Lion

A lion, his lioness, and their cub

The **Lion** is one of many felines, and the second largest of all of them.

They prefer to live in savannahs and jungles/forests in Sub-Saharan, Eastern, and Southern Africa.

## Ecological Niches

Lions prefer to live on a diet of various hoofed herbivores, such as zebras or antelopes, especially when they’re ill or injured. They also eat small animals, such as the occasional bird, turtle, or even porcupines. There are even some incidents of lions, such as the Tsavo Man Eaters, preying on humans.

Though lions are apex predators, they are hunted by humans for their fur or bones, especially for taxidermic purposes. They are even poached in circuses for cat-taming shows. They are rarely kept as pets, if they are trained humanely.

The lion has became a symbol of bravery and pride, and has been featured in multiple flags and coats of arms, perhaps the most remarkable of them all is what they call “the British lion”. It also has been featured in many films, from Disney’s The Lion King to Dreamworks’s Madagascar. Logos such as MGM’s Leo and Peugeot’s, and sports clubs such as the Brisbane Lions all feature the maned feline. It even has been featured in Greek myths and Roman battles in the Colosseum, which were discontinued since the fall of Ancient Rome.

## Physical Adaptations

Lions are very social and territorial felines, living in prides. It mostly consists of two males, 40 lionesses, and a few cubs. However, if there is one king too many, lions would compete to see which king is more dominant. The average lion has a loud roar that could be heard about 5 miles away from a far distance.

Male lions possess a remarkable mane, of which is theorised by two statements. One theory states that the mane is used to help protect the lion from battles over other males, but lions usually tend to attack and bite the back or hips. Another was theorised that the latter could be used for courtship mating, based on size and coloration for the lioness to find a perfect mate. Whether both theories are true could be unknown, or could happen on real incidents.

Like other felines, lions possess lots of little papillae on their tongues. This helps them lick their fur clean (especially on cubs), and to rip out bits of bones or fur on small animals. Their eyesight could also be similar to other felines, with sharp eyesight that allow them to be nocturnal, which is to see with night vision, although, the vision of a lion is slightly blind by day. The latter also has great tapeta lucida, glowing a bright yellow when the sun sets to evening.

## In Azusa Zoo

Footage of the lion was recorded in 1948, with only a single male isolated in a cage, without anything to play nor eat. He was first seen at the very beginning, as the camera pans, where his cage is on the left side of the Rhino’s. He is later seen pacing around, poking his head out of his cage in search of food, being one of a few ironic animals in the documentary.

Later, in the early 1960’s, as the original lion died, the enclosure was refurbished into an open space, similar to the natural habitat of where lions should be. There also included an average lion pride, which grows into a family reunion. The Cartoon Planet variant also featured a pride.

## Gallery

The original 1948 zoo had the lion enclosure sit next to the rhino’s