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The quality of king of animals was given to the lion, the biggest feline that exists today, together with the tigers. These imposing mammals honor their title, not only for their masterful appearance due to their size and mane, but also for their strength and power when hunting, which undoubtedly also makes them into excellent predators.
Lions are animals terribly affected by the human impact, has practically no natural predators. However, people have become an unfortunate evil for them, as their populations have dwindled almost to the brink of total extinction.
The classification of lions takes years under review by several groups of scientists, so this article by PeritoAnimal is based on a recent one, which is still under review, but it is the one proposed and used by the experts of the International Union for the Conservation in Nature, which they recognize for the species Panthera leo, two subspecies that are: Panthera leo leo andPanthera leo melanochaita. Want to know about the distribution and habitat of these animals? Keep reading and find out where the lion lives.
where the lion lives
Although in a very small way, lions still have a presence and are natives of the following countries:
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Essuatini
- Ethiopia
- India
- Kenya
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Somalia
- South Africa
- Southern Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
On the other hand, the lions are possibly extinct in:
- Costa do Marfim
- Ghana
- guinea
- Guinea Bissau
- mali
- Rwanda
Yours has been confirmed extinction in:
- Afghanistan
- Algeria
- Burundi
- Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Will
- Iraq
- Israel
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Morocco
- Pakistan
- Saudi Arabia
- Sierra Leone
- Syria
- Tunisia
- Western Sahara
The above information, without a doubt, shows a rather regrettable picture with regard to extinction of lions in so many areas of distribution, because its massive killing by conflicts with humans and the considerable decrease of its natural prey led to this situation.
Studies indicate that the former distribution areas of lions, from which many of them have disappeared, add up to about 1,811,087 km, which is just over 50% compared to the part that still exists.
In the past, lions were distributed from North Africa and southwest Asia to western Europe (from where, according to the reports, they became extinct about 2000 years ago) and east india. However, at present, of all this northern population, only a group remains concentrated in the Gir Forest National Park, located in the state of Gujarat, India.
Lion Habitat in Africa
In Africa it is possible to find the two subspecies of lions, Panthera leo leo and Panthera leo melanochaita. These animals have the characteristic of having a wide tolerance for habitat, and it is indicated that they were only absent within the Sahara Desert and tropical jungles. Lions have been identified in the mountainous areas of Bale (southwestern Ethiopia) where there are areas with elevations of more than 4000 meters, and ecosystems such as thicket plains and some forests are found.
When bodies of water are present, lions tend to consume it frequently, but are quite tolerant of its absence, as they can cover the need with the moisture of their prey, which are quite large, although there are also records that they even consume certain plants that store water.
Taking into account both the regions in which they are extinct and the current ones where lions are present, the habitats of lions in Africa are:
- desert savannas
- Savannas or scrubland plains
- Forests
- mountainous areas
- semi-deserts
If in addition to knowing where the lion lives, you would also like to know other fun facts about lions, be sure to also visit our article on How much does a lion weigh.
Lion Habitat in Asia
In Asia, only the subspecies panthera leo leo and its natural ecosystem in the region had a wider range, which included the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and Southwest Asia, however, at present they are restricted particularly to India.
The habitat of Asian lions is mainly the dry deciduous forests of India: the population is concentrated as mentioned in the Gir Forest National Park, which is located within a nature reserve and is characterized by a tropical weather, with very accentuated periods of rain and drought, the first being very humid and the second very hot.
Several areas that surround the park are cultivated land, which, moreover, are used for raising cattle, one of the main prey that attracts lions. However, it has been reported that in Asia there are also other conservation programs that keep lions in captivity, but with very few individuals.
Lions conservation status
The ferocity of lions was not enough to prevent the fall of their populations both in Africa and Asia, to alarming levels, which shows us that the actions of human beings in relation to the planet's biodiversity are far from being ethical and fair with the animals. There are no reasons to justify the massive killings of them, nor of a few for supposed entertainment or to market their bodies or parts of them, to craft trophies and objects.
Lions have been warriors, not only for their strength, but also for their ability to live in different habitats, which could have worked in their favor against the impact on ecosystems, however, hunting transcended any limit and not even with these advantages could move away from its possible total extinction. It is unfortunate that a species with a wide range of distribution has been drastically reduced by human unconsciousness.
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