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| Lions are recurring symbols in the ] of ] and ]. Lions show up in the art of China, even though lions have never lived in China. No animal has been given more attention in ] and ]. ], in his book ''Simba'', says the lion is referred to 130 times in the ]. The lion can be found in ] ]s. | Lions are recurring symbols in the ] of ] and ]. Lions show up in the art of China, even though lions have never lived in China. No animal has been given more attention in ] and ]. ], in his book ''Simba'', says the lion is referred to 130 times in the ]. The lion can be found in ] ]s. | ||
| == Attacks on humans == | |||
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| ⚫ | While any hungry ] will probably ] a ] that wanders by, and most might take a swipe at an obviously weakened one, some (usually male) lions actually seem to almost seek out human ]. Some of the more ] cases include the ] Man-Eaters and the ] Maneater. (Consequently, both incidents have books written by the hunters who ] the lions.) | ||
| There has been some speculation as to why lions might deliberately seek human prey out, and theories are abound, but some of the more common ones are: | There has been some speculation as to why lions might deliberately seek human prey out, and theories are abound, but some of the more common ones are: | ||
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| Whether or not the lions were anything unusual, no one can definitively say, but it is generally a good idea to keep an eye out if you are near any big ]. | Whether or not the lions were anything unusual, no one can definitively say, but it is generally a good idea to keep an eye out if you are near any big ]. | ||
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Revision as of 23:29, 27 December 2003
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The Lion, Panthera leo, is a mammal of the family Felidae. The male lion, who is easily recognized by his mane, may weigh up to 250 kg. Females are much smaller, weighing up to only 180 kg. Lions are carnivores who live in family groups, called prides, consisting of related females, their cubs of both sexes, and an unrelated male who mates with the adult females. The females do the hunting for the pride while the males are largely occupied with maintaining the borders of their territory. Males are expelled from the pride when they reach maturity.
Despite being popularly known as the "king of the jungle", the lion is an animal of the open plains, and can be found throughout Africa. It is nevertheless a threatened species with significant populations being limited to national parks in Tanzania and South Africa.
The last remnant of the Asiatic lion (subspecies Panthera leo persica), which in historical times ranged from Greece to India through Persia, lives in the Gir Forest of northwestern India. About 300 lions live in a 500-square mile sanctuary in the state of Gujarat.
Lions had become extinct in Greece, their last European outpost, by 100 AD, but they survived in considerable numbers in the Middle East and North Africa until the early 20th century. The lions that used to live in North Africa, called Barbary lions are thought to have been a subspecies of lion, although to date it has not yet been tested enough to confirm this.
Lions are recurring symbols in the coat of arms of royalty and chivalry. Lions show up in the art of China, even though lions 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 the lion is referred to 130 times in the Bible. The lion can be found in stone age cave paintings.
Attacks on humans
While any hungry lion will probably attack a human that wanders by, and most might take a swipe at an obviously weakened one, some (usually male) lions actually seem to almost seek out human prey. Some of the more publicized cases include the Tsavo Man-Eaters and the Mfuwe Maneater. (Consequently, both incidents have books written by the hunters who slew the lions.)
There has been some speculation as to why lions might deliberately seek human prey out, and theories are abound, but some of the more common ones are:
Although neither of these ideas can be substantiated, what we do know is that the Mfuwe and Tsavo incidents did bear some striking similarities to each other. The lions in both the Tsavo and Mfuwe incidents were all larger than normal, and lacked manes and they seemed to suffer from tooth decay.
Whether or not the lions were anything unusual, no one can definitively say, but it is generally a good idea to keep an eye out if you are near any big predator.
A member of a football club (e.g. Detroit Lions, Brisbane Lions, British and Irish Lions) or other sports team.
A member of a service club (Lions Clubs International)