African Lions

African Lions

African lion cubs

African lion hunting

African lion hunting

African lion roaring

African lion roaring

African male lions

baby African lion

Baby African lion

Lions Vs Hyenas!

Lions and Their Prey

Lions mainly prey on large animals. Most of the time you will find that lions will eat animals such as zebras and wildebeest. Many of the animals that lions hunt are larger and faster than them, and this is why they have to use a special way to catch their prey. It can be difficult for lions to catch their food, and they can go up to a few days without eating. This is why a lot of the time you will find that lions are sleeping. They have to conserve their energy until they are able to catch prey to eat again.

Lions and Hunting for Their Prey

African Lion

 When it comes to lions, they hunt for their prey. However, they have to do it in a special manner. This is because the areas that they hunt in do not provide them with any place to hide from their prey. This means that they can easily be seen, so they have to work together in order to catch a meal. Typically, lions will position themselves in certain places around a herd, and then one lion will chase the herd towards the other lions that are lying in wait. By doing this, the lions are able to surround at least one of the animals from the herd.

Lions and Marking Their Territory

Male Lions

If you have a cat in your house, then you probably already know how important scent is to felines. Lions are no different when it comes to scent. They use urine and excretions from scent glands in order to mark their territory. If you have a male cat in your house, then you probably already have caught him a time or two marking his territory in your house. Lions do this not only to show where their territory is, but also to know when they are going into the territory of another pride. This is a deterrent to keep lions from rival prides away from the area.

Why the Cubs of Lions Play

Cub

You will find that lions enjoy playing, especially cubs. By playing, the cubs are actually learning what it is like to be an adult lion. There are many different items that cubs will play with such as each other, sticks, and even their mother. Every once in awhile you will find a cub that tries to play with an adult lion. It is important for the cubs to play not only for them to learn how to be an adult, but it is also a good way for the mother to be able to tell if her cubs are healthy or not. If her cubs are hungry or sick, then they will not play.

Why All of the Lions Roar

Roaring Lion

There are many reasons why lions roar. In most cases, lions roar to communicate with one another. Lions roar both to other lions that live in the same pride as well as lions from other prides. Lions roar to other rival pride in order to let them know where they are located and how strong they are. This is important because these creatures are very territorial. Lions are able to distinguish whether the roars that they hear at dusk and at dawn are from their own pride or if they are coming from a different pride, and this is like how humans can recognize each other's voices.

Why Lions Have to Stay Cool

Lion

It is essential for lions to make sure that they are able to remain cool because they can easily overheat. If you think about how high the temperatures can get in the African sun, then you can easily understand why these creatures have to be careful. One way that lions stay cool is by panting just like a dog would. They also do most of their hunting at night because the temperature is considerably cooler than it is during the day. During the day, you will find most lions lying in the shade of the trees because that is where they can stay cool.

Hunting and Cubs of Lions

Lions

Cubs of lions have to be extremely careful when they are out and about. This is because there are many animals that prey on lion cubs such as hyenas. It takes a long time for cubs to be able to hunt efficiently, so until that time they are dependent on their mother to take care of them. The mother lion has to keep a watchful eye on her babies because if she turns her back, hyenas are always ready to grab a meal of one of her cubs. Lions are able to hunt and care for themselves once they are about 2 years old.

Lions Try to Avoid Swimming

A painting of two lions

It is a rarity for you to see lions swimming. This is because they are just like any other cat, and they do not like to be wet. There are only a few instances when lions will actually swim. For example, if there is a carcass in the water of a drowned animal, lions will dive into the water to retrieve the prey. This is because lions typically have to wait a couple of days before they can get a good meal. A drowned animal is well worth the swim that they will have to take into the water. Lions will also swim when it is very necessary, such as if they have to move with the herds in order to survive.

Reasons Lions will Climb Trees

You may not know this, but lions are able to climb trees. There are numerous reasons why you may find lions in trees. For example, female lions are needed to nurse their cubs, but as any mother could tell you, sometimes you just need a break. In order for the female lion to get a break from her cubs, she will climb a tree. This works well for female lions because in most cases, their cubs are too young to be able to climb the trees with her. However, you should note that from the height of a tree, the mother lion is still able to keep a close eye on her babies.

Lions have a lot of Patience

African Lion

Lion

Lion Picture

Lions are incredibly patient species. This can be seen when you notice how they hunt for their prey. In most cases, lions will not go out of their way to hunt for food. Instead, they will lie and wait for another animal to wander into their territory. Lions tend to sleep a large amount of the time because they spend so much time waiting for prey to come to them. They are known to sleep more than any other animal in Africa. Since they wait for their prey to come to them, lions may have to go a few days without eating, so sleeping is a good way for them to save their energy.