Did you hear a loud roar when you are in the zoo? That is probably us. We are the majestic and dangerous Asiatic Lions. We have one of the loudest roars in the world. You might have known a lot about us, but there are still some things that may surprise you.
Have a look:
- We once roamed in Turkey, Iran, and Mesopotamia, but we are now extinct there. Now, we only live as a wild animal in Gir National Park and captive in several zoos in the world.
- Some of us can be huge. It is said that Emperor Jahangir of India in 1620 has speared a lion which is 3.1m long and weighing 306kg.
- Do you know? We actually recovered from extinction. We were only 411 individuals in 2010, now our numbers grew higher with 650 only found in Gir National Park.
- We are adopted as the National Emblem of India and are present on the flag of Sri Lanka.
- We have been a part of the culture, myths, and folklore of various regions around the world.
- In India, Lord Narasimha (Lion head and human body) is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is worshipped in many temples. The Narasimha also appears in the Tibetan Buddhist religion and is called Simhamukha.
- We also stand as a symbol of Lord Mahavira from Jainism.
- In Sri Lanka, the majority of the people are Sinhalese people which means Lion’s blood or people of Lion.
- In China, Lion dances, a traditional dance performed on Chinese New Year is also inspired by us.
- In Cambodia, there a martial art named L-bukkatao which means Pounding of a Lion. The city of Singapore is named after us.
- We also appear in the Bible (fighting Samson in the book of Judges), in the Quran, have an important association with the Gilgamesh, as demonstrated in his epic.
- We are one of the 12 zodiac signs.
- Lion King is a famous movie associating us along with the movie Madagascar which contains the main character “Alex” who is a Lion.
SOME QUICK NOTES:
Our Scientific Name: Panthera Leo Leo.
Our Identification: Big cats with yellowish fur and brown mane.
Our Habitat: tropical and subtropical forests, thorny forests and savannas.
Our range:
Our Food habits: Carnivorous; Sambars, Nilgais, Chitals, Buffaloes, and Wildboars.
Our Breeding Period: September to January.
Our Gestation Period: about 110 days.
Number of cubs born: 1-4
Lifespan: 17-18 years.
Estimated Population: about 650 in the wild.
IUCN red list status: Endangered
CITES: Appendix I
Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Pantherinae
Genus: Panthera
Species: P. Leo
Subspecies: P. L. Leo
COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT US FOR ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS:
Indian Lions are also known as Asiatic Lions or Persian Lions. They belong to the family of 5 big cat species.Indian Lions are scientifically called as Panthera Leo Leo.
HOW WE LOOK:
We are big animals having a body length of about 2m-3m, a tail length of 0.75m-1m, shoulder length of 107cm-120cm and weigh 110kg-190kg. The females of our species are smaller than males.
We have a yellowish-brown coat with white underparts and long tails with a black tuft at the end. We have large paws, big face and strong and powerful teeth. Males of our species have mane (a bunch of long hair around the head and neck extending to the shoulder).
The male has dark brown to black hair and gets darker with age. The young cubs have brown spots with a greyish coat. Compared to African Lions, we are smaller in size, have smaller tuft on the tail, and have a less developed mane.
WE ARE FOUND IN:
We are only found in India now with our former range being in Turkey, Iran, and Mesopotamia.
In India, we are mostly found in and around Gir National Park and in zoological parks across India and the World. Gir National Park present in Saurashtra (Gujarat) has tropical and subtropical forests, thorny forests and savannas which is our preferred habitat.
WHAT WE EAT:
We are carnivorous and hunt for prey. We hunt by stalking the prey closely and pouncing on them when the time is right. We are historically known for hunting cattle. We feed on animals like Sambars, Nilgais, Chitals, Buffaloes, and Wild boars.
OUR REPRODUCTION:
We are polygamous animals (having multiple mates in a lifetime). Males usually live alone until they find a female or a pride (a group of lions). Males, females, and young lions form a small pride.
The male leads the pride and defends it from other male lions. Lions are territorial and often the males fight with other males to take control over the pride.
Our breeding season is from September to January. The female gives birth to 1-4 cubs at a time and the gestation period is about 110 days. The young cubs open their eyes after 11 days and can walk in 15 days.
The female gives birth in a den and hides the young there for about 8 weeks. It alone takes responsibility for the young cubs and feeds them. The females also take care of cubs born of other females in the pride. The young ones become independent after 16 months.
Females of our species have a lifespan of 17-18 years while the males live for around 16 years.
MORE ABOUT US:
We are majestic and dangerous predators and stand second most abundant predators in the world after spotted hyenas.
Our powerful paws can hold any big prey steady and our powerful teeth bite through the prey. We also have a rough tongue which helps us scrape the meat off the carcass.
We have excellent eyesight and can even see a lot better in dark than humans.
Our mane helps us in defending our neck when we battle other lions or sometimes tigers.
The only predators we have are humans and our cubs are also vulnerable to hyenas.
We have the ability to recognize individuals and interact with other lions using visual cues.
Our pride members come and go and rarely are together. Pride takeover battles between male lions are very violent and aggressive leading to severe injuries or even death to the losing males.
We have a very powerful and loud roars which we use to show aggression and also for communication.
We are well-known around the world and we are part of many cultures.
OUR CONSERVATION:
We are listed as “Endangered” in the red list of IUCN, in CITES Appendix I and protected under Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 Schedule I. Our only big population lives in and around the Gir National Park.
This low population of ours in the world is due to heavy poaching and habitat destruction. Humans have been killing us historically to protect cattle and settlements. Starving for food is also another factor for reduction in our population.
Our population has recovered from the brink of extinction and has been growing after we are protected by the authorities. As of August 2017, our population in the wild is 650 individuals. We were also introduced in various other countries.
