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For Other Uses, See .: Lion (Disambiguation)

Lions are a vulnerable species of big cat that typically live in prides consisting of related females and their young, along with a few adult males. They mainly inhabit grasslands and savannas in Africa and Asia, where they prey on large animals like antelopes. Although once more widespread, lion populations have declined by 43% since the 1990s due to habitat loss and conflicts with humans, leaving them fragmented in parts of Africa and critically endangered in one area of India. Lions are a widely recognized symbol in human cultures throughout history.

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46 views

For Other Uses, See .: Lion (Disambiguation)

Lions are a vulnerable species of big cat that typically live in prides consisting of related females and their young, along with a few adult males. They mainly inhabit grasslands and savannas in Africa and Asia, where they prey on large animals like antelopes. Although once more widespread, lion populations have declined by 43% since the 1990s due to habitat loss and conflicts with humans, leaving them fragmented in parts of Africa and critically endangered in one area of India. Lions are a widely recognized symbol in human cultures throughout history.

Uploaded by

Andrijana Milovanovic
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Lion

For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation).

Lion

Temporal range: Pleistocene–

Present 

PreꞒ

Pg

N
↓

Male lion in Okonjima, Namibia


Female (lioness) in Okonjima

Conservation status

Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1) [2]

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Feliformia

Family: Felidae

Subfamily: Pantherinae

Genus: Panthera
Species: P.  leo[1]

Binomial name

Panthera leo[1]

(Linnaeus, 1758)[3]

Subspecies

P. l. fossilis
P. l. leo
P. l. melanochaita
P. l. sinhaleyus

Historical and

present

distribution of the

lion

in Africa, Asia an

d Europe

The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the family Felidae and a member of


the genus Panthera. It has a muscular, deep-chested body, short, rounded head, round
ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult male lions have
a prominent mane. With a typical head-to-body length of 184–208 cm (72–82 in) they
are larger than females at 160–184 cm (63–72 in). It is a social species, forming groups
called prides. A lion pride consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs.
Groups of female lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The
lion is an apex and keystone predator; although some lions scavenge when
opportunities occur and have been known to hunt humans, the species typically does
not.
Typically, the lion inhabits grasslands and savannas, but is absent in dense forests. It is
usually more diurnal than other big cats, but when persecuted it adapts to being
active at night and at twilight. In the Pleistocene, the lion ranged throughout Eurasia,
Africa and North America, but today it has been reduced to fragmented populations
in sub-Saharan Africa and one critically endangered population in western India. It has
been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in
African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Lion populations
are untenable outside designated protected areas. Although the cause of the decline is
not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for
concern.
One of the most widely recognised animal symbols in human culture, the lion has been
extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in contemporary
films and literature. Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman
Empire and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens across
the world since the late 18th century. Cultural depictions of lions were prominent in
the Upper Paleolithic period; carvings and paintings from the Lascaux and Chauvet
Caves in France have been dated to 17,000 years ago, and depictions have occurred in
virtually all ancient and medieval cultures that coincided with the lion's former and
current ranges.

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