If you ask most children who are familiar with the Big Wild Cats who their favorite cat is, you would probably get a range of responses comprised mostly of the lion and the tiger. The striped appearance of the latter is of course intriguing - if not downright mesmerizing - to young kids, and the oft-used visage of the former elicits even more excitement.
The African lion is well-represented in our society, with guardian statues in front of important (and personal) buildings bearing the lion's regal mane, and an extremely successful cartoon movie called The Lion King vaults the lion ahead of the pack. For reference, the other Big Cats are the leopard and jaguar, in increasing order of size.
As for the interesting lion facts that may not be widely-known, here they are:
*.Baby lions, which are known as cubs - not kittens - are born with dark smudges and spots on their skin. These disappear soon afterward, and their blind eyes open fully two weeks later.
*.The tawny and gigantic male lion issometimes mistaken to be merely aprotector of the pride; he is much more than this. Some of the largest kills are made far easier when he joins the hunt - such as taking down two-ton giraffe.
*.Another African lion fact for kids involves the makeup of the group. The common picture of a single male lion leading a large bevy of females and young isn't exclusive - although it does happen. Frequently, there are as many as five males in a pride, with up to 20 females (and even more on occasion). Only one male is dominant, however, and passes his genes on to the next generation.
*.Lionesses do not do "most" of the hunting; the male partakes whenever he is around. Since he is the protector of his charge, he also makes regular rounds far-and-widethroughout his territory, marking the grounds.
*.During the first few years after theymature, male lions leave the pride of their birth and band together with other young male lions. Duringthis period, they hunt for themselves and get even stronger, before challenging for a pride of their own.
*.The lion's mane doesn't offer that much protection in fights with other lions - these wild cats are so powerful, a thick shock of hair is insufficient to temper the force of their blows. It is mostly a signal to the females about how attractive the particular lion is - just like with human beings, the darker, the better.
*.All the females in a pride of lions are usually related - sisters, mothers, aunts, daughters and the occasional grandmother. Obviously,the wild isn't usually conducive to exceptional longevity; especially in the case of the lion: he will lead a pride for an average of three-four years before being usurped by a coalition of mighty young warriors.
Check out "Wild Cats: Facts about the Lion" for more information on the mightiest, majestic king of beasts. There's information on lionesses, pride dynamics, the major characteristics of the growing lion and much more.
Ogun is currently a writer from Africa residing in the Eastern United States. He has experience working in several wildlife reserves in his nativehomeland, and is seeking to spread awareness of the plight of nature's most majestic cat with his work on African lion facts.
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