The largest members of the cat family are the tigers and the lions. The body of a lion is more suitable for strength instead of speed. The usual weight of a male lion ranges from one hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty kilograms, but some of them can also weigh up to two hundred and thirty kilograms. From the nose to the tip of the tail, a lion measures around three meters. They are about one meter tall measured from the ground to the shoulder. The female lions (lionesses) are smaller in size as compared to the males. Their weight ranges between one hundred and ten to one hundred and forty kilograms, and are about thirty centimeters shorter than the male lions

The only cats that have manes are male lions. A mane may be of different colors; brown, black, or blond, which darkens as the age of the lion increases. But the usual color is a mixture of the three. The long and thick hair is just like a collar and covers the whole head (except for the face) as well as the neck. It falls down till the shoulders and the chest. The mane has the effect of making the male lion look stronger and bigger than he actually is. Another part which the mane plays is protecting the lion while he is in a fight. When an enemy hits him, the thick and long hair of the mane softens the knock. Hair starts growing around the head of young males when they are around one year old. But the mane becomes fully grown when the beast is around five years old, and not before.

The coat of the lion is perfect when the lion has to hide. The coat is of a color similar to that of dead grass; brownish yellow. The only parts of the lion’s body which are black are the backside of ears and the tuft of hair at the tail’s end. This make the body perfectly camouflaged when the lion has to hunt.

The forelegs of the lion as well as its shoulders are very well built with extremely strong muscles. These muscles allow the lion to grab its prey and bring it down to the ground. The lion has huge paws, and each paw is equipped with claws which are curved in shape. The claws are used to hook the prey and hold it. To keep the paw sharp, nature has provided the lion with a sheath, so that it can withdraw the claw into it when it is not being used.

The lion has a set of thirty teeth which include the following:

  • Four canines used to clutch the prey, kill it, and tear its meat
  • Carnassials used to cut through the skin and tendons of the prey

The lion does not have any teeth which can be used to chew the food it eats. The lion eats by gulping down the food in large pieces.

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