The Difference Between Asiatic and African Lions

07^th November 2014 UNDER Blog

With “I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here” starting soon, you’d be forgiven for thinking some C-grade celeb is the king of the jungle … just don’t tell that to a lion! These big cats used to prowl throughout Europe, Asia and Africa but their numbers have dwindled alarmingly – to the point where they can now only be found in two parts of the World. This is seen in the classification of lions according to two subspecies – the African and Asiatic lion. The African lion can be found in Southern and Central Africa, whilst the Asiatic lion can only be found in India’s Gir Forest. Whilst they both look a lot alike, the two subspecies are very different in many ways including, habitat, diet and size. Lets learn more about the real kings of the jungle!

Size And Characteristics

The African lion can measure up to 6.5 feet from its rump to its head.
The African lion’s tail can measure as long as 39.5 inches.
The African lion can weigh up to 420 lbs.

Asiatic lions are larger than their African cousins according to the WWF.

The Asiatic lion can measure up to 9.18 feet.
They can weigh up to 500 lbs.
Their tails can measure up to 35.43 inches.

In general the male lion is larger than its female counterpart and has a distinctive mane of hair around its head. Scientists think the function of the mane is to make the male look more attractive to females and seem more intimidating to rival males.

Habitat

You can find the African lion in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, Mozambique, Botswana and Angola. They have territories that can range 100 square miles, which consists of grassland, scrub or open woodlands. As we said earlier, the only place in the world where the Asiatic lion can be found is in India’s Gir Forest National Park which is a wildlife sanctuary that measures 877 square miles and is made up of rocky hills, scrub jungle, grasslands and deciduous forest.

Diet

It goes without saying the lion is carnivorous. The African lion likes to hunt large animals that are found in the grasslands, which include wildebeest, zebras and antelopes. Asiatic lions also like to hunt large animals and their diet consists of buffalo, deer and goats. The Asiatic lion has also been known to feed on smaller animals as well.

Habits

Lions are extremely social animals and live in groups known as prides, however there are some striking differences between African and Asiatic prides. An African lion pride can contain as many as three males and a dozen females as well as any offspring. African prides have been known to number as many as 40 lions according to National Geographic.

In contrast the Asiatic lion tends to split its prides into two. The males have their own pride whilst the females have a separate pride. The only time both prides come into contact is during mating season. With both types of lions, the female lion tends to stay in place and all the females are usually related because in most cases the female remains with the pride it was born into. Males on the other hand tend to go off on their own and when they are old enough, attempt to create their own pride.

Offspring

By the time a lion reaches 3 years old it is ready to mate. Females gestate for approximately four months and when they give birth, they tend to do so well away from the other lions and keep their cubs hidden for the first six weeks of their lives. New born lion cubs weigh just 3 pounds and like with most animals are completely dependent on their mother when they are born.

Females in the pride all tend to mate roughly at the same time and this means they also give birth generally about the same time. After the cubs reach six weeks of age, they are taken care of by all the females in a pride and it is perfectly normal for cubs to nurse from a female that is not its mother.

Conservation status

Lions face threats from habitat loss, hunting and disease that are spread by domesticated dogs.
African lions are listed by the IUCN as a vulnerable species because population numbers are declining.
The African lion population has declined by almost half in the past twenty years.
The figures are worse for the Asiatic lion which is listed as endangered and numbers only 350.

Other facts

The main hunters in the pride are the females who form parties that go hunting to round up the species they prey on in their habitat. Lions are not afraid of hunting animals that are bigger than they are and have been known to kill animals which weigh as much as 1000 pounds. In order to kill their prey the lion either snaps the neck or suffocates its victim to death.

A male African lion which is attempting to seize control of a pride will kill all the cubs, so there is no genetic challenge to its authority. Another lesser known fact is tigers and lions are so closely related, if you shaved both species a lay person would not be able to tell them apart.

Lions are amazing creatures and are desperately in need of our help when it comes to their conservation. Numbers keep dwindling with the Asiatic lion very close to extinction. If you want to help, you can adopt a lion and contribute towards keeping this magnificent species around for generations to come.