Lions - Panthera Leo

Large and powerful! this is the second biggest cat in the world. The Lion is one of the best know wild animals. They find their home in about 28 African countries (African lion), and in India (Asiatic, Indian or Persion lion).

The male lions most outstanding feature is his mane, which varies between individuals. A fully-grown male is about 2 metres long excluding the 1 metre tail. The male lion stands tall, with a shoulder height of about about 1.2 metres and weighs up to 250 kg. The female is a little bit smaller, with a body length of 1.5 metres, excluding the 1 metre tail. A shoulder height of about 1 metre, and an average weight of up to 200 kg. The lion’s coat is short and often varies from buff yellow, orange-brown, silvery gray to dark brown color, with a tuft on the tail tip that is usually black in color.

Lions live in prides, a unique trait in the cat family. The pride consists of females, few young males, cubs and of course the pride males. The pride is multi generational, with the females being related. Each pride has a well-defined territory which varies in size. The prides territory consists of a main core area which is strictly defended against any intruders, and a fringe area where some overlap is often tolerated. Roaring and scent marking is a way the lions choose to proclaim their territories. 

Lions are good hunters, hunting a wide range of prey from gazelles to elephants and giraffes. Females often do the hunting, with the males joining in when hunting bigger prey like buffaloes. 

Lions (both males and females) are polygamous and breed throughout the year. Lionesses are usually restricted to the resident pride males. Lionesses become receptive to mating for about three to five days with the reproductive cycle being variable. During mating the pair generally mates every 15–30 minutes, copulating up-to 50 times in a day. Such extended copulation not only stimulates ovulation in the female but also secures paternity for the male by excluding other males. The gestation period is about 110 days, and the litter size varies from one to six cubs. 

Humans pose the greatest threat to lions. Human wildlife conflict, loss of habitat, poaching, and trophy hunting have caused huge population decline. Lions are classifies as vulnerable in the International union for the conservation of nature (ICUN) with less than 20,000 individuals left in the wild.  

Male lion. Maasai Mara, Kenya 

Lioness and cubs. Maasai Mara, Kenya

The cheetah

The scientific name of cheetahs is acinonyx jubatus - which means a long-legged spotted cat. 

In this publishing I will share with you some cool facts about the cheetahs, some of which you already know. Cheetahs are amazing animals to observe while on safari, unlike lions and leopards, they are more active during the day. This is the fastest land animal in the world, and seeing it in full sprint is spectacular. They can reach up to 112 kp/h in less than 3 seconds. Cheetahs are light weight, with long and slender bodies, perfectly built for sprinting and their long tail helps them balance while on a full sprint. 

Cheetahs have a pale yellow coat with black dots and their underbelly is white. Their faces are distinguished by the prominent 'tear drop marks', black lines that curve from the inner corner of each eye to the outer corners of the mouth. 

Cheetahs social life is flexible and complex. They are not solitary neither do they form big families. Females are usually solitary, while the males tend to be solitary but can be found in coalitions of between 2 to 6 males, often brothers. Females lead a nomadic life, often venturing into different home ranges with different dominant males. Males and females mainly interact during the short mating season. The females have an estrous (when they come to heat) cycle of around 12 days on average, but this can vary from 3 days to a month. Females mainly conceive again after 17 to 20 months from giving birth, or even sooner if a whole litter is lost. After a gestation of nearly 3 months, a litter of one to eight cubs is born with the births taking place at 20–25 minute intervals in a sheltered place such as thick vegetation. The cubs eyes are shut at birth, and open after 4 to 11 days, and after 2 weeks the cubs start to walk.

Cheetahs don't roar, but they are know to purr. Cheetahs chirp or stutter barking (an intense bird-like call and lasts less than a second) or chur while communicating. 

Sadly, this beautiful animal is threatened by loss of habitat and prey, as well as conflict with humans. Cheetahs are classified as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red list (The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species). Today, an estimated 7,100 cheetahs remain in Africa.

Cheetah cub and mom. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Cheetah silhouette. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Cheetah portrait. Loisaba conservancy, Kenya