Lion encounter at night!

The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) or Indian Lion is a subspecies of the lion. The only place in the wild where the lion is found, is in the Gir Forest of Gujarat, India. The Asiatic lion is one of the five major big cats found in India, the others being the Bengal tiger, the Indian leopard, the snow leopard and clouded leopard. The Asiatic lions once ranged from the Mediterranean to the north-eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent, but excessive hunting, water pollution and decline in natural prey reduced their habitat. in 1857, a Colonel George Ackland Smith killed over 100 lions in and around Delhi, at the time of the Indian mutiny! No lions remain in north India now, and none around Delhi either.

The lion is the tallest (at the shoulder) of all living cats, averaging about 14 cm (5.5 in) taller than the tiger. Behind only the tiger, the lion is the second largest living felid in length and weight. Its skull is very similar to that of the tiger, although the frontal region is usually more depressed and flattened, with a slightly shorter postorbital region. The lion's skull has broader nasal openings than the tiger. However, due to the amount of skull variation in the two species, usually, only the structure of the lower jaw can be used as a reliable indicator of species.

Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day. They spend an average of two hours a day walking and 50 minutes eating. Lions are the most socially inclined of all wild felids, most of which remain quite solitary in nature. The lion is a predatory carnivore who manifest two types of social organization. They are powerful animals that usually hunt in coordinated groups and stalk their chosen prey.

Source: Wikipedia

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