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World Lion Day: 7 curiosities you should know about the "King of the Jungle"

2022-08-10 18:04:35Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

World Lion Day: 7 curiosities you should know about the "King of the

In the past century, the number of lions present in Africa has declined drastically, going from 200,000 in the early 1900s to less than 30,000 remaining on the continent today. The World Wildlife Fund raises the alarm about the future of the species on World Lion Day. The decline of specimens in Africa continues to worsen. According to the most recent data, in the last 20 years the population has suffered a decrease of 43%.

"The threats are poaching, the fact that lions are killed to protect livestock raised by humans, but also the disappearance of habitats and natural prey," explains Isabella Pratesi, director of conservation at WWF Italy.

Today it is estimated that the lion occupies only 10% of its original range.

"We are doing everything possible to give a future to lions in Africa by protecting their natural habitats and movement corridors, studying and monitoring the herds and working with local communities to find the best solutions for a possible coexistence".

Lions are present in 27 African countries, but only in 7 of them there are populations of more than a thousand individuals. The species is now extinct in 26 states of its native range. There is also a small population of Asiatic lions living in India, in the Sasan Gir National Park.

World Lion Day: 7 curiosities you should know about the "King of the

Lions are big. They are impressive. Lions are also threatened by poachers and the risk of extinction. Therefore, here are 7 reasons why we should rejoice in their existence.

We still don't know why they scream

Only certain species of cats roar, the big cats, such as lions, tigers and jaguars, that have a specialized structure in their throats. Lions are said to roar to communicate, especially over long distances. But we still don't know why they roar so loudly. In 2010, dr. Gustav Peters and Marcell Peters at the Zoological Research Museum in Bonn, Germany, analyzed the average long-distance call frequencies of 27 different species in the cat class. They confirmed that cat species that lived in more open habitat types, such as lions or sand cats, have larger howls, while cat species that live in denser habitats, such as forest habitats, which include leopards, have louder howls. smaller. But that probably doesn't make sense, since research shows that in open areas sound is interrupted by air turbulence, which means that the lion's roar cannot travel very far in the deserts of Africa. Another suggestion is that big cats produce lower frequency sounds. This would explain the comparison of the lion's roar with the cat's meow, but when the researchers took into account the genetic inheritance of each species studied, they found that body weight had no effect on the dominant frequencies of the exclamations of these species.

Their joy has been mysterious for a long time

What distinguishes it from other species of the class of cats, is that male lions have a large fur around their neck. Composed of hairs 23 centimeters long, in colors ranging from white to black, this fur covers the head, neck, shoulders and chest of male lions. It has long been believed that this fur helped the lion to protect itself from injury, an idea put forward by Charles Darwin, one of the originators of the theory of evolution. But there is another reason that explains the existence of fur in male lions, it serves as a sexual signal in lionesses, showing the virility and health of the male lion. For example, males with darker fur have higher testosterone levels, live longer, and have a greater chance of surviving an injury. To solve the puzzle, scientists in 2006 compared two models, fur development and fur morphology in African lions. They found no evidence that fur protected them from injury, thus disproving Darwin's idea. Male lions seem to use it to catch the eye of female lionesses.

World Lion Day: 7 curiosities you should know about the "King of the

Lions can count

It's strange, but lions have shown that they can count. When a pack of lions hear the roar of a single lion approaching, two lionesses always come forward to meet the strangers. But if two lions are heard approaching, at least 4 of them go. So they are able to track each other's quantity.

World Lion Day: 7 curiosities you should know about the "King of the

Lions can  make funny faces

When lions smell something interesting, they wrinkle their noses, curl their lips and clench their teeth, giving a sort of annoyed facial expression. Other animals of the cat class do this too, sometimes even horses. This behavior is done by a specialized sensory organ found in the palate of the lion's mouth.

World Lion Day: 7 curiosities you should know about the "King of the

Lions form 'street gangs'

Lions are the only cat species that can live in large groups, called herds. In Africa and Asia, they form lion packs of various sizes that include one or more male lions and a large number of female lions and cubs. But the reason why they act like this has remained a mystery. One idea that has stuck around for a long time is that lionesses are socialized to cooperate in hunting. But despite the fact that they cooperate and catch large prey, there is no clear idea of ​​the relationship between the number of lions that hunt together and the success of the hunt. Another idea is lions gather to defend territory. Indeed, a range of animals from small insects to larger animals form social groups to defend territories against 'enemies'. But while there is anecdotal evidence that larger groups have a competitive advantage, the idea has never been tested over long periods of time. In 2009, an idea was given as to why lions form packs. Ecologists Annna Mosser and Craig Packer from the University of Minnesota published a 38-year study that analyzed the behavior of 46 lion herds living in Tanzania's National Park. They found that lions formed packs to defend territory against other lions, not to improve their hunting success. In doing so, they act more like street gangs, banding together to protect their neighborhood. The larger the pack, the more successful the lions in controlling the best areas. Larger herds with more lionesses not only produced more cubs,

The lions had an uncertain origin

Humans have been aware of the existence of lions since the dawn of mankind, with our ancestors having long coexisted with the big cats in Africa. But despite this we have discovered the details of the origin of lions in 2014. Uncovering the history of lions has not been easy. Animals that live in tropical areas tend to leave few fossils behind. Lions have also been persecuted throughout history, with large numbers of lions wiped out by human activity. So many gaps in the fossil record, and it makes it difficult to reconstruct their past. Thus, an international team of scientists led by Dr. Ross Barnett of Durham University in the United Kingdom went back to ancient DNA with samples of lions held in museum collections around the world. Research confirmed that lions lived about 124 thousand years ago. Modern lions evolved into two groups, one living in East and South Africa, and the other group in Central and West Africa, and India. The second group is in danger of extinction. The research also taught us that lions in West and Central Africa are more closely related to the lions of India than those of Somalia.

World Lion Day: 7 curiosities you should know about the "King of the

Some lions have suffered enigmatic fates

There are several species of lions that have remained enigmatic. Just as they live in Africa, lions also live in India. The population of the last 10 free Asiatic lions lives in the protected area of ​​Western India. Despite the threat of extinction, this lion population has been steadily increasing in response to conservation initiatives spanning 5 decades. Still, the risk remains significant, even though recent studies have shown that local farmers feel positive about the presence of lions in their area, considering them an integral part of the natural heritage. The other breed, the ?Barbarian? lion, is one of the most enigmatic predators, thanks to its impressive appearance and its fate. Although it was an abundant species in North Africa, this type of lion was among the first to become extinct over time, The 'barbarian' lion had a dense fur, and different head shape from other types of lions. People said that they were physically bigger and had different eye colors than other lions. Historians say that their way of life was also different. They lived in pairs, or in small family groups, unlike the famous herds of Africa. The last 'barbarian' type lion was seen in Morocco in 1927, and there are rumors that these lions may have survived in the wild until 1942. unlike the famous herds of Africa. The last 'barbarian' type lion was seen in Morocco in 1927, and there are rumors that these lions may have survived in the wild until 1942. unlike the famous herds of Africa. The last 'barbarian' type lion was seen in Morocco in 1927, and there are rumors that these lions may have survived in the wild until 1942.

World Lion Day: 7 curiosities you should know about the "King of the

7 facts you didn't know before about lions

1- A lion weighs about 500 kg and grows up to 2.5 meters in length.

2- Although lions are called the "king of the jungle" they live in the fields

3- The offspring of a lion and a female tiger is called a ligra, while the offspring of a tiger and a lioness is called a tigon.

4- Lions in captivity live twice as long as lions in the wild.

5- Ancient Romans used barbarian lions to fight gladiators.

6-The sound you make can be heard up to 5 miles away

7- The ancient Egyptians worshiped lions as their gods of war because of their ferocity, power and strength.

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