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Conservation
Who is it?
The Asian lion differs from the African lion by being smaller, having shorter hair and a long fold of skin in the abdomen. Their fur is thicker, they have a longer tuft tail and a prominent tuft on their elbows. The number of females that accompanies the male is smaller than in the case of Africans, 2 females versus 4-6.
It is classified as 'endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The main problems they are facing are inbreeding by the isolation suffered by the population, diseases, poaching and habitat loss.
What are its habits?
In some way, the Asiatic lion are a litte less social than the African lions, they usually live in smaller groups. This is because the available prey in the forest are very small and they don’t need each other to hunt. Females are responsible for hunting (as in the case of Africans). They eat mainly antelope, deer, wild boar, buffalo and sometimes domestic cattle found in the reserve.
Their gestation period lasts about 14-15 weeks and litters can contain from one to six cubs.
Did you know…
Currently there are only about 350 specimens in a small area of India, in the Gir Forest, and in captivity.
