Lioness At Rest (Panthera leo) - Tsalala Pride
Londolozi Nature Preserve
Kruger National Park
South Africa
Happy Early Caturday! Image photographed in the early morning light. After 239 Caturdays with one a week I am taking a break until further notice.
The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the cat family (Felidae). The lion is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females with a typical weight range of 150 to 250 kg (331 to 551 lb) for the former and 120 to 182 kg (265 to 401 lb) for the latter. Male lions have a prominent mane, which is the most recognizable feature of the species.
A lion pride consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The species is an apex and keystone predator, although they scavenge when opportunities occur.
Typically, the lion inhabits grasslands and savannas but is absent in dense forests. It is usually more diurnal than other big cats, but when persecuted it adapts to being active at night and at twilight. In the Pleistocene, the lion ranged throughout Eurasia, Africa and the Americas from the Yukon to Peru but today it has been reduced to fragmented populations in Sub-Saharan Africa and one critically endangered population in western India.
It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern. – Wikipedia
Lioness At Rest (Panthera leo) - Tsalala Pride
Londolozi Nature Preserve
Kruger National Park
South Africa
Happy Early Caturday! Image photographed in the early morning light. After 239 Caturdays with one a week I am taking a break until further notice.
The lion (Panthera leo) is a species in the cat family (Felidae). The lion is sexually dimorphic; males are larger than females with a typical weight range of 150 to 250 kg (331 to 551 lb) for the former and 120 to 182 kg (265 to 401 lb) for the latter. Male lions have a prominent mane, which is the most recognizable feature of the species.
A lion pride consists of a few adult males, related females and cubs. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. The species is an apex and keystone predator, although they scavenge when opportunities occur.
Typically, the lion inhabits grasslands and savannas but is absent in dense forests. It is usually more diurnal than other big cats, but when persecuted it adapts to being active at night and at twilight. In the Pleistocene, the lion ranged throughout Eurasia, Africa and the Americas from the Yukon to Peru but today it has been reduced to fragmented populations in Sub-Saharan Africa and one critically endangered population in western India.
It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996 because populations in African countries have declined by about 43% since the early 1990s. Habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern. – Wikipedia