Asian Lion

Once upon a time, India's Gir Forest was a royal hunting ground.Thank gosh that today, they made it into a protected reserve. If not, they could've already been extinct! They used to prowl large areas from India to the Middle East. Today, an insufficient number of only 200 - 260 of these mammals survive in the wild- not nearly as many as before. Not to mention that 200 live in zoos.

Did you know that lions are a bigger, more dangerous form of your little kitten Fur Ball at home? I don't really think they look alike...but then again that's just me. Anyways, they are the only type of cat that live together in groups. These groups are called prides and they are usually made of 3 men, up to 12 women and the young ones. So basically, these prides are the same as our families. As the younger men grow up, they start to leave the family pride and make their own. They do this by taking over another group lead by a male.

How can you tell a male Asian lion to a female Asian lion,you ask? Well, the males are the only ones who have manes- the fringe of hair that encircles their heads. The job of the male is to protect their prides territory by urinating, chase off intruders and roar menacingly to warn them too. Females are the hunters of their prides.