Lion the King of Forest Free Essays

The  lion  (Panthera leo) is one of the fourbig cats  in the  genus  Panthera, and a member of the family  Felidae. With some males exceeding 250  kg (550  lb) in weight,[4]  it is the second-largest living cat after the  tiger. Wild lions currently exist inSub-Saharan Africa  and in  Asia  with anendangered  remnant population in  Gir Forest National Park  in  India, having disappeared from  North Africa  andSouthwest Asia  in historic times. We will write a custom essay sample on Lion the King of Forest or any similar topic only for you Order Now Until the late  Pleistocene, about 10,000  years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the  Yukon  to  Peru. [5]  The lion is a  vulnerable species, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range. [6]  Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks.Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Lions live for ten to fourteen years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than twenty years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than ten years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity. [7]  They typically inhabit  savannaand  grassland, although they may take to bush and  forest.Lions are unusuallysocial  compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on largeungulates. Lions are  apex  and  keystonepredators, although they scavenge as opportunity allows. While lions do not typically hunt humans, some have been known to do so. Highly distinctive, the male lion is easily recognized by its  mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human  culture.Depictions have existed from the  Upper Paleolithicperiod, with carvings and paintings from the  Lascaux  and  Chauvet Caves, through virtually all ancient and medieval cultures where they once occurred. It has been extensively depicted in  sculptures, inpaintings, on national  flags, and in contemporary  films  and  literature. Lions have been kept in  menageries  sinceRoman times  and have been a key species sought for exhibition in  zoos  the world over since the late eighteenth century. Zoos are cooperating worldwide in breeding programs for the endangeredAsiatic subspecies. How to cite Lion the King of Forest, Papers