KING OF THE JUNGLE (LION)

LION Characteristics Weight and Height males: wt 416 lb (189 kg), ht 48 in (120 cm) females: wt 277 lb (126 kg), ht 44 in (110 cm) Colour Tawny with white underparts, occasionally with faint spots; black on tail, ear backs, and lips; Mane varies in color from blond to black.  General Locations Sub-Saharan regions of Africa except for deserts and rainforest. Lions are generally found in habitats where medium-sized to large herbivores live. The lion is the most abundant predator in the savanna and plains ecosystems. The lion has been completely wiped out in North and South Africa where it used to be quite abundant. The lion can be found in most of the National Parks and Reserves in Africa. Habitat Most Savanna and plains habitats are suitable for lions, especially those with a large variety of other animals. In best conditions, habitats will carry around 1 lion per 3 sq. mi (12/100 sq. km). In low density areas however, there will be one 1 lion/50 to 100 sq. mi. Some of the larger lions will take on buffaloes and even bull giraffes. However, most lions will prey on rodents, birds, turtles, lizards, fish and ostrich eggs.  Activity Lions are mostly nocturnal, but can also be considered diurnal. Lions will spend 20 hours out of 24 sleeping or resting as a way to conserve energy. Lions become quite active in the afternoon, but do not actually begin hunting until late in the evening and then hunt late in the night-- they will find a place to sleep several hours after daybreak. Social Systems Prides of lions are generally composed of related females which all share a traditional home range. Typical home ranges vary in size from 8 to over 124 sq. mi (20-400 sq. km). Typical prides contain around 13 lions, large prides can contain as many as 40 lions, while some prides will have a few as two members. Male coalitions: In these groups it is advantageous for a lion to be quite large and to have a spectacular mane. These factors will improve his chance of holding territory. In areas were lions are quite abundant, the chances of a single lion without any territory mating are quite slim. Coalitions of over 4 lions are quite rare so in most cases lions have no trouble finding females to mate with. Reproduction There are typically 3 cubs per litter and the gestation period is 14 to 15 weeks. Females will reproduce at 20 to 30-month intervals. Mating is year-round for lions, however the mating and birth peaks are synchronized within prides. Females mature by the age of 4 and males by the age of 5.

CHEETAH

THE WORLD'S FASTEST LAND ANIMAL (cheetah)

CHEETAH

Order: Carnivore
Family: Felidae
Genus and Species: Acinonyx jubatus

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Built more like greyhounds than typical cats, cheetahs are adapted for brief but intense bursts of speed. They have wiry bodies and small heads. Their coats are golden or yellowish, embellished with many small black spots, and their tails are long with a few black bands and sometimes a white tip. Black stripes run from their eyes down to the corners of their mouths.

SIZE

Cheetahs grow to between three and a half and four and a half feet long, not including their 30-inch tails. They weigh between 75 and 145 pounds and stand two to three feet tall at the shoulder. Males tend to be a bit more robust and weigh about ten pounds more than females.

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION

Cheetahs live in small, isolated populations mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. They are very rare in southern Algeria and northern Niger, and range from Senegal east to Somalia and south to northern South Africa. A few have been reported from Iran. However, many of their strongholds are in eastern and southern African parks.

HABITAT

Savannas, both open and more densely vegetated, give cheetahs the open areas they need for quick stalks and chases. They are not found in forest areas or wetlands.

REPRODUCTION

Cheetahs can breed at any time of year but tend to copulate in the dry season, with cubs being born at the onset of the wet season. Females reach breeding age by 21 or 22 months of age. Males live in small permanent groups called coalitions, which are usually made up of brothers. Males are drawn to females in heat, but only one male in a coalition usually mates with the selected female. On average, three cubs are born about three months after mating takes place. Until five or six weeks old, the cubs remain hidden; if she needs to move, the mother carries them from place to place. After five or six weeks, cubs follow their mothers and share her kills. Cheetah cubs wean at about three months old.

LIFE SPAN

In zoos, cheetahs may live up to 17 years; in the wild, they may live eight to ten years.

AFRICAN WILD DOG

African wild dog FACT FILE: Swahili Name: Mbwa Mwitu Scientific Name: Lycaon pictus Size: 30 inches at the shoulder Weight: 55 to 70 pounds Lifespan: 10 to 12 years Habitat: Dense forest to open plains Diet: Carnivorous/forager Gestation: 21/2 months Predators: Humans

The African wild dog, also called the hunting dog, is a vanishing species in East Africa. Field studies have shown that the wild dog is a highly intelligent and social animal. Like most predators, it plays an important role in eliminating sick and weak animals, thereby helping maintain a natural balance and ultimately improving prey species. The stereotype of the wild dog as a cruel butcher is slowly being replaced by a less harsh image.

Physical Characteristics
The African wild dog is long-legged, with massive jaws and very large, erect bat like ears. Although it resembles some domestic dogs, it differs in that it has four toes on each foot instead of five.

The Latin name for the African wild dog means “painted wolf,” which aptly describes the colorful coat of dark brown, black and yellow patches. Wild dogs have bushy tails with white tips that may serve as a flag to keep the pack in contact while hunting

Habitat
Wild dogs live mostly in arid zones and in the savanna. They also are found in woodland and montane  habitats where their prey lives.

Behavior
Wild dogs live in packs of six to 20. If the pack numbers fall below six, hunting efficiency is eroded. The dogs have a peculiar rather playful ceremony that bonds them for a common purpose and initiates each hunt. They start circulating among the other pack members, vocalizing and touching until they get excited and are ready to hunt. They start the hunt in an organized, cooperative manner. When prey is targeted, some of the dogs run close to the animal, while others follow behind, taking over when the leader tired. They can run long distances, at speeds up to about 35 miles per hour.

Of the large carnivores, wild dogs are the most efficient hunters – targeted prey rarely escapes. They tear the flesh until the animal falls, consuming even if it is still alive. This behavior may prejudice people against them, although in reality it may be no worse than the prolonged kills of other carnivores. Apart from its undeniable bloodiness, the remarkable aspect of the their hunting is the complete lack of aggression toward each other. Wild dogs have a social hierarchy but unlike many other social animals, there is little obvious intimidation. They have elaborate greeting rituals, accompanied by twittering and whining. Their large range of vocalizations includes a short bark of alarm, a rallying howl and a bell-like contact call that can be heard over long distances.

Diet
They usually hunt in the early morning and again in late evening, prettying on gazelles and other antelopes, warthogs, wildebeests calves and rat and birds. They may raid domestic stock, but as wild dogs seldom stay in one place for long, this damage is not extensive

Caring for the Young
A nuclear pack of about six dogs usually consists of one dominant breeding pair and several non-breeding adult male helpers. Occasionally another female in the pack forms a subordinate breeding pair with one of the other males. A breeding female gives birth about once a year, with litters averaging about 10 pups, thought as many as 19 have been recorded. They pups are born in a shelter of thick bush or grass, or in a hole. Usually twice as many males are born. Unlike many other species, the female offspring leave the natal group when they reach maturity, not the males.

The hunting members of the pack return to the den where they regurgitate meat for the nursing female and pups. Although litters are very large, very few pups survive. Sometimes the dens are flooded, or the pups die from exposure or disease. When pack numbers are reduced, hunting is not as efficient and adults may not bring back sufficient food for the pups. The entire pack is involved in the welfare of the pups; both males and females babysit the young and provide food for them.

Predators
Throughout Africa wild dogs have been shot and poisoned by farmers, hunters and, at one time, by rangers who considered them as bloodthirsty raiders of live stocks and dispersers of wild herds. As the numbers of these wild dogs dwindle, they become more mysterious, elusive and enigmatic, reappearing suddenly in places they have not inhabited for months and then vanishing again a few days later. Even though protected in parks and reserves, wild dog populations have declined to the point that packs may no longer be viable. In some areas they are close to extinction.

LEOPARD

                               LEOPARD

Physical Characteristics

The most secretive and elusive of the large carnivores, the leopard is also the shrewdest. Pound for pound, it is the strongest climber of the large cats and capable of killing prey larger than itself.

Leopards come in a wide variety of coat colors, from a light buff or tawny in warmer, drier areas to a dark shade in deep forests. The spots, or rosettes, are circular in East African leopards but square in southern African leopards.

Habitat

Dense bush in rocky surroundings and forest rivers are their favorite habitats, but leopards adapt to many places in both warm and cold climates. Their adaptability, in fact, has helped them survive the loss of habitat to increasing human settlement. Leopards are primarily nocturnal, usually resting during the daytime in trees or thick bush. The spotted coat provides almost perfect camouflage.

Behavior

Leopards are solitary creatures and predominately nocturnal. Each individual has a home range that overlaps with its neighbors; the male's range is much larger and generally overlaps with those of several females. Leopards continually move about their territory, seldom staying in an area for more than two or three days at a time. Ranges are marked with urine and claw marks and leopards announce their presence to other leopards with a rasping cough. Leopards also growl, roar and purr.

A litter includes two or three cubs, whose coats appear to be smoky gray as the rosettes are not yet clearly delineated. The female abandons her nomadic wandering until the cubs are large enough to accompany her. She keeps them hidden for about the first 8 weeks, giving them meat when they are 6 or 7 weeks old and suckling them for 3 months or longer.

Diet

The most elusive of the large carnivores, the leopard is a cunning, stealthy hunter, its prey ranges from strong-scented carrion, fish, reptiles and birds to mammals such as rodents, hares, hyraxes, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys and baboons. Both lions and hyenas have been known to take away a leopard's kill. To prevent this, leopards store their larger kills in trees where they can feed on them in relative safety.

Predators and Threats

The most widespread of the felines, leopards occur in regions across both Africa and Asia. Indeed, their adaptability to both warm and cold climates has helped them survive the loss of habitat caused by increasing human settlement. However, leopards have long been preyed upon by man. Their soft, beautiful fur has been used for clothing. The tail, claws and whiskers of the leopard are popular as fetishes. In some areas, farmers try to exterminate them, while in others, leopards are considered symbols of wisdom.