Available at http://planet.uwc.ac.za/nisl/Eco_people/Presentations/

Panthero leo

By: Lucille Radun

Introduction Comes from the family Felidae One of the largest living felids today Male lion- recognized by its mane and can weigh up to 250kg Female lion-smaller than male, weighing only up to 150kg Survival: in the wild-14 yrs in captivity - up to 20 yearsLion (Panthero leo)Conservation status: Vulnerable Scientific classification Kingdom:Animalia

Phylum:ChordataClass:MammaliaOrder:CarnivoraFamily:FelidaeGenus:PantheraSpecies:P. leoBinomial name:Panthero leo(Linnaeus, 1758)

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

Introduction Cont. Africa’s predator

populations declining Lion’s experienced most

serious decline Large predators such as

lions are keystone species The presence of large

carnivores such as lions, cheetahs and tigers, defines a healthy ecosystem

If an area supports them, it is also supporting populations of other mammals upon which they feed and consequentially the vegetation that those mammals require

Population and Distribution In historic times-spanned

much of Eurasia and all of Africa

Lion population disappeared from Europe since 2nd century AD

Currently only numerous in Central Africa

Many subspecies of lions have even become extinct

These include the Cape Lion and the European Cave Lion

Today, only 10lions are seen to inhabit a forest in Western India

Rest of the lion population are found in Sub-Saharan Africa

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

Adapted from http://www.absolutelywildvisuals.com

Physiology 2nd largest of the big cats Full grown males-up to 250kg in

weight and up to 10 feet in length

Full grown females-up to 150kg in weight and up to nine feet in length

Lions bodies - lithe, compact, muscular and deep chested with a rounded and shortened head bearing prominent whiskers

The main feature distinguishing make from female is the presence of a mane

Male’s mane increases its size, serves as a visual indication of gender from a distance and adds to its aura during displays to impress lioness

Taxonomy Main difference between

lion subspecies are location, size and the appearance of the mane

Genetic evidence suggests a common ancestor for lions which existed only 55,000 yrs ago

A few examples of lion subspecies include:

Panthero leo massaicus-Massai lion

Panthero leo nubica-East African lion

Panthero leo persica-Asiatic lion

Panthero leo roosevelti-Abyssinian lion The Asiatic lion- Panthero leo persica

Lion Behavior Lions have extremely creative

ways of limiting their serious injury during violent attacks

Weaker pride members, e.g. cubs, adopt a cringing position, by crouching or lying submissively on their backs, thus, purposefully exposing themselves and making them an easy kill for the superior lion or aggressor

The aggressor sees the gesture and no longer feels threatened and breaks off the attack

Members of different prides do not deal with disputes in the same manner

Disputes can be extremely violent or fatal encounters and submissive gestures can only result in severe injury or death

Mating Females come into estrous at

the age of 2 ½ to 3 years and have litters every 2 years depending on the food supply

Male detects hormonal changes in the lioness through the odour of the lionesses urine

Male makes a facial grimace known as “flehman”

Male raises its head, swirls the lionesses urine in its mouth, inhales deeply, then exposing his teeth and gums

Males become extremely protective of their mates

Mating cont. A prelude to mating

exhibited by the lioness includes rubbing, nudging, rolling over on her back, etc to initiate intercourse

Lioness gains the attention of the male and assumes a crouched mating posture with the base of her tail lifted

Copulation lasts for 5-20 seconds

During this time, lions mate frequently

Every 20 to 30 minutes for 3 to 7 days

The estrous cycle lasts from 3 days to 3 weeks

Hunting Not efficient hunters-capturing prey consisting of zebras, wildebeests and

antelope in only 20 to 30% of their attempts Referred to as opportunistic hunters because they eat whatever they catch

for themselves or steal from other predators Bodies not well adapted for leaping or reaching very high speeds or long

distances If they are not successful within a few hundred meters, they give up the

chase Two major causes of hunting failure relate to: stalking of the prey and the

execution of the lion charge Firstly, although they have an excellent sense of smell, they do not make

use of scent when hunting In most cases they approach the prey from an upwind location, in turn,

alerting the prey which quickly ends the hunt Secondly, lions attacks are generally launched directly at their prey, rarely

altering the path of attack like other felids An important food source in lions is scavenging where they are able to get

up tp 10 or 15 % of their total food intake.

Major Threats Loss of habitat to

population growth Agricultural expansion Hunting Poisoning by livestock

ranchers

Mountain lions

Introduction

Live for an average of 12-13 years in the wild and up to 21 years in captivity

Body length: 105-180cm, tail length: 60-90cm, shoulder height: 56-78cm

Average weight: males: 53-72kg, females: 34-48kg. Males can have exceptional weight up to 120kg

Communicate through vocalisations

Classification Scientific Name - Puma concolor

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Subfamily: Felinae Genus: Puma Species: Puma Concolor

Distribution They are American terrestrial mammals Range from coast to coast in North America, Southern

Argentina and Chile, and Southeastern Alaska Most widely spread cats of America They also have a range of subspecies with a few being: North America: P.c.borbensis, P.c.californicus,

P.c.cougar, Central America: P.c.hippolestes, P.c.kaibabensis,

P.c.oregonensis, P.c.schorgeri, South America: P.c.acrocodia, P.c.anthonyi, P.c.bangsi,

P.c.puma.

Physical Description Large, slender cats with muscular

limbs and large feet Hind legs being proportionally

longest of the cat family Coats are grey or brown, and short

and coarse in texture Pink nose Creamy white underside Tip of tail black and black muzzle

with stripes and also black behind the ears

Long tail reaching a third of the cat’s total length

Behavior Solitary animals only seen

together breeding time or in the case of mothers living with their young

Migrate constantly depending on availability of prey, time of year, etc

Usually hunt at dawn, dusk and night with limited activity during the day

They a good hunters Territorial creatures

marking their territory with urine and faeces and also scrape (i.e. small piles)

Feeding habits Predatory carnivores Prey on white-tailed

deer, rabbit, raccoon, birds, etc.

They drag their prey into concealed places away from other animals

They also kill and eat domestic livestock

Panthero leo versus Puma concolor They differ in:

size

appearance

behaviour

feeding and

distribution

References http://www.pbase.com/mactarheel/image/27808576 http://www.knet.co.za/sa-mpumalanga/animal.htm http://spaghoops.com/squelch/african_wildlife.htm http://www.absolutelywildvisuals.com/search-57381.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion http//:lionsforever.com http://cyberzoomobile/lions.com