We all know that one animal that rules the jungle, that even human refers it as the king of the jungle. Yes, the majestic animal is lion. While it is still the second largest big cats in the world after tiger, it is still hugely respected as the number one in the forest. Where can you find them in the world? Let’s find out the habitat of a lion.
Lions are classified into two types of species, which is the African and Asiatic lion. However, lions have also roamed through Europe as well.
These lions are similar genetically, but due to the difference in habitat, there are some behaviors and characteristics that are a little bit different between the African lion and the Asiatic lion.
Habitat of a Lion
1. Where do They Live?
The Asiatic lions, which mean they live in Asia, can only be found in India. The state is called Gurajat, which is in Western India, to be exact.
The habitat of a lion is protected under the national park for wildlife, Gir Forest National Park. There are 500 lions kept in this park, as well as leopards, deer, hyenas, foxes, reptiles, antelope, jackal and birds.
The African lions can be found in several places in Africa and still have their territories in open woodlands. They can be found in the jungle of Angola, Central African Republic, Botswana, South Sudan, Tanzania, Mozambique, and more in the sub-Saharan Africa. The lions are keeping their territories safe up to 260 square kilometers wide.
2. The Prides of Lions
Most of the big cats are solitary animals, which mean they prefer to be alone. The males usually hunt alone after they are old enough, leaving the females in charge of the family.
The case is different with lions, which are social and prefer to live in groups. The groups of lions are called prides, and they can be different according to each of the habitat of a lion.
In the form of prides on the African lions, we can find three adult male lions and around twelve of the females as well as the young. Once the young are old enough, they might leave to create their own pride.
But these prides can have up to 40 members and that’s a huge number for big cats. They usually hunt big preys such as rhinos, hogs, zebras and much more.
However, the Asiatic lions are not quite different from the other big cats because they will leave the family after mating or doing a large kill.
This is because the main hunters are female lions. They also hunt big preys like buffaloes and goats. But, they would also opt for smaller meals like mice and birds as well.
The habitat of a lion is not as widespread as the other big cats, but that still proves a slight yet huge differences between the lions living in one place to another. From the way they socialize to hunt, habitat is indeed interesting to be looked into further. While lion lives in tropical habitat, you can also seek information about colder weather, such as habitat of a polar bear. Currently, the population of lions are declining, and they are in the status of vulnerable.
