1. Lions – Tiglons – Leopons and so on
Lions are bred with tigers, leopards, and jaguars. The hybrids with tigers are called ligers and tiglons, with leopards they are called leopons, and with jaguars they are called jaglions. Some naturally occurring spotted lions are natural hybrids but are extremely difficult to find. Many zoos promote the art of cross breeding but researchers have discouraged this to conserve the original species from the ill effects of cross breeding. Some lions are affected with a condition known as leucism and thus, have paler coloration than a normal lion. This causes their skin to be relatively fairer in color and they develop a white or cream colored coat.
2. Eat it easy
Lions obtain more than 50 % of their food from scavenging. While lionesses from each pride try to go on hunts and get enough food for the pride, the requirements of the pride far outweigh their catch. Lions need an average of 6 kg of food or more a day. They go for animals which die due to natural causes or are killed other predators. They also look for vulture groups which helps them find dead animals which aren’t taken by any other predator.
3. Lazy but not slow
Lions can run short distances at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour and can leap as far as 30 feet. Since their stamina is poorer than most of their preys, they tend to attack in coordinated groups. When the prey is trapped between the group of lionesses, they burst into short sprints and leap to catch it. The average speed of a lion is about 50 kilometers, more than the average speed of many other animals. This, combined with their might and ferocity, makes them an apex predator and gets them a spot at the top of the food chain.
4. Story of the mane
The mane of the male Lion is unique and is not found in any other known species of cats. It makes the lion look larger and more intimidating. It also acts a signal of maturity and health status; lionesses prefer darker and denser manes. Lions with denser manes are often made the leaders of the pride. The mane color and texture varies in the different subspecies and is not common in all subspecies. On an average, lions have a 50 % chance of growing a large and dense mane. The darkness also signifies the age of the lion as the mane gets darker with age.
5. We were raised together
Lionesses are caring mothers and raise all the cubs of a pride together. They make sure that no cub is neglected and each one is nurtured and loved properly. Two or more lionesses in a pride tend to give birth to cubs at the same time and then go on to raise them together. Researchers believe this makes them understand the concept of a pride and how to live in one in their future. The cubs are extremely playful and spend a lot of time playing with each other. The cubs are usually born inside secluded dens where they are kept and raised until they are capable of roaming outside with the pride.
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