Thursday, October 13, 2011

Kenya Hosts 2,000 African Lions

By Imani Kimatt


Kenya's African lion population totals nearly 2,000. African lions are a few of the most valued Kenya animals and are especially sought after by visitors to the country.

A lion's coat is typically fawn while the body measures anything from 4.5 to 6.5 feet in length. Male lions are easily identifiable because of the shock of hair round the head that is called the mane.

Female lions weigh between 120 to 190 kilograms. Male lions are usually larger and their weight typically surpasses 250 kilograms.

Lions belong to the Big Cat family that in Kenya also consists of leopards and cheetahs. Typically , a group of lions (called a pride) has 2-3 males but twelve or so lionesses. The most powerful male becomes the boss of the pride but is eventually succeeded by a younger, stronger and more potent male. Besides reproduction, the key responsibility of the male lions is to protect their territory and safeguard the pride.

Given that lions are carnivores, their diet consists completely of meat. Lionesses do the majority of the hunting. All the female lions in a pride hunt jointly, preying on animals as varied as antelopes, wildebeests, zebras, giraffes and the elephant young. But African lions aren't really fast sprinters and they tire pretty fast. Hence they work in cooperation to besiege and quickly seize an unfortunate prey. They often concentrate on and separate pretty young or old as well as fragile individuals from a herd.

Just like humans, African lions maintain extraordinarily close family ties. Ultimately though, adolescent males leave their original prides and together with their peers, form new prides.

A lion's life span varies from ten to fifteen years. Nevertheless male lions typically enjoy a shorter life span owing to numerous turf battles with other male lions. This is because lions are very territorial and will often fight to the death while trying to beat off intruders.

Lions mostly inhabit savanna grasslands. They spend the majority of their time lying and resting and can remain nearly motionless for at least 20 hours per day.

Collectively, African lions are one of the important tourist attractions in Kenya. Your best chance for seeing them is the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, which is undoubtedly the most valued of the more than 4 dozen Kenya wildlife parks.




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