As you know, lions belong to the cat family: compatibility of a female lion. Big Game Hunters
The weight of adult lions is 150-250 kg for males and 120-182 kg for females. It was one of the largest subspecies of lion - the body length was 1.6 - 2.5 m, and the probable body weight was up to 250-300 kg.
Science does not have sufficient data on the size and weight of representatives of the largest subspecies of lions (for example, the Barbary). There is an opinion that lions in captivity are somewhat larger than tigers in size and mass, as well as the opposite.
However, persecution by humans and habitat destruction have led to the fact that in Africa the lion has survived only in sub-Saharan Africa, its range is now greatly reduced.
The appearance of the lion is very unique. Lions inhabit mainly savannas, but sometimes they can move into bushland or forest. Unlike other cats, they do not live alone, but in special family groups - prides. Over the past two decades, the number of lions in Africa has decreased by 30-50%. Populations are particularly vulnerable outside protected areas.
See what “Cat family” is in other dictionaries:
Panthera leo leo - Barbary lion, extinct in wildlife due to overhunting, although some individuals may have survived in captivity. The last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922. Panthera leo atrox - American cave lion. Was distributed in North America from Canada to Peru in the Pleistocene era.
Panthera leo spelaea - known as the cave lion, European cave lion and Eurasian cave lion. It was widespread in Eurasia 300,000-10,000 years ago. Panthera leo sinhaleyus - Sri Lankan lion. Extinct approximately 39,000 years ago. Known only from the remains of two teeth found in the city of Kuruvita in Sri Lanka.
Panthera leo maculatus - spotted lion, or marosi. According to rumors among local residents, this subspecies lives on the Aberdare Range, from east African lion is smaller in size and spotted skin. Lions are able to mate with tigers (most often with the Amur and Bengal subspecies), and hybrids arise - ligers and tigers. The liger is a hybrid between a lion and a tigress. The largest subspecies of lion and tiger are comparable in weight.
A lion's skull is very similar to a tiger's, with the frontal region generally lower and flatter. Lions living in captivity tend to weigh more than those living in the wild. A lion named Simba was recorded at the UK's Colchester Zoo in 1970, weighing 375 kg. As for the extinct historical time lion subspecies, then data on their size and weight is most often insufficient and unreliable.
Male lions have a large mane of thick hair up to 40 cm long. The mane becomes fully developed by the age of three, reaching its greatest development and splendor in old lions. The mane visually increases the size of the lion, and also helps to intimidate other males and attract females. In prides where two or three males compete, females prefer lions with the thickest and darkest manes.
Based on a study conducted in Tanzania, it was suggested that the length of the mane may serve as a marker of a male's strength in fights with other lions. The Asian subspecies has a less dense mane than African lions. The absence of a mane is also observed in natural populations lion For example in Senegal and national park In Tsavo, Kenya, lions were spotted with almost no manes.
According to some authors, white lions were bred in South Africa for shooting as trophies. Confirmation of the existence of white lions appeared only at the end of the 20th century. For hundreds of years, they were considered the product of legends traveling through South Africa.
Lions are two types of predators social organization. The number of adult lions in a coalition is usually two, but their number can increase to four and then decrease again. The second type of social organization is the so-called wandering lions, alone or (less often) in pairs, wandering within the range. Often wandering lions are males who have been exiled from the pride into which they were born.
The area occupied by a group of lions is called “pride territory.” Both males and females protect the pride territory from aliens. However, this responsibility in the pride is distributed unevenly: some lions constantly drive away strangers, others prefer to stay away, giving this right to others.
Lions protect their pride from invasion by other males; lionesses act similarly in relation to other females, being a stable social unit in the pride. However, they are less hardy than, for example, hyenas: in the latter, the heart makes up 1% of the total body weight, while in lions it is from 0.45% (in males) to 0.57% (in females).
In rare cases, lions can also hunt hippos. Lions are powerful animals that hunt in coordinated groups and stalk their chosen prey. Panthera leo melanochaita - Cape lion. It is an extinct subspecies in the wild. In Northern and Northwestern India, the lion was a common predator.
In what place on the globe... according to Muslim ideas, were the “Gardens of Eden” from where Adam was expelled by Allah
Sri LankaAccording to legends and records of ancient chroniclers, it was in Sri Lanka that Eden was located - the Old Testament Garden of Eden of Adam and Eve. Somewhere in these parts, according to legend, Adam and Eve descended to Earth; many ancient authors even correlated the location of the Garden of Eden with Taprobane or Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was called until 1972).
Adam's Bridge(English: Adam’s Bridge) - a sandbank in the Indian Ocean.
A string of shallows and coral islets stretching 30 miles (48 km) between the Hindustan Peninsula and the island of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Geologically remarkable elevation of sandy seabed off the southeastern coast of India and off the northwestern coast of the island of Sri Lanka, extends from the sandy island off Cape Ramnada to the western tip of the island of Mannar, off the coast of Sri Lanka. In some places it acts as small islands, but most of in heavy flood it lies under water at 1 and 1.25 m; only the strait between Cape Ramnad and Rameswar Island, the so-called Pambas Passage, is accessible to small ships. A railway ferry runs parallel to Adam's Bridge.
According to chronicles, the bridge was pedestrian until the end of the 15th century AD, when it was destroyed by a storm caused by an earthquake.
Brahmins call Adam's bridge - Rama's bridge or Nala's bridge. According to the Indian epic Ramayana, it was built artificially on the orders of Emperor Rama. Its construction was carried out under the leadership of Nala - the son of the legendary divine architect Vishvakarman - by the forces of Rama's subjects and allies, including an army of monkeys. Over this bridge, Rama's troops crossed to Sri Lanka to fight its ruler, the demon Ravana, who had kidnapped Rama's beloved Sita.
According to Mohamedan legend, Adam was expelled from paradise on these shallows, located on the island of Sri Lanka.
Currently, the Government of India has developed a project to deepen the navigable part between India and Sri Lanka, which will save up to 30 hours of sailing around the island (about 400 km). Opponents of the project formed a movement to preserve the bridge as a historical heritage of the country.
This is the name of a mountain 2260 m high, lying in the western part of the island of Ceylon, in the southern mountainous region of Konda-Uda, called Samanella or Gamalel by the Sinhalese and located 65 km east-southeast from Colombo.
At its top, on a bare, barren granite platform, there is a space 21 m long, 10 m wide, surrounded by a wall 1 m high, among which rises a small open temple. Beneath this temple, on a prominent rock, the Sripadam (footprint of happiness) is visible, representing a depression shaped like a leg by human effort. The edges of the trace are surrounded as if by a golden frame, decorated precious stones. Muslims attribute the footprint to Adam, who stood on one leg for 1,000 years, mourning his expulsion from paradise.
Ask anyone what animal on our planet bears the proud title of king of beasts, and each of them will answer that it is a lion. It is this big cat from the panther family that occupies such a high position. But why is the lion the king of beasts? The lion is a predatory representative of the cat family, one of the smartest, fastest and largest animals. In this article we will tell you why the lion is the king of beasts.
Of all the diversity of animals on Earth, the lion is called the king of beasts. Surely everyone has wondered why the lion is the king of beasts? Despite the fact that the lion is not one of the largest animals on the planet, it is he who has such a high rank in the animal kingdom. First, let's take a closer look at lions.
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Leo is big predatory cat, which is one of the representatives of the panther genus and belongs to the Feline family. An adult lion weighs about 250 kg, reaches a body length of 2.5 meters, with a height at the withers of approximately 120 cm and a tail length of about 1 meter. Males larger than females. Leo looks quite peculiar. These big cats The difference between males and females is very pronounced.
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Males not only exceed females in size, they also have a luxurious mane that covers the shoulders, part of the back and chest, while the rest of the hair on the body of lions is short. The color of lions is different and varies depending on the species or subspecies. Most often, the coat is yellow-gray in color with various shades. The mane usually has the same color as the skin, but can be a darker color or even black. As lions age, their mane darkens. In females it is not developed, which allows for better camouflage and hunting. The tip of the ponytail in both sexes is decorated with a tassel made from a bunch of long hair.
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Many people wonder why the lion is the king of beasts and not the tiger? After all, the tiger more than a lion, but he is not the owner of this honorary title. Although the tiger is slightly larger than the lion, it is the lion that is at the top food chain throughout the animal world. Therefore, the lion is the king of animals, but the tiger is not. Both of these representatives of big cats are in eternal rivalry; they are often opposed to each other and compared with each other. Lions dominate among other cats.
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The lion is the king of beasts, because he is one of the most social predators with a pronounced hierarchy, such a hierarchy can only compete with wolves. Most often, lions live in groups. Such a group of lions is called a pride and consists of one or more males, 5-6 females and their cubs.
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The pride territory is strictly protected by males from outside visitors. There are also wandering lions that live alone or in pairs. Such lions do not have their own territory and lead a nomadic lifestyle. Wandering lions most often become those males who have left their native pride. These males have a chance to create their own group.
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Today, lions live in savannas in Africa and India. Lions are strong animals that hunt in groups and pursue their chosen prey. The lion has powerful paws, strong jaws and large fangs. In Africa, the lion's prey includes zebras, buffaloes, wildebeest and warthogs, and in India it hunts wild boars, some species of deer and nilgai.
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Hunting of other animals depends on their availability. Since lions hunt in groups, this allows them to cope with many large animals. Despite this possibility, lions usually do not risk attacking adult elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes and hippos to avoid injury. The only predator other than humans that poses a threat to an adult lion is the Nile crocodile.
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It is curious that lionesses hunt more successfully than males. After all, they are faster, more flexible and smaller in size. It is more difficult for males to hunt because of their mane, which does not always allow them to go unnoticed and often causes them to overheat. Females hunt very dexterously and in a coordinated manner, which almost always ensures a successful hunt.
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About 10 thousand years ago, lions were the most common mammals on Earth after humans. Despite the fact that since then the number of lions has decreased significantly, they are still one of the most dangerous animals today. In its own way predatory nature almost everything major representatives Felines are dangerous to humans. Along with the lion, these include the tiger, puma, leopard and others.
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Today, lions are considered a vulnerable species due to a significant decline in their population. In a few last decades The number of lions in Africa has decreased by 30-50%. The most vulnerable populations are those located outside protected areas and protected areas. The reasons for the decline in the number of these animals are not fully understood, but one of them is the loss of habitat.
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The lion is the king of beasts, because this ancient animal occupies an important place in human culture. Lions are often depicted on coats of arms and flags. There are also a lot of films about lions. These animals are reflected in literature, painting, architecture and sculpture. Huge variety ancient drawings with the image of a lion are among the cave and rock art. Various mythological creatures with the reflection of this majestic animal are also known. For example, griffin, chimera, manticore and sphinx.
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In African mythology, the lion is a symbol higher power, power and might. In Europe, the lion is traditionally the embodiment of the power of the sun and fire. The image of the lion is also often associated with valor, justice, dignity and triumph. The image of a lion has long been the personification of strength, greatness, pride, nobility and courage. After all, the lion is the king of beasts!
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Panthera leo
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
One of four species of the genus Panthera, 5 subspecies: Katanga lion (P.l. bleyenberghi) Zimbabwe, Angola, Democratic Republic Congo; Asiatic lion (P. l. persica): Gir forest, India; Masai lion (P.L massaikus). Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda; Senegalese lion (P.l. senegalensis): West Africa; Transvaal lion (P.l. krugeri): Transvaal.
Distribution - from the Sahara to South Africa, excluding the rain forest belt in Congo; Gujarat, India (the only remaining population is in the Gir Forest Nature Reserve).
Habitats - varied, from forest savannas East Africa to the sandy landscapes of the Kalahari Desert.
Dimensions
Body length: males - 1.7-2.5 m, females - 1.6-1.9 m; height at the withers: males - 1.2 m, females - 1.1 m; tail length of males and females - 60-100 cm; weight: males - 150-240 kg, females - 122-182 kg.
Description
Body sandy to dark brown with more light shade on the stomach and inside legs; the back of the ears is black. The skin of animals that have not reached sexual maturity is decorated with dark rosettes, which disappear as the cubs grow and develop. The color of the mane varies from platinum to reddish-brown and even black.
Nutrition
Mainly ungulates; prey includes gazelles, zebras, antelopes, giraffes and wild boars, as well as the cubs of large mammals such as elephants and rhinoceroses. Females require about 5 kg of meat per day, males - 7 kg.
Reproduction Females reach sexual maturity at approximately 36–46 months of age (24–28 months in captivity). Cubs are born at any time of the year after a gestation period of 110–119 days. There are 2-4 kittens in the litter. Young lions become completely independent by the age of 2.5 years.
Life expectancy is 18 years (in captivity - up to 25).
Conservation status
Lions are listed by CITES and as Vulnerable by the IUCN as their populations are declining due to habitat loss. The Asian subspecies (P.l. persica) belongs to animals on the verge of complete disappearance, and Cape lions (P.l. melanochaitus), which once lived on the southern tip of Africa, and Barbary lions (P.l. leo), once common in North Africa, have already become extinct.
Known for its power and ferocity, the lion has held the title “king of beasts” for many millennia. Images of lions are present in art Ancient Egypt, Assyria, India and China. Moreover, images of lions decorated the walls of caves that existed in Europe approximately 32,000 years ago. Myths about the supernatural powers of lions live in diverse cultures of the peoples of Africa: many local residents They believe in the healing power of drugs made from various organs and body parts of lions.
The impressive appearance of these creations of nature still has a huge attractive force for foreign hunters. Many of them are willing to pay top dollar for the opportunity to shoot a male African lion. In the past, trophy hunters have caused significant damage to local populations of the species, managing to kill dozens of lions in just a few days. Fortunately, such hunting is now regulated by law, and most tourists prefer to admire these magnificent animals by simply observing them, and take home photographs of these predators as a “trophy”.
King of beasts. Structure and functions
Like other members cat family, the lion has a flexible, muscular body with a wide chest. The short, heavy skull and powerful jaws are excellently adapted for hunting big catch and eating it. Lions search for prey using mainly their keen vision and hearing. In lions, as in many other cat species, adult males are significantly (30-50%) larger and heavier than females, which is probably explained by the intense struggle of males when competing for females.
As a rule, lions hunt together only when the probability that the predator will cope with the prey alone does not exceed 10%. Hunting together, the lions disperse into different sides and partially surround the victim, cutting off his possible ways to escape.
However, in other situations only one or two lions go hunting family group, while the rest of the pride watches the events with safe distance. Single tactics It is used much more often if hunting for prey is not particularly difficult.
A male lion delivers a suffocating bite while grabbing a zebra by the throat. Lions are among a fairly limited number of predators capable of killing prey weighing more than 250 kg. At the same time, they prefer to hunt not young, old or sick animals, but healthy adults. Lions also kill predators of other species - for example, leopards, but never eat their corpses.
Although lions are capable of developing maximum speed 58 km/h, their victims run at a speed of 80 km/h. Therefore, the lion must sneak up on the prey unnoticed and be no more than 15 meters away from it - only after this can it make a decisive throw and finish the attack, either by grabbing its victim or delivering a powerful blow to its side with its paw. When hiding prey, lions do not try to take into account the direction of the wind, although their hunt is much more likely to be successful if they approach the intended victim from the leeward side. Usually only one hunt out of four is successful. After a lion knocks down a large animal, it strangles its victim, squeezing it fatal bite her muzzle or throat.
When sharing the prey, mature males dominate all other lions, and females play a dominant role in relation to cubs and young individuals. Clashes during feasts are quite common. To protect their share, lions cling to the victim's corpse with their teeth and drive away other members of the pride, slapping their fellow tribesmen in the face and often ripping out their ears. Adult females require 5-8 kg of meat per day, and adult males - 7-10 kg. However, lions feed irregularly and eat to their fill a huge amount meat no more than once every 3-4 days. An adult male can eat up to 43 kg in one sitting!
The mane of males begins to grow quite early - at the age of about two years, when they reach the size of adult animals, but its growth does not end there, and a full-fledged mane is formed in lions only by four to five years.
Catastrophic reduction in range. Spreading
Panthera leo's range once covered a significant large territory, than now. Archaeological evidence shows that lions were widespread in Europe and North America before 10,000 years ago. Aristotle, who pointed out the relatively recent presence of lions in Greece, dates this fact back to 300 BC, and the crusaders often saw lions during their campaigns in the Middle East. Until the beginning of the 20th century, lions lived in most of the Middle East and northern India.
Like all other wild cats, lions are under the powerful influence of the rapid growth of the planet's population. Lions are large and easily visible animals, and in addition, they live in open biotopes; in this they differ from cats, which lead a more secretive lifestyle. Therefore, rural residents and farmers exterminated lions everywhere, rapidly displacing the predators from vast areas of their once continuous range. Now lions mostly live within a few national parks And hunting grounds, where their populations are protected from human persecution.
Big game hunters. Nutrition
The main food of lions are ungulates weighing from 50 to 500 kg, but it is known that these predators also eat rodents, hares, birds and reptiles, and sometimes elephants and rhinoceroses become their victims. Lions hunt primarily at night, although they can take advantage of drought to ambush during the daytime near a pond where animals come to drink. Females prey primarily on small to medium-sized ungulates (such as warthogs, gazelles, springboks, wildebeests or zebras). Males specialize in large animals that are unable to develop higher speed, such as Kaffir buffaloes and giraffes.
Lions share habitats with many other carnivorous species (including leopards, cheetahs, hyena dogs and spotted hyenas) that hunt similar prey. Apparently, the most serious competition for lions are hyenas - rather large nocturnal predators that hunt in packs. It should be noted that both species have the same food preferences: their favorite prey are eland and zebra, in conditions where this food is sufficiently available. But lions constantly take away the meat of the animals they kill from hyenas, and the males turn out to be especially persistent scavengers. Lions not only eat the prey of cheetahs and hyena dogs, but also show such aggressiveness towards them that animals of these species practically cannot coexist with lions in the limited territories of small reserves.
Pack cats. Social behavior
Lions are the most socialized of all felines. A pride is a group usually consisting of three to ten adult females, dependent cubs and a “union” of two to three mature males. There are reports of prides of up to 18 adult females and 10 adult males. Unlike wolf pack or herds of baboon monkeys, a pride of lions is an example of a community whose members can move in and out freely. Lions do not maintain constant connections with other members of the pride.
A sexually mature male lion with a young female. Females hunt more often, but as soon as they kill the prey, the male demonstrates his dominance by driving all other animals away from the carcass and not letting them near it until he is satisfied.
The lioness is carrying a cub, which is probably not yet 2 months old. At this age, the lion cub still feeds on mother's milk, but after 1-2 months its diet will be replenished with meat.
The females of a pride are always related to each other, but almost never related to the males of their pride (the exception is small, isolated populations). Males may or may not be related to each other. Unless a male reaching sexual maturity teams up with another male, he will wander alone, searching for a mate from among other solitary animals, until he forms a pair; sometimes a third individual joins the pair. However, in most cases, males have partners of the same age, coming from the same family group, and these natural associations can include almost eight to ten relatives and cousins, although the normal number of males in such groups is three or four.
Lions of dominant groups are the fathers of all cubs born during the time they dominate the pride. However, the distribution of paternity between males in each group varies complex nature. The dominance-submission relationship in male lions is rather weakly expressed, while females often enter a state of estrus at the same time, therefore small groups males have equal opportunities to acquire a sexual partner. In larger groups, such equality does not exist: there, many males do not participate in reproduction, but only have “friendly” relations with their more successful male relatives.
Although family ties in communities of lions (and not only lions!) they play main role, members of an unrelated pair are extremely affectionate towards their partners, helping them when they encounter other groups. Such lions behave in exactly the same way as brothers in a pair.
Lionesses reach sexual maturity at the age of 30-38 months, after which they are ready to give birth to cubs. Reproduction is not confined to any season of the year. Estrus in females lasts 2-4 days, and the interval between subsequent cycles is 2-3 weeks. Pregnancy lasts a relatively short time for such large mammals(110 days), and the weight of newborn lion cubs is a relatively small fraction (1%) of the weight of an adult animal. There are from 1 to 6 cubs in a litter, with an average of 2-3. IN natural conditions females can live up to 18 years, but usually stop bearing young at age 15.
If different females of a pride give birth to cubs at intervals of several months, the lionesses raise the babies together and even feed all the kittens with milk. Nevertheless, the mother distinguishes her cubs from strangers and leaves a large share of the milk for her own offspring. Cubs start eating meat when they are 3 months old, but continue to eat mother's milk for another three months. Lion cubs become independent at approximately 18 months of age; and when they are 2 years old, mothers usually give birth to new offspring. However, if the entire litter dies, the lionesses quickly enter a state of estrus and begin breeding again.
Lions of both sexes defend their territory. Males walk around the territory they occupy to defend their rights to the territorial possessions of the pride, while lionesses protect the central area from incursions by other groups of females. Males control occupied areas, roaring to warn possible rivals of their existence. In addition, they patrol the entire territory from time to time, leaving marks with urine, while the females stay close to the center of the pride territory. On the other hand, females are more cautious than males, and most often react only to the presence of strangers in their territory, without constantly patrolling it.
When defending a territory, females demonstrate greater coordination of actions than during hunting or during the period of raising young animals. But their individual behavior strategies are different. Some females always stay in front when encountering out-groups, while others invariably remain behind.
The joint actions of lions during clashes with other prides obey the law of simple numerical superiority: larger groups dominate smaller groups. Females are most likely to engage in combat when they outnumber the females in the opposing group by at least two. On the contrary, males almost always attack opponents who invade their territory.
The area of the pride territory varies from 20 to 500 square meters. km depending on the size of the pride and the abundance of prey. The territories of neighboring prides may overlap, but lions try to avoid being in the territory belonging to neighbors.
The social system of lion communities remains virtually unchanged in all parts of the species' range. Versatile feature social life lions is that daughters remain in their mothers' pride, and young males jointly leave it to join other prides.
Leos are so social that people often consider their collective actions an example of ideal “cooperation.” Actually evolution social structure Lviv has and reverse side. Males unite in groups to compete with other groups of males, since a single lion has almost no chance of leading his own pride. Females stick together to fight their neighbors: single females cannot defend their territory from large prides.
Lionesses with cubs tensely watch the lying rhinoceros, which itself looks at the lions with wariness. Such a wait can last for hours: a young healthy rhinoceros has enough strength to fend for itself, and experienced lions try to stay away from deadly rhinoceros horns. There is no guarantee that after have a good hunting the cubs will be able to eat: lion cubs often go hungry. By about 18 months of age, most young lions can get some food for themselves
Males lead more active image life than females. A union of males can remain in a pride for no more than a few years, while females raise each litter for at least two years. Having joined a new pride, the males kill the younger cubs (not related to them by blood), which forces the females left without offspring to begin mating in a few days. But females often manage to protect their cubs from these strangers.
Cannibals are in danger. Conservation and Environment
Deaths due to lion attacks are quite common. IN natural conditions Man-eating lions attack people quite often, although, as a rule, such actions are decided by wounded or old animals that can no longer cope with ordinary victims. Many cases of cannibalism resulted from destruction by humans. food resources Lviv So, in late XIX century, Europeans unintentionally introduced a livestock disease virus into the country, which destroyed not only domestic but also wild ungulates: as a result, lions almost completely lost their natural prey.
Although lions are not in immediate danger of extinction in the wild, the long-term outlook is far from encouraging. Many lions die as a result of illegal hunting. They accidentally get caught in snares that poachers set on other animals; shepherds place poisoned animal carcasses in lion territories, thus destroying entire prides.
A serious threat looms over the Asian subspecies of lion.