Lion

For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation).

Lion[1]
Temporal range: Early Pleistoceneto recent |
|
Male |
|
Female (lioness) |
Conservation status |

Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[2] |Scientific classification |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Felidae |
Genus: | Panthera |
Species: | P. leo |
Binomial name|
Panthera leo
(Linnaeus, 1758)[3] |
|
|
Distribution of lions in India: The Gir Forest, in Gujarat, is the last natural range of about 400 wild Asiatic lions. There are plans toreintroduce some lions to Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. |
Synonyms |
Felis leo
Linnaeus, 1758[3] |
The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera anda member of the familyFelidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight,[4] it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa andin Asia, with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 yearsago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.[5] Thelion is a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline of 30–50% over the past two decades[date missing] in its African range.[2] Lion populations are untenable outside designatedreserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West Africanlion population is particularly endangered.
Lions live for 10–14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than 20 years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than 10 years, as...