Southern Lion

Southern Lion

Southern African lion

SUBSPECIES OF

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Panthera leo melanochaita
Population size
3,531
Life Span
12-25 years
Top speed
56
35
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
83-225
182.6-495
kglbs
kg lbs 
Length
2.5-2.8
8.2-9.2
mft
m ft 

The Southern lion is a lion subspecies from Southern and East Africa. In this region, lion populations were referred to by several regional names, including Katanga lion, Transvaal lion, Kalahari lion, Southeast African lion, Southwest African lion, Masai lion, Serengeti lion, Tsavo lion, and Uganda lion. It has also been referred to as 'Eastern-Southern African lion', 'Southern lion', and as 'southern subspecies'.

No

Nocturnal

Cr

Crepuscular

Di

Diurnal

Sc

Scavenger

Hy

Hypercarnivore

Ca

Carnivore

Vi

Viviparous

No

Nomadic

Te

Terrestrial

Ap

Apex predator

Te

Territorial

Cu

Cursorial

Am

Ambush predator

Pa

Pack hunters

Po

Polygyny

So

Social

Do

Dominance hierarchy

No

Not a migrant

S

starts with

Appearance

The fur of Southern lions varies in color from light buff to dark brown. They have rounded ears and a black tail tuft. Mane color varies from sandy, tawny, isabelline, and light reddish yellow to dark brown and black. Mane length varies from short to extending to knee joints and under the belly. Lions without a mane were observed in the Tsavo area. Mane development is related to age: older males have more extensive manes than younger ones; manes continue to grow up to the age of four to five years, long after lions become reproductively mature. Males living in the Kenyan highlands develop heavier manes than lions in the more humid and warmer lowlands of eastern and northern Kenya. White lions have occasionally been encountered in and around South Africa's Kruger National Park and the adjacent Timbavati Private Game Reserve. Their whitish fur is a rare morph caused by a double recessive allele. It has normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin. They were removed from the wild in the 1970s, thus decreasing the white lion gene pool.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Southern lions are found in East and Southern Africa. They are grouped into three clades. Lions, which can be grouped into the North East African clade are found in Somalia, Northern Kenya, and Ethiopia. Lions, which can be grouped into the South East African clade are found in Southern Kenya, Western DRC, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, southern Namibia, and South Africa, with a larger hybridization zone to the southwestern lion clade in the Kruger National Park area (Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park). Lions, which can be grouped into the South West African clade are found in Angola, Northern Namibia, Northern Botswana, and western Zimbabwe, extending southeast into the Tuli block. There is a larger hybridization zone in the southeastern clade around the Kruger National Park. Southern lions prefer to live in a semi-arid savanna, grasslands, and shrublands near water courses, where also prey species gathered. They usually avoid acacia woodlands and areas with high human density.

Southern Lion habitat map

Climate zones

Southern Lion habitat map
Southern Lion

Habits and Lifestyle

Little is known about the behavior of Southern lions. In general, lions can be active at any time of the day but their activity generally peaks after dusk with a period of socializing and grooming. Most hunting often takes place at dusk. Apart from that African lions spend much of their time resting. They rest in order to save energy, in the absence of prey, or to escape the midday heat. African lions are highly social animals, gathering in groups or prides, which include up to 3 male lions and multiple lionesses with their young. Prides are defended by males, who patrol and mark the territory. However, there's harsh competition between males for the territory and position in the pride. In a case, if another male overcomes the leading male of the pride, he usually kills all cubs, sired by the previous male. Meanwhile, males do not tend to hunt due to their slow speed and eye-catching appearance. Instead, hunting is left to females of the pride, who hunt in groups, cooperating with each other during their hunting trips. The females are excellent hunters: they are faster and more agile than males, able to hunt down animals that are much bigger and faster than them. Lions have a large repertoire of vocalizations. Most of them are variations of growling, snarling, meowing, and roaring. Other sounds produced include purring, puffing, bleating, and humming. Roaring is used for advertising their presence. Lions most often roar at night, a sound that can be heard from a distance of 8 km (5 mi).

Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Southern lions are hypercarnivores and prey foremost on ungulates such as gemsbok, Cape buffalo, Blue wildebeest, giraffe, Common eland, Greater kudu, nyala, Roan antelope, Sable antelope, Plains zebra, bushpig, Common warthog, hartebeest, Common tsessebe, waterbuck, kob and Thomson's gazelle. Their prey is usually in the range of 190-550 kg (420-1,210 pounds). In the Serengeti National Park, lions were observed to also scavenge on the carrion of animals that were killed by other predators or died from natural causes. In Botswana's Chobe National Park, lions also prey on young and subadult African bush elephants.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
year-round
PREGNANCY DURATION
110-119 days
BABY CARRYING
3-6 cubs
INDEPENDENT AGE
2 years
FEMALE NAME
lioness
MALE NAME
lion
BABY NAME
cub

Generally, lions have a polygynous mating system, in which one male can mate with a number of females. They breed throughout the year with the peak period, occurring during the rainy season. The gestation period lasts from 110 to 119 days, yielding 3-6 cubs on average. The female gives birth in a hidden, solitary nursery. Reaching the age of 4-6 weeks, the cubs join the pride. Usually, all females of the pride feed and care for the young; when a mother female leaves the pride to hunt, another lactating female will feed her cubs. Weaning occurs at the age of 6-7 months, though the cubs typically stay close to their mother during the first two years of their lives. Males become reproductively mature at 5 years old while females reach maturity earlier, at 2.5-3 years of age.

Population

Population threats

In Africa, these rare animals are threatened by pre-emptive killing or in retaliation for preying on livestock. Prey base depletion, loss, and conversion of habitat have led to a number of subpopulations becoming small and isolated. Trophy hunting has contributed to population declines in Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. It is the primary cause of the decline of lion populations in Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve and Katavi National Park. Although lions and their prey are officially protected in Tsavo National Parks, they are regularly killed by local people, with over 100 known lion killings between 2001 and 2006. Between 2008 and 2013, bones and body parts from at least 2621 individual lions were exported from South Africa to Southeast Asia and another 3437 lion skeletons between 2014 and 2016. Lion bones are used to replace tiger bones in traditional Asian medicines. Uncontrolled bushfires and the hunting of lions and prey species in Zambia's Kafue National Park make it difficult for the lion population to recover. Cub mortality in particular is high.

Population number

According to IUCN Red List, in 2014 the total population size of the Southern lion is estimated to be 2,265 individuals in Southern Africa and 1,266 individuals in Eastern Africa. As a whole, the lion species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.

Ecological niche

Lions are an irreplaceable link in the ecosystem of their range. Feeding upon herbivorous animals such as zebras or buffaloes, they control the numbers of these species populations. Otherwise, these herbivores could out-compete other animals of their range, leading to the complete extinction of these species and thus destructing the biodiversity of the ecosystem.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Panthera leo melanochaita Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panthera_leo_melanochaita

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