Photo: Gleb Osipov
"The lion rejoices not in prey, but in victory."
Kyrgyz proverb
Lions and people
Amazing deal! The emblems of many European countries have heraldic lions as symbols of royal dignity - marching, standing on their hind legs, jumping, armed, crowned ... Lions adorn the coats of arms of Great Britain (as the official symbol of the British monarchs), Bulgaria, Finland, Norway, Spain, Latvia, the Czech Republic , Sweden, Norway and Estonia. But in these territories lions have never been found.
The lion appeared on the coat of arms of the English king Richard I “Lionheart” in 1195 (“Leon Heart” in translation from English means “burning”, “fiery” heart). But the lions were near the man long before that, so it seems that always. Nocturnal predators, and especially lions, played a significant role in human evolution, as their attacks forced people to seek refuge in caves and maintain fire. It was in the caves of the Stone Age that the first images of lions appeared.
In the beliefs of many nations, the lion is a symbol of strength, power, greatness, power. Courage, valor, pride and nobility are connected with his image. The lioness traditionally personifies motherhood and is an attribute of many goddesses - Astarte, Artemis, Aphrodite. The ancient Greeks considered the lion a creation of the god Apollo. In the beliefs of ancient China, the lion is the protector of the law, a symbol of success, power, royal power and strength. Such lions were installed in front of the gates of the imperial tombs, government residences. In architecture, the image of a lion acts as a guard at the ancient Egyptian pyramids and palaces, in Assyrian and Babylonian temples. Lion figures are depicted on the thrones of the lords of India and on the gates of Mycenae. Tibetans worship the lion as the protector of Buddhist teachings and the state. And why are the images of a griffin - half an eagle, half a lion, a chimera - monsters with the head and neck of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a dragon, a sphinx - a lion with a human head, and the myth of a Nemean lion defeated by Heracles!
Leo constellation has been known to people for a long time. According to legend, great kings should be born under this constellation. Therefore, the brightest star is named Regulus (from “rex” - king). The lions were raised by the Assyrian kings, Alexander of Macedon had tame Indian lions. In the era of the Roman Empire, lions took part in gladiatorial battles. Since the 13th century, these animals were kept in the Tower of London. In Europe, lions also appeared at this time and belonged to the royal families. Only at the beginning of the 17th century did the first zoos appear in Italy and France, and fights between animals gradually began to disappear.
Why does a lion need mane?
"He is the king of beasts and wonder -
Look, what a luxury mane!
Though a cat's roar, but formidable,
The paws are power and the look is serious. "
It was the mane that brought the lion the definition of "king of beasts." She helps him look big and handsome. People see in the lion's mane a symbol of power and strength. But in nature there is nothing that would not have practical meaning.
The mane is unique and is a distinctive feature of male lions, covers their neck, head, sides and belly. Holders of lush manes are able to intimidate competitors with one look and attract a lioness to their harem. The color of a mane is an indicator of the strength and activity of a lion, therefore lionesses prefer to choose males with a dark and lush mane, and young lions, on the contrary, try to avoid such individuals. Color and splendor is an indicator of a high level of testosterone in the blood and the mature age of lions. Usually, a fully mane forms at the age of 5-6 years. Lions earn authority by collecting a harem of lionesses around them. The more the lion eats meat, the higher the level of its hormones, because the meat obtained by the lionesses first goes to the “head of the family”. Therefore, he is slightly overweight, full and rarely hunts himself. Dark-maned and shaggy lions are more aggressive and staunch opponents, it is precisely such lionesses who are looking for as partners, as the most adapted to get the best offspring and protection.
According to Darwin's theory, a luxurious mane best protects the neck of an animal during deadly fights. But it is more likely to interfere than to help when hunting - it gives out a lion when it creeps up to prey, clings to bushes and thorns, parasites start up in it. In addition, studies conducted in the Serengeti National Park showed that the offspring of lions with a dark mane have little chance of surviving to a year. If there is not enough food, the father ceases to share meat with his offspring, and, being more aggressive, kills young lions that can challenge his leadership in the future. In Tsavo National Park, lions without traditional decoration are increasingly found. And why? Do not want to wear fur in the hot tropics? Are they getting bald because of high testosterone levels? Or is it something else? A whim of nature? The luxury of evolution? The question remains open ...
Lion king
"Who the lion is right!"
Chinese proverb
It is the lion that inspires all living beings, including humans, fear, awe, respect and delight. Because of his formidable appearance and behavior, he managed to obtain the status of the king of animals - strong, slender, with a brown or golden mane, consisting practically of one muscle. And next to it are graceful and no less powerful lionesses. The roar of a lion is so impressive that upon hearing it, any animal with a sinking heart remains in place, unable to move. The voice of a lion is so powerful that in calm weather in an open area it can be heard at a distance of up to 10 km. Movement and gait emphasize the dignity of a male lion. With lionesses he is caring and sociable, holds the right to prey and protects offspring. The lion is a super-predator, and occupies the highest step in the food chain.
Moreover, the lion is the largest mammal predator on the African continent. 150 years ago, before the colonization of Africa, these animals lived throughout its territory, and their number was more than 300 thousand. Now they can be found only in National Parks. Lions are the most famous and atypical representatives of the cat family. Their main feature is the social character of life.
So, lions live in prides, differing from other cats in this. Prides can be small - from 3 individuals, to large ones from 18-30 animals. The leader must be recognized by all the young lions of the pride, most of which are lionesses and offspring. Alien lionesses and stray lions who want to join the pride are driven away. Pride does not preserve sick and old animals. The dominant male marks the territory of the pride, and any invasion ends in a fierce battle. In such "internecine" wars, many lions end their lives.
The strength of a lion is expressed in the ability and ability to hunt big game. A massive and flexible body has great power, so the lion is able to lay a 300-pound zebra with one paw strike. True, lions are unimportant runners, they tire quickly and cannot pursue fleeing prey for a long time. But they are very good jumpers. Right from a place in height, they can reach 3 meters in a jump, and up to 10 meters in length. It is due to their jumping ability that lions easily overcome ravines, cliffs and other obstacles during the pursuit of prey or when their own life is in danger.
Young lions are usually expelled from the pride, and then they stray into flocks of single males. However, such associations are short-lived - the lions go to the prides to the lionesses, where they fight for their leadership. In battles, luck only accompanies the strongest and most agile of them. An adult lion has virtually no enemies. An exception is a Nile crocodile attacking lions when they are in the water. Up to 90% of cheetahs and 71% of hyenas die in the African savannah from the attack of lions.
Lions prey on large animals - zebras, gazelles, antelopes, hunt thefts from other predators. The hardest work usually goes to lionesses, a lion rarely condescends to hunting. When he is hungry, he attacks the prey nearby. If the lion is fed up, then herbivores can graze nearby without fear for their lives. When hunting, lions creep up to prey at close range and make a throw. After a successful night hunt, a lion can eat up to 30 kg of meat (usually 7 kg), and its sleep can take 20 hours a day. Animals sleep in the shade of bushes or low massive tree branches.
Lioness - Queen
"Oh, they look very wonderful:
Dad has curls in a wave
And mother walks shorn.
Why is she offended?
No wonder often angry
At all, a mother lioness ... "
The territory protected by a lion is a hunting ground for lionesses. The basis of their diet (96%) are ungulates. Lions hunt in different ways, depending on the composition of hunters and the amount of game. In open spaces, a lion with a dark mane is striking, and then only lionesses hunt. The male scares the prey with a growl, driving her into an ambush arranged by the lionesses. Often lionesses hunt by stealing. Long and stubbornly approach the herd, surround it. Then - the swift throw of the strongest female, fall, and now the other hunters help - squeeze the prey of the throat, grab the croup, neck, legs ... In wooded areas, lions often hunt buffalo on their own, and lionesses hunt zebras and antelopes. It is easier to hide kittens in the forest, since it does not take much effort to protect them. Sometimes lionesses long and openly pursue herds of buffalo, causing panic and when organized ranks of buffalo disperse, they choose the victim. Hunger for lions is a serious danger. In such cases, everything is eaten - poultry and fish, amphibians and reptiles. Mining is eaten collectively. The male eats first, then the lionesses and kittens.
The pride is based on lionesses. In the pride, it is easier to hunt and protect prey. But this is not the main thing, lions need cooperation in raising offspring. Lionesses feed and protect all cubs together. The main task is the joint protection of kittens from stray lions and lionesses, as well as other predators and buffaloes. Inside the pride, the lions are very affectionate, they recognize their people well, rub their faces snugly, lick each other. The face of a lion, like fingerprints in humans. There are no two lions, not only with the same muzzle, but also with the same mustache. Lions take various poses and expressions of the muzzle, make sounds, varying in height and strength. They can growl, purr, hiss, cough and roar. In one pride, all the lionesses are connected by kinship, aliens are reluctant to accept.
Shortly before the birth of kittens, the lioness leaves in a shady, secluded place and returns to the pride with her offspring. A newborn lion cub weighs 1-2 kg, on the 11th day it opens its eyes, on the 15th it starts to walk. On the skin of little lion cubs, up to 3 months there are dark spots, which then disappear. They are first looked after by their mother, then all the lionesses of the family. They are equally affectionate to all cubs, do not distinguish between friends and foes. Mutual feeding and collective defense significantly reduces mortality. The first two months the kittens eat milk, then they learn to eat meat. From 7 months old lions eat only meat, and from 11 they accompany adult lions to hunt and can kill their prey on their own. The lion guards the territory and makes sure that kittens receive their portion when sharing the prey. At the age of 5-7 months, lion cubs left alone can be prey to hyenas, jackals, leopards, cheetahs or eagles. Even the buffalo, smelling the lion, do everything possible to find them and trample them. Mortality in the first 1.5 years of life is 50%. Lionesses fiercely protect lionesses, and yet mortality of offspring up to 2 years is 80%! Lions can survive on their own from 16 months, but try not to leave the pride until 2.5 years old. They become adults at the age of 4-5 years.
Younger, lonely lions will sooner or later conquer territory and the first thing that a male who has captured a new pride does is kill the cubs (this phenomenon is called infanticide). Lionesses cannot interfere, only lion cubs older than one year have a chance to survive. Such cruelty is necessary - for lionesses who have lost their lion cubs, kittens will soon appear from a new leader. Otherwise, one would have to wait for the offspring to appear no earlier than two years later, and in this case it is more difficult for a lion to raise its own cubs.
Africa and Asia
Lviv is divided into two types - Asian and African. The difference in habitat has affected the appearance of the animals. Not so long ago, until 500 years. n e., lions were common in Asia and Greece, the Balkans, the Caucasus, India, Bengal and some parts of China. Over the millennium, most of the lions have died due to changes in climate and habitat. There are very few Asian lions in western India in the Gir Nature Reserve (Kathiyavar Peninsula). African lions, which were destroyed during hunting and in order to protect livestock farms, also suffered greatly from humans.
The Cape (1860) and Transvaal lions, maroci, or spotted lions were completely exterminated. Lions exterminated in Iran (1942), Palestine and Turkey (19th century), Iraq (1918)
The black-maned Atlas lion (the Berber, Berber or Berber - Panthera leo leo †) disappeared, which lived in the Atlas Mountains of North Africa. This subspecies has been known since antiquity - it was the Atlas lions that were kept by the Roman emperors. The Berber lion was one of the largest subspecies of the lion. He is lower at the withers, but due to his massive physique, he was larger and heavier than most other lions. He also had a thick, dark mane extending to the stomach, sometimes even black, covering him to the middle of the body. This mane served him a sad service - active hunters for luxurious skin destroyed this subspecies in the 20s of the twentieth century. The last such lion in wildlife was destroyed in Morocco in 1922. Currently, the Barbary lions are kept in semi-free conditions near the Sultan of Morocco.
In 1977, part of the animals was transferred to them at the zoos of Leipzig, Frankfurt am Main, Washington and Havana. Their breeding is under strict control - at the 6th year of life, the typicality of males for breeding is determined. In the American city of Knoxville, the International Book for Breeding these Lions in Captivity is being kept. Today, there are lions in almost all zoos and circuses in the world, but in most cases, it is impossible to attribute them to any subspecies, because they are not the first generation born in captivity.
In lions, like in other animals, albinos are born. But sometimes they also have very light or absolutely white lion cubs, without the red eyes characteristic of albinos. Lions are very dangerous predators.
It is known that most cannibalistic lions were in good physical shape, that is, the animals were not old or sick. So in 1898, cannibalistic lions terrorized employees of the railway in Kenya. They ate 28 people. These lions, whose stuffed animals are exhibited at the Museum of Natural History in Chicago, are devoted to research, books and films. And although scientists have discovered their teeth are diseased, they still tend to believe that when faced with a large number of people, the lions could not avoid the temptation to hunt for easy prey. This is confirmed by attacks of lions on tourist camps in South Africa in the last 2 years.
Usually, lions do not prey on humans, but attack often. Over the past 10 years, 210 people have died ... More than 1,000 lions are legally killed annually in South Africa. This business brings the country's budget annually about $ 90 million, so foreign tourists pay for the shooting of animals. A lion with a mane before the start of the shoulder blades is estimated at $ 19,500, up to the middle of the shoulder blades - at $ 30,500, to the chest - at $ 40,500, and with a large black mane - at $ 55,000. Shooting a lioness can cost up to $ 6,600 ...
But not everything is so sad.Zoos around the world are collaborating on a breeding program for the endangered Asian subspecies, conservation and breeding of African lions. This program has been operating for over 30 years and is designed for a long time. A huge population of lions lives in the Al Ain Zoo in the UAE.
All animals are in great shape and kept in beautiful enclosures. Anyway, lions here are universal favorites, since they were popular in ancient times and in the Middle Ages, and occupy a special place in world culture. It is no coincidence that the animated film "The Lion King" has become one of the most successful and successful works of Walt Disney Studios. This is a super-popular, beautiful, vibrant and touching story against the backdrop of African landscapes with stunning music, graphics and animation, which cannot but be remembered. It recreated the natural living world, so similar to ours, the human one. And finally. "The army of rams led by a lion will always triumph over the army of lions headed by a ram." So said Napoleon Bonaparte.
King of beasts in numbers
- The weight of an adult lion reaches 250 kg.
- Claw length - up to 7 cm; fangs - 8 cm.
- There are 30 teeth in the mouth.
- The body length of a lion is up to 3.3 meters.
- Height at the withers - 120 cm.
- The tail length is 1 meter, at the end is a black tassel - 5 cm.
- Life expectancy of lions is 11-14 years.
