Lions

Lions

A large carnivore of the cat family, Panthera leo, found in open country in Africa, with a few surviving in India. Lions have short-haired coats of tawny brown, with the tail ending in a dark tuft. Most males have black or tawny manes of varying length growing from the head, neck, and shoulders.

Their mane may be quite long and magnificent, giving the it the imposing appearance that has led it to be known as king of the beasts in folklore; studies indicate that long manes are typical mainly of cooler climate lions.

Grown males are about 9 ft (2.7 m) long including the 3-ft (90-cm) tail, stand about 3 ft (90 cm) at the shoulder, and weigh up to 400 lb (180 kg). Females are smaller and lack manes. The lions anatomically being very similar to the tiger although it is different in habitat and way of life.



These are the only cats that are social rather than solitary.

They usually live in groups called prides, which vary in composition but may occasionally include as many as 30 individuals. The lionesses do a considerable part of the hunting. There is no definite breeding season.

They inhabit grasslands, scrubland, and semidesert areas, where they hunt antelope, zebra, and other large herbivorous animals, as well as domestic stock, also eating carrion.

They do not normally attack humans unless wounded or provoked; under unusual conditions they may prey on humans, but even old and sick animals are more likely to subsist on rodents, insects, and other small prey.

In early historic times they ranged over Eurasia from Europe to India and over all of Africa. They were eliminated from Europe and the Middle East by the beginning of the 2d cent. a.d. and from most of the rest of their range in recent times. They are now numerous only in central Africa, although even there they are severely reduced in numbers.

At the beginning of the 20th cent. a few pairs remained in India and were preserved as tourist attractions in the Gir forest (now Gir National Park) of Gujarat state in W India.

This group had increased to 290 individuals in 1955 but, although still protected, has been somewhat smaller since; they are the only remaining Asiatic species. In early Christian symbolism the lion represented Jesus and has also represented St. Mark. For the constellation and sign of the zodiac see Leo.

Having become extinct in Greece, their last European outpost, by 100 AD. Other extinct subspecies are the Cape species, the European Cave species (subspecies Panthera leo spelaea) which coexisted with humans throughout the last Ice Age, and the American species(subspecies Panthera leo atrox), a close relative of the European cave lion (not to be confused with the mountain lion or puma).



They are recurring symbols in the coat of arms of royalty and chivalry, particularly in the UK, where the it is also a national symbol of the British people. They also appear in the art of China, even though they have never lived in China.

No animal has been given more attention in art and literature. C.A.W. Guggisberg, in his book Simba, says they are referred to 130 times in the Bible, for example in 1 Peter 5:8 where the Devil is compared to a roaring lion: `seeking someone to devour`.

They can also be found in stone age cave paintings.

Although they are not often heard of due to their rarity, white variety do exist, in Timbavati, South Africa. There is a recessive gene in the white species that gives them their unusual color (also causing white tigers, many white tigers with this gene are bred for zoos and animal shows).

A white of the species has a disadvantage when it comes to hunting; their white color can give away their hiding place.

Lions in culture

- Also bieng adopted by the British people as their mascot together with the bulldog. It is used like the FIFA World Cup mascot held in England in the year 1966 and the European Football Championships in 1996. It also became mascot with Goleo VI with your "pal" a talking football called "Pillie" for FIFA World Cup in 2006. A British group: The Lighting Seeds inspired in the England football team emblem written and interpreted the song Three Lions which is the team`s nickname.

-It also appears on the National Flag and the Coat of Arms of Sri Lanka. It is meant to symbolise the Sinhala people (Sinhalese Singha = Lion"). Local folklore tells of Prince Vijaya, the first of the Sinhalese kings, as being the son of Sinhabahu, who was fathered by a lion. See History of Sri Lanka.

Lions in art

Lions 1980 from sketchbook by Frans Koppelaar

- Nelson's column in London's Trafalgar Square.

- The entrance to the Britannia Bridge crossing of the Menai Strait, Wales.

- Patience and Fortitude, the large stone lions outside the main branch of the New York Public Library, also the mascots of the New York and Brooklyn Public Library system.

- Chinese lions are frequently used in sculpture in traditional Chinese architecture. For instance, in the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, two lion statues are seen in almost every door entrance.

- The entrance to Sigiriya, the Lion-Rock of Sri Lanka was through the Lion Gate, the mouth of a stone Lion.

- The paws of the lion can still be seen today. It is one of the 7 world heritage sites in Sri Lanka.

- The Dying Lioness is a relief panel from 650 BCE, Nineveh (modern day Iraq) depicting a half-paralyzed lioness pierced with arrows. This piece currently resides in the British Museum.

Lions in Heraldry

The following positions of heraldic lions are recognized: rampant, guardant, reguardant, passant, statant, couchant, salient, sejant, dormant.


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