Lions In Tanzania

The lion is called the King of beasts, and not without reason. The first thing that would occur to anyone is the majestic mane of the male - resembling royal vestments. Secondly, a pride of lions - not too different from a court - has only two or three lions, with a number of maneless lionesses doing the hunting, effectively serving royalty. Thirdly, lions laze around for at least 20 hours in a day - they hunt for 2 hours, eat for 50 minutes and socialize or indulge in mating behavior for the rest of the time. Quite close to the image of royal opulence, right?

Jokes apart, the lion found in Tanzania is truly a majestic beast, whose grace and beauty is completely lost when trapped in a zoo. It is the tallest of big cats, losing out in weight only to the tiger. It is also the only social cat, living in groups called prides that are typically composed of a few females, their cubs, and either one male or two; in the latter case, the group is called a "coalition". Male cubs, after puberty, have to leave the herd and seek a new one, or battle with the male of an existing herd to find a place there. Males can also be found roaming the plains alone.

Watching lions at play can be one of the most beautiful sights of the savannah. The cubs are known to gambol around any female in the pride, nipping her tail, swatting her with their paws, rolling around in the grass and rough-housing in a way that trains them for future hunting and fighting. Male lions are usually less receptive to this type of play, and are less caring as well. The female, on the other hand, may indulge in social licking and head rubbing or nuzzling - a sight that is very different from the snarling, roaring lion advertising its presence, or the intense whuffing and coughing that serves as a signal to pride-mates the the process of a hunt.

The lioness, in fact, is the one who does the bulk of the work in the pride. Lionesses usually hunt in packs - they are smaller and hence faster than the males, and are unencumbered by the presence of a huge mane that quickly leads to overheating. The hunt of a lion is highly sophisticated - a process seen on a much larger scale when hyenas hunt. Several lionesses stalk the prey from different directions, finally cornering a single animal to a point where at least one lioness can successfully strangulate it while others hold it down to protect the first lioness from the vicious kicks - of large prey. Small prey can be felled with one swipe of the lion's great paws. Wildebeest, zebras, impalas, warthogs and buffalo are among the lions' favorite prey.