LIONS

The lion is a large cat of the genus Panthera native to Africa and India.it has a muscular, deep-chested body, short rounded head, round ears, and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. it is sexually dimorphic, adult male lions are larger than females and have a prominent mane.it is a social species forming groups called prides.A lions pride consists of a few adult males, related females, and cubs.Groups of females lions usually hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates.The lion is an apex and keystone predator, although some have been known to hunt humans, the species typically does not.

Typically the lion inhibits grasslands and savannas, but is absent in dense forest.it is usually more diurnal than the other wild cats, but when persecuted, it adapts to being active at night and at twilight.During the Neolithic period,the lion ranged throughout Africa, Southeast Europe, the Caucasus, and Western and outh Asia, but it has been reduced to fragmented populations in sub-Saharan Article and one 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.Lion populations are untenable outside designated protected areas.Although the cause of decline is not understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are the greatest causes for concern.

One of the most wildely recognised animal symbols in human culture, the lion has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags and in contemporary films and literature.Lions have been kept in menagerie since the time of the Roman Empire and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens across the world since the late 18th century. Cultural depiction of lions were prominent in Ancient Egypt, and depictions have occurred in in virtually all ancient and medieval culture in the lions historic and current range.