Do lions eat snakes|interesting facts
Lions do not eat snakes but snakes can eat lion or kill lions
Powerful, majestic and highly sociable lions are king of beasts. But how much do you know about lions? Here are our favorite facts about lions. Fact One. Most wild lions live in Africa below the Sahara desert, but one small population exists in the Gir Forest National Park in Western India.
Fact two. They can weigh up to 30 stone. On average male lions can weigh up to 190 kilograms, almost 30 stone. And females can weigh up to a 126 kilograms, almost 20 stone. They need this weight and power behind them to hunt large prey and to defend their pride. Fact 3. Did you know they start off spotty. Young lions have rosettes and spots on this sandy coats, but these generally disappear as they mature.
Fact Four. Males magnificent manes tell a story. Male lions grow impressive manes the older they get these manes can grow up to 16 centimeters long and are a sign of dominance The older they get the darker the manes go. As well as attracting females their manes may also protect their neck and head from injuries during fights. Fact Five. Cubs are reared together. A pride of lions is usually made up of related females and their cubs, a male and then a smaller group of males who defend the pride. Lionesses rear their cubs together and cubs can suckle from any female with milk. Fact Six. Lions can get their water from plants. Lions are highly adaptable and can live in very dry places like the Kalahari desert. Here they get most of their water from their prey, but when needed can drink from plants like the Tsamma melon, Fact Seven. Lions are big eaters. They can eat up to 40 kilograms of meat in one single meal. Around a quarter of their body weight! Their tongues have sharp-pointed rasps, called papillae which helped them scrape the meat off the bones.
Fact Eight. Lions hunt during storms. Lions do most of their hunting at night as their eyes have adapted to the dark and this gives them a huge advantage over their prey. When hunting, lionesses have specific roles, some play the role of center and others play the role of wing. The wings chase the pray towards the center's. They hunt during storms as the noise and wind make it harder for prey to see and hear them. Fact Nine. Lions are the only cats that roar together. Lions are the only known cat species where individuals roar together with even young cubs joining in. A calling sequence last about 40 seconds. A pride often roars to mark their territory and a roar can be heard from up to five miles away.
Fact Ten. There aren't as many lions as you think. There are thought to be as few as 23,000 lions left in the wild and African lions are thought to have decreased by over 40% in the last three generations. In fact lions have disappeared from over 90% of their historical range. The main threats to lions are retaliatory killing to protect people and livestock, and decreasing natural prey and habitat. We're helping to protect critical lion habitat and wildlife corridors in East Africa, monitoring lion populations and working with local communities to help mitigate human lion conflict.
