The lion is the biggest species of the cat family. The Asiatic Lion, although
not as large as it's African cousin, is also a large and strong enough to
draw awe stricken gazes from it's viewers. The Asiatic Lion weighs 200-250kgs
and grows to a height of 250-287cms at the shoulders. They are extremely
cunning hunters and often hunt with properly worked out strategies involving
the entire pride. The hunting is primarily done only by the females, although
the bigger and stronger males do get involved where bigger prey are concerned.
Lions have an extremely well developed sense of sight and hearing and use
this very well to their advantage while hunting. This is especially true
during the dark hours of the night. It is claimed that a lion can see six
times brighter at night than a human with excellent sight. A lioness becomes
ready for motherhood once every 2 and a half to 3 years. The gestation period
of lions is around 4 months and a litter normally consists of 2-3 cubs,
although much larger litters have also been reported. The average life expectancy
of lions is approximately 20 years. The Asiatic Lion, now only found in
Gir, has grown fonder of hunting the cattle belonging to local herdsmen
than of the other swifter animals available in the forest. This is causing
a bigger problem for the conservation authorities due to the resulting conflict
between lions and mankind
