Zoo lion playing with girl

Where do lions live ?

Lions live primarily in Southern Africa, countries like South Africa, Botswana and Kenya etc. They live in the plains and mostly feed on gazelle like Impala, Springbok and Zebra etc. They are very good hunters, particularly the females who do most of the hunting, day and night! They can weigh up to 300 kilo's for a fully grown male lion. They are called the King of the jungle as they have always been the most recognised for hunting. They have been called this because of the stigma attached to them over the years.

African Lions

The Lions are the cats that live in groups, which are called prides. Prides are family units that may include up to three males, a dozen or so females, and their young. All of a pride's lionesses are related, and female cubs typically stay with the group as they age. Young males eventually leave and establish their own prides by taking over a group headed by another male.

Only male lions boast manes, the impressive fringe of long hair that encircles their heads. Males defend the pride's territory, which may include some 100 square miles (259 square kilometers) of grasslands, scrub, or open woodlands. These intimidating animals mark the area with urine, roar menacingly to warn intruders, and chase off animals that encroach on their turf.

Female lions are the pride's primary hunters. They often work together to prey upon antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, and other large animals of the open grasslands. Many of these animals are faster than lions, so teamwork pays off.

After the hunt, the group effort often degenerates to squabbling over the sharing of the kill, with cubs at the bottom of the pecking order. Young lions do not help to hunt until they are about a year old. Lions will hunt alone if the opportunity presents itself, and they also steal kills from hyenas or wild dogs.

Lions have been celebrated throughout history for their courage and strength. They once roamed most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe. Today they are found only in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, except for one very small population of Asian lions that survives in India's Gir Forest.

How do Lions survive in the winter ?

They do very well in the winter. It isn't like it's really cold where they are, so plants don't die and the plant eaters (on which they prey) don't disappear. What actually happens throughout most of the range of the lion is that "winter" means the rainy season. At this time, just about all their range is green with vegetation. The zebra and the antelope and other critters on which they depend for food are spread out and eating well, and the lions are hunting them. Life is good.
During the "summer" when it is hot and dry, the big herbivores, which were "all over" during the rainy season, are confined to places where there is water. And the plants have been baked down to dry stalks everywhere. The plant eaters are having a tough time, and so are the lions. The range of these plant eaters has shrunk dramatically because they need to be near water. But though the lions don't have to look far to find them, they do have to compete with other animals for water. Lions can die of thurst as easily as any other animal. In the winter, it is raining, and with the resurgence of the plants, the plant eaters spread out to graze, and the lions move with them. It is "easier" for the lion in the "winter" because it can generally hook up some food, and it doesn't have to search for water. The hot, dry "summer" beats the lion down, just like it hammers all the other animals.

Why the lion could become the king of jungle and not the tiger

Why lion is considered or said to be as king of the jungle? The question may appear very frivolous and nonsensical as the human beings only 'crowned' the lion as king of the jungle and none of the animals may be even aware of such 'coronation' event. Interestingly, even the 'lion' itself may not know such title has been conferred to 'him'.

When was such coronation event had happened is not known. Why the tiger was not considered for the title of the 'king' despite tiger being the biggest among all the cats. What is so unique or special for 'lion'?

Perhaps, the great management principle and reason only would have made the early man to title the 'lion as king of jungle'. The point worth mention is about the astute management knowledge of early man and how relevant the same is even today. The modern corporate must learn and follow the above tenets.

What are the generally expected or accepted qualities of a king?

1. King should be very majestic and distinguishable from the rest

2. King should respect and protect his clan
3. The entire clan should be willing to do 'sacrifice' for the king

4. The palace where king lives should be very open and visible to others even from a distance

5. King should be willing to abdicate his throne to a new king when he becomes old

Lion is a sexually dimorphic animal whereas the tiger is not. The gait and mane of a matured lion gives an august & majestic appearance to it and such distinguishable features are not present in tiger.

The corporate must always carry very distinguishable and remarkable qualities or values in the market place. The organization should be known for its ethics.

The second management principle to be learned from the above by the corporate is that the lion protects all the members of the pride from other lions and it tolerates all the members of the pride as well.

This philosophy of valuing and protecting the employees, the corporate must inculcate and follow.

The third management principle is that all the members of the pride will patiently wait for the lion to have its share only then they approach the meal. Natural willingness for sacrifice is born only when there is genuine respect and recognition.

The lion lives in open country. It never follows the hunting strategy of 'ambush' like tiger. The message to be learned by the corporate in this regard is that they should conduct themselves in a very fair and open manner. Transparency should be understood and followed by them in letter and spirit.

The last and the most important management principle is that the lion when looses its dominance, retreat and the new king gets the throne. The message it conveys is that the corporate must abdicate its 'expired beliefs' and renew them as and when required. If they remain firm with what they believe is right, growth and development become impossible. Adaptation and formation of new generation always call for abdication of certain beliefs and values.

Why is the lion called king of the jungle

The phrase is a misnomer because lions don't live in the jungle, they live out on the Savannah.Also because it is at the top of the food chain. Few animals will dare to challenge a lion, even in periods of extreme hunger, or fighting for territory. Hyena's often get into conflicts with lions since their food sources are essentially the same and have been known to attack and kill lions.An interesting related fact is that King Leonidas' name actually meant "lion-like,". He was the King of Sparta between 488BC and 480BC.Perhaps some people associate Africa with jungles, and since Lions live in Africa they make the erroneous association.

Lion vs Tiger

This mega cat fight has happened more times than you might expect.The Romans pitted African lions against Asian tigers in the Coliseum (wow), to the rip-roaring pleasure of the Plebeians. A few fights were also staged in the early decades of the 20th century, and on several modern occasions, accidental cross-species encounters at zoos have quickly developed into gruesome scenes guaranteed to scar any nearby schoolchildren for life.
Offhand mentions in the historical record imply that tigers usually came out on top in ancient Rome, and modern fights in captivity typically go that way, too — but not every time. Lions and tigers each have their strengths, and "the outcome of a given fight completely depends on the individuals: their history, fighting style and physiology," said Craig Saffoe, a biologist and the curator of great cats at the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington, D.C.
First, although an especially large tiger will outweigh any lion, the two species usually have comparable sizes. Estimates vary, but Saffoe says an average adult male African lion and an average adult male Bengal tiger (the most common wild tiger subspecies) both weigh in the neighborhood of 400 to 420 pounds (180 to 190 kilograms).
Lions manes confer a physical advantage. According to Saffoe, this built-in chain mail protects their necks, and it also serves as a reminder of the fact that male lions are pre-programmed for fighting. "Lions are social where tigers are not, so just in growing up, lions are going to play-fight a lot because they are training to fight over the rights to be in a pride, whereas a tiger can go its whole life without an encounter," he said.
Although combat experience would give veteran lions prowess, the social nature of these cats may ultimately be their biggest weakness in a brawl with a tiger. According to the Lion Research Center at the University of Minnesota, coalitions of two to three male lions usually fight as a group against territorial rivals, but tigers always go it alone. This difference affects the two cats' instincts.
"What I've seen from tigers, they seem to be more aggressive; they go for the throat, go for the kill," Saffoe said. "Whereas the lions are more, 'I will just pound you and play with you.' Lions can maybe afford to play around a bit more because they've got backup with other lions. Tigers can't. Maybe they are conditioned through their evolution never to depend on help from anyone else and always to go for the quick kill."
Before we call it quits, might as well throw a few other cats into the ring. How would a South American jaguar fare against a lion or tiger? What about a leopard or cheetah? [The 6 Craziest Animal Experiments.
By Saffoe's reckoning, the big cats rank as follows: it's a toss-up between tigers, jaguars and lions at the top, and following them, in order of higher to lower rank, would be leopards, cougars, snow leopards and cheetahs. "The most intriguing match-up would be a good size Bengal tiger and a good-size male jaguar, because both those animals have about the same temperament, speed, size and strength," he said.
The leopard holds the wild card. "Don't count leopards out. They're small but very powerful and capable fighters," Saffoe said. "Who knows, a leopard might turn into a whirling dervish and rip up a lion or tiger."