Lions - Kings of the Jungle!

I will admit that I am a dog person through and through, but I do have a soft spot for big cats, especially the king of the jungle. I don’t know about you but lions have always fascinated me, so much so that I got a tattoo of one. I love what they stand for -- strength, courage, power and the list goes on.

Even though the lion is considered to be the king of the jungle, that phrasing mainly has to do with them being the largest cat. They often run from other animals such as the elephants and rhinoceroses, but like any King they have their servants do the dirty work for them. Only the female lion, which is called a lioness, does the hunting. After the groups of lionesses have caught their prey, the male lion eats firsts. A pride, which is a group of lions, can take up for 4 hours to feed, but they rarely eat an entire kill. Hyenas and vultures usually finish up the rest. After a meal, a thirsty lion can be seen drinking for 20 straight minutes.

Another reason lions are considered THE king of the jungle is because they are incredible hunters, well the lionesses are anyways. Lionesses hunt in groups, so one group can drive their prey into a certain area, while the other group waits to ambush the approaching prey. A lioness' hunting ground can range anywhere from 8 to 150 miles. They also have the ability to run as fast as 35 mph for short distances and can leap more than 30 feet. Another great attribute that lions have is that their eyesight is five times better than yours and mine. They can also hear their prey from more than a mile away. Also, you cannot forget about their keen sense of smell. A lion can tell if potential prey is near by how long ago it was in the area.
The male lion is typically 5 feet 7 inches long to 8 feet 2 inches long and weighs anywhere from 330 to 500 pounds. On the other hand, the lionesses are typically 4 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches long and weigh 260 to 330 pounds. Lions in the wild live anywhere from 10 to 14 years, where as lions in captivity live well over 20 years. The male lion requires 15.5 pounds of meat a day and the lioness requires 11 pounds.

I leave you with one last fact about the king of the jungle. Lions do not have any predators except for humans and other lions. Male lions are known for killing male offspring of other dominate males once he has lost dominance if their cubs are 2 years or younger.

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http://www.petsandvets.com/lionfacts.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion