 
subsist on milk, sometimes 
supplemented by meat brought 
by the mother. Lactating liones-
ses permit any small cubs from 
any litter to suckle, and often 
her own cubs must fight for po-
sition for milk.

Most cubs do not eat meat until 
they are brought to a kill by 
their mother, and, even then, 
they are not given any priority 
in eating.



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The choice of following a lioness 
or remaining behind is up to the 
cubs, since the lioness is often 
hard to follow. By the age of 5 to 
7 months, she ignores their 
miaows if they fall behind. 
Starving cubs or those too weak 
to walk are left behind, making 
them easy prey for other 
predators.

As adorable and appealing as the 
baby cubs appear to human 
beings, their life is a constant 
struggle, and roughly 2/3 of all 
cubs die before they are two 
years old.



#
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Those cubs fortunate enough to 
make it through the first year of 
life still have a rough go of it, 
although you would never know 
it by looking at them!

Appealing and rambunctious, 
they are the image of playfulness 
as they lunge, climb, wrestle, and 
paw at the indulgent mother 
lioness and other cubs their age.

But, as cubs lose their baby 
characteristics, around 1-1/2 to 2 
years old, the older lions, 
including the mother, lose their 
patience, and shoo them away.



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The cubs need meat in order to 
live, but they usually do not 
begin to participate in the 
actual hunt until they are about 
11 months old.

Even at the kill, the young cubs 
can be at risk. The adults always 
eat first, and the youngest cubs 
can go without food kill after 
kill, unless a male lion decides 
to share some of his portion with 
them.



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At about 13-1/2 to 15 months, 
the cub's baby canine teeth are 
replaced by permanent ones. At 
this point, the cubs grow quickly 
from being approximately the 
size of a leopard, until the age 
of 2 years, when female cubs are 
almost 2/3 the size of adult 
lionesses.  

Cubs continue to be associated 
with their mother until she has 
another litter, which is roughly 2 
years from the time of their birth.



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Play among cubs includes: 
swatting another cub, mouthing 
its back and neck, stalking and 
rushing, rolling over and 
grappling and wrestling, playing 
with twigs, and chasing one 
another.  

Much of the play that cubs 
indulge in mimics actual hunting 
techniques.

As they grow older, cubs still 
delight in playing alone and 
"practice" rushing, crouching, 
stalking, and jumping by 
bounding up and down against 
trees, pulling at grass and shaking 
it, and carrying small twigs and 
objects in their mouths.



#
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Adults occasionally initiate play 
with a cub, or allow a cub to 
play with them.

And, adults also play among 
themselves, rushing, batting, and 
wrestling with each other. 



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#
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Lions spend the greater part of 
their day resting. It is estimated 
that the average lion rests for 
about 20 to 21 hours a day!

As the sun grows warmer, the 
lion may shift rest sites to under 
a shady tree, although lions seem 
to have a high tolerance for heat 
and often lay out in the blister-
ing afternoon sun even though 
there are shade trees nearby.

Lions are sociable animals, and 
generally rest in groups, changing 
positions several times a day, 
while their bodies remain close to 
and sometimes touching each 
other.



#
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For the most part, adult males 
rest alone, somewhat aloof from 
the group, although they, too, 
join the group on occasion.

Lions are meat-eating, or 
carnivorous, animals. They are 
very aggressive when they eat -- 
both toward each other and 
toward intruders and would-be 
scavengers.

When eating, lions devour their 
meat greedily, and growl, snarl, 
snap, and even bite any other 
lion who attempts to move in on 
the food they think belongs to 
them.



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While males and females may 
share large kills, it is not unusual 
for a male to take away a small 
kill from a female who brought 
it down.

Males permit a male companion 
to share, and lionesses share with 
other lionesses, but neither one 
does it willingly.

The average lion spends about 40 
to 50 minutes a day eating, but 
several days may elapse without 
feeding (due to unsuccessful 
hunts), to be followed by a time 
of hearty eating for 4 or 5 hours 
when a large kill is finally 
obtained.



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The Serengeti lions do not have 
to drink water immediately after 
eating. Over a 30 day period, it is 
not unusual for a lion pride to 
eat 15 to 20 animals, and a major 
source of liquid for the lion 
comes from the blood of these 
kills.

Much water drinking is casual: a  
few laps now and again when 
crossing a riverbed or stream.  

Generally, lions lap at a pool or 
a puddle of water once a day or 
every 2 days, if it is available, but 
they can go for close to a week 
or more without water.



#
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Grooming takes up a major part 
of the lion's day. After a meal, 
when the muzzle and throat of 
one animal is bloody, another 
lion often licks the fur. And, 
after a  heavy rain, it is common 
for mutual licking to take place 
all over the body. Lions also 
periodically lick and scratch 
themselves.



#
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Another major grooming activity 
for lions is to keep their claws in 
good condition. They sharpen 
their front claws in two ways: by 
raking them up and down tree 
trunks, or, in the plains, where 
trees are scarce, they raise their 
rumps, stretch their forepaws 
forward, and tear at the ground, 
much like house cats tear at 
carpeting or sofa cushions.

And, after a good grooming 
session, the lion is likely to take 
yet another rest!



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#
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The greatest source of mortality 
among the Serengeti lions is from 
snaring or shooting by man. 
While poaching of game animals 
is a serious problem, destruction 
of habitat and changes in the 
environmental ecosystem greatly 
affect the lives of lions.

Other mortality factors among 
adults are disease, fights with 
other lions, injury by prey, and 
old age.

Among cubs, the highest 
mortality factors are starvation 
and abandonment by the mother. 
When abandoned, a cub may 
starve or be killed by another 
predator.



#
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Starving or being preyed upon 
can also be a factor among 
injured adults who are too sick 
or too weak to obtain their own 
food.

Adults can be injured by other 
lions, other predators, and by the 
hooves or horns of some of their 
prey.

However, lions do have excellent 
recuperative powers, and are able 
to recover from even very severe 
wounds.




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#
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The lion is a member of the 
species Panthera leo of the family 
Felidae.

Once its habitat included Europe, 
Asia, and Africa.

The European lion survived in 
remote parts of Greece until 
about 100 A.D.

The only known population of  
Asiatic lion, Panthera leo persica, 
now resides in the Gir Sanctuary 
in the state of Gujarat in India.



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In Africa, of the 10 subspecies 
that were recorded in the 1950s, 
2 are now extinct. The surviving 
lions live in protected game 
reserves and national parks on 
the African continent, such as 
those located in Kenya and Tan-
zania, where the Swahili word 
for lion is "Simba."

The lions of the Serengeti, 
located in northern Tanzania, are 
of the species Panthera leo 
massaicus.



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Here, in a last bastion of their 
once vast domain, they freely 
roam, following migrating herds, 
and preying at will, still living 
the life that has earned them the 
title of "The King of Beasts."




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#
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While the lion is called "The King 
of Beasts," he is actually 2nd in 
size among the larger cats, the 
tiger being the largest.

A male lion can be 6 to 8 feet 
long (183 to 244 centimeters), 
with a tail that adds another 25 
to 35 inches (63 to 89 centi-
meters).

The lion stands 3 feet tall (91 
centimeters) at the shoulder, and 
weighs approximately 400 to 500 
pounds (181 to 227 kilograms).



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The male has a distinctive ruffed 
mane which makes him stand out 
on the Serengeti plains. The 
female lion has no mane, the 
absence of which allows her to 
blend into her surroundings.

The lion's coat is a tawny yellow, 
with shadings and coloration that 
aid in camouflage.

In the female, the sharp, heavy 
claws are enfolded in fleshy areas 
of the toes, and the pads of her 
soles are very leathery. Both of 
these characteristics muffle the 
lioness's tread and enable her to 
approach prey soundlessly before 
pouncing on them.



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Both males and females have 
fang-like, large, pointed front 
canine teeth which they use to 
seize, hold down, and tear at 
prey.

They also have a powerful lower 
jaw which aids in crushing.

Scientists differ on the sensitivity 
of the senses of sight, smell, and 
hearing. In any event, the lion is 
attuned to its environment, a  
perfect model of the predator/ 
prey dynamic.



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#
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Before a cub reaches adulthood, 
it goes through a transitional 
sub-adult stage.  

Male sub-adults grow rapidly 
between the ages of 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 
years, and, by 4 years, are almost 
full adult size and weight.

A female sub-adult can be dis-
tinguished by a shorter muzzle, 
with a more slender build and 
firm abdomen.

One characteristic of both male 
and female sub-adults is that they 
often leave the pride or group to 
become nomads and begin new 
lives on their own.



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Sub-adult males often attach 
themselves to a group of females 
in need of a male, or, they form a 
companion relationship with 
another male, usually one they 
have grown up with.

Females may also choose a 
female companion and then, they 
leave the pride together, while 
others become peripheral mem-
bers, leaving and joining at will.

Lions continue growing until they 
are about 6 years old. Manes of  
the male become heavier and 
more luxurious with age, and are 
usually brown in color, with 
black, rust, and yellow highlights.



#
13
As a male lion ages, his mane 
becomes shorter and scruffier.

In general, adulthood of both the 
male and female lion is character-
ized by mating activities, and, 
beginning at about 4 years of 
age, birthing by the females.

Lions in the wild, such as in the 
Serengeti, live to about 8 to 10 
years, while lions in captivity are 
known to live 25 years or more.
