The lion is described as the most sociable of all cats. The number of lions in a pride can range from ten lions to twenty lions. There can even be around thirty five lions in a single pride. Each pride consists of:

  • Adult males numbering four to five
  • A few lionesses
  • cubs

It is not necessary that all the members of a pride stick together continuously. Lions belonging to the same pride may hunt in different places at the same time. But when they do meet again after a certain period of time, they greet one another by rubbing cheeks.

Life in a pride is usually peaceful. Most of the days time (around twenty hours) is spent either resting or sleeping. The lion cubs are more active and run around chasing each other or wrestling. This is the way they practice for the skills they are sure to need when they grow up. When cubs are hungry they can feed on the milk of any lioness. It is not necessary that it feeds on its own mother.

The distance that a lion normally walks in a day is around eight kilometers. A lion can rest for twenty four hours if it has eaten a large meal. But it is not unusual for a lion to travel even more than twenty four kilometers if it is searching for food.

Each pride marks its own territory and tends to stay within it. The territory selected and its extent depends on the amount of food and water which is available for the lions. If the food is sufficient, the territory may extend to forty kilometers. In areas where there is not enough food, it may extend to two hundred and sixty kilometers.

Lions are very protective of their territory and do not permit any animals which are strange to them to hunt in their territory. They mark their area by spraying a mixture of urine and scent on bushes in the area or by roaring. This is how the strangers are warned to stay away and informed that the territory already belongs to someone. If in case they do ignore the warning, there is a probability that the strangers are killed.

Tagged with: • •

Filed under: Lions Articles

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!