Countries of the World - Wild life
The life of the wild



1. Wolf, Sierra de la Culebra

This mountain chain close to the Portuguese border is said to have Spain’s highest-density wolf populations. Though the chances of seeing one are still quite low, you’ll have fun trying.

2. Lammergeier, Ordesa National Park

With an estimated 55 pairs, the Spanish Pyrenees have Europe’s largest population
of this rare vulture. The feeding station at the Garganta de Escuaín may offer you close-up views.

3. Azure-winged magpie, Extremadura

It may be common, but this is still one of Iberia’s most beautiful and iconic species. The magpies nest in back gardens in the birding hotspot of Extremadura.

4. Spanish ibex, Sierra de Gredos

This mountain range, which climbs to more than 2,400m, is a renowned hot spot for the Spanish ibex, as well as an impressive diversity of birds, reptiles and amphibians.

5. Pilot whale, Strait of Gibraltar National Park

One of four cetacean species (with bottlenose, striped and common dolphins) thought to reside in this recently created natural park. Fin and sperm whales also pass through.

6. Iberian lynx, Sierra de Andújar National Park

This is considered the best place to see this endangered big cat. Much of the patchwork woodland of the area is privately owned, but there’s scope for watching wildlife from roads.
How plants and animals adapt


Animals and plants are adapted to their habitats. This means that they have special features that help them to survive.

An African elephant, for example, lives in a hot habitat and has very large ears that it flaps to keep cool. A polar bear, on the other hand, lives in a cold habitat and has thick fur to keep warm.

Pond habitat
Here are some plants and animals that have adapted to living in a pond habitat.

Illustration of pond habitat including a frog, water spider and water lillies
hi and welcome to my first blog about The WILD life


introduction

l like it because it's full of nature and different kind's of shape's so wonderful l see different kind of creature's

The wild:

the tigers are strong the giraffe are tall the monkey's are jumpy the snakes are sharpy poisonous and scary
I'm intersted in new stuff and wired stuff l really enjoy it
one of my favorite animals is a horse
and one of my other favorite animals are monkey's and giraffes...
Habitats



A habitat is a place where a collection of plants and animals live and which provides them with food and shelter.

Seashores, gardens and ponds are all examples of habitats. Habitats can be big (a jungle, for example) or small (a leaf, for example).

Woodland habitat
The animals and plants living in a woodland habitat might include owls, thrushes, caterpillars and oak trees.


1. Arctic fox, Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve

Though the Arctic fox is at the southern edge of its range in Sweden, you still have a good chance of seeing this handsome, iconic polar mammal in this 562,800ha ‘Lapland’ reserve.

2. Brown bear, Bollnäs, Hälsingland

Watching brown bears from rustic hides in which you spend the night has become a very popular activity in Sweden in recent years. The hides are usually well-adapted for photography. Go during the long summer nights in June or July to increase your chances of a daylight sighting.

3. White-tailed eagle, St Anna & Gryt Archipelagos

With an estimated 350 pairs and another 900 non-breeding birds, white-tailed eagles can be spotted in many parts of Sweden. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can explore the archipelagos by sea kayak.

4. Common crane, Lake Hornborga

Every spring 10,000 cranes drop in at Lake Hornborga to refuel en route from their winter quarters in Spain to their breeding grounds in northern Sweden and Finland. Trandansen, situated at the south-western end of the lake, is a popular place to watch their courtship dance. The birds also stop here in August during their return journey south.

5. Beaver, River Klarälven, Värmland

There are roughly 200,000 beavers in Sweden today – to find one, just look for trees and fresh water. April to September are the best months to spot these architects of the riverbank, which are most active at dusk. The Klarälven River is rich beaver territory – canoeing or rafting is a fun way to encounter this unique European rodent.

6. Elk, Bergslagen

Spend a night in this area of lakes and conifer woodland in central Sweden and sightings of this imposing yet timid animal are guaranteed. There’s also a chance of hearing wolves howling, though lupine encounters
are rare, and lynx roam these forests too.


1. Big range

Polar bears reside mostly amongst the circumpolar regions of Canada, Norway, Greenland and Russia. However, they have been seen further south in James Bay, Canada.

2. Name that bear

The Inuit people of the Canadian Artic call the polar bear nanuq, an animal worthy of great respect. In Russia the polar bear is called beliy medved meaning the white bear, while in Norway and Denmark, the polar bear is called isbjorn, meaning ice bear.

3. Double trouble

Female polar bears usually give birth to twins. A single cub or triplets is uncommon. The pair of cubs will remain with their mother for the first two years of their lives before leaving to find their own territory.

4. Heavyweights

The polar bear is the largest land carnivore. Adult males can weigh between 390kg and more than 590kg and females can weigh between 152kg and 295kg.

5. Nowhere to hide

Using their amazing sense of smell, these efficient hunters can detect prey almost a kilometre away and nearly a metre below the compacted snow.

6. What’s on the menu?

Ringed seals and bearded seals are a polar bear’s main food source. In a single sitting, the carnivore can eat 45kg of blubber but during months when prey is scarce it can slow down its metabolism until more food is available.

7. Balancing act

In order to walk easily on the icy terrain polar bears have non-retractable claws and paw pads that act like suction cups.

8. Keeping clean

Polar bears depend on their fur for insulation during harsh winters. Dirty, wet and matted fur is less likely to keep the animals warm so they wash it in the snow to keep it clean.

9. Climate change

Polars bears are listed as a Vulnerable species. Loss of Arctic sea ice due to climate change is the most serious threat to the animals throughout their range.


1. Unique pattern

Tigers are the only big cats to have stripes and individuals can be identified by their pattern. The stripes also help the mammals to blend in with their surroundings and remain undetected for longer by prey.

2. Spot the spots

Tigers have white spots surrounded by black fur on the back of their ears. It has been suggested that they act as false eyes to warn of their presence or discourage other species from attacking them from behind. Other theories suggest that it helps tiger cubs follow their mother through tall grass.

3. Making a splash

Tigers do not shy away from water and enjoy bathing in streams and lakes to escape the heat in hot climates.

4. Tiger toddlers

In tall grass, rock crevices or caves, tiger cubs are born blind and depend on their mother for protection. After 15 months the matured cubs will disperse and find their own territories.

5. Roam alone

Tigers have a 14 year life span. Once mature, they will spend most of their time living and hunting alone, with the exception of females when they are raising their young.

6. Tiger territory

The range of these big cats can be between 20km to 400km. Scent marking allows tigers to communicate with other tigers in their range.

7. Night vision

Tigers have night vision that is six times better than that of humans, which helps them hunt successfully in the dark. A tiger will mainly hunt pigs and deer but is capable of taking prey larger than itself.

8. Endangered big cats

The remaining tiger subspecies are the Siberian, South China, Sumatran, Indochinese, Malayan and Bengal. It is believed that amongst those there are only 3,000 to 4,500 individuals left in the wild.

9. Vanishing act

Land development has led to around 96 per cent of the tiger’s natural range being lost in past 100 years.

10. On the market

Tigers are being illegally hunted for their body parts such as bones, skin and teeth to fuel the growing demand for remedies made from tiger parts in Asia.


1. Mantled howler monkey, Santa Rosa NP

The rasping calls of adult males can travel up to 1km even in dense rainforest, so you will probably hear these monkeys before you see them. Morning and evening are the prime howling times.

2. Resplendent quetzal, Los Quetzales NP

Covering some 5,000ha of cloud forest in the Talamanca Mountains, Los Quetzales is a great place to encounter one of Central America’s ‘must-see’ birds – they are often spotted in wild avocado trees.

3. Jaguar, Tortuguero NP

The most sought-after of the Americas’ big cats, the jaguar is fond of nesting green and leatherback turtles. Look out for paw prints on the beach.

4. Strawberry poison arrow frog, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca

While poison arrow frogs can be seen over much of lowland Central America, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca is extremely accessible – listen out for the ‘chirping’ of the strawberry or ‘blue jeans’ species.

5. Olive ridley sea turtle, Caño Island Biological Reserve

There’s a host of marine wildlife – from brain corals and sea fans to reef sharks and pilot whales – to be spotted in this fabulous island paradise, but an encounter with an olive ridley would take some beating.

6. Three-toed sloth, Manuel Antonio NP

A small national park with easy trails, Manuel Antonio is the perfect place to search for either of Costa Rica’s common sloth species – look out for large, grey-brown mammalian oddities high in the canopy.
1. White rhino, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

White rhinos were reintroduced to Ziwa in 2005 and it's still the only location in Uganda where you can see them in the wild. The 7,000-hectare sanctuary is home to 17 individuals.

2. Rothschild's giraffe, Murchison Falls National Park

One of the rarest subspecies, Rothschild's is the tallest animal in the world and has five horns - other giraffes have two.

3. Shoebill, Mabamba Wetlands

With its shoe-like bill ending in a ferocious hook, this is one of the most extraordinary birds in Africa, if not the world. The shoebill is frequently described as a stork, but it's probably more closely related to pelicans.

4. Lion, Queen Elizabeth National Park

Lions in the Ishasha sector of the park are famous for climbing and resting in trees, reputedly one of only two populations in the world tha behave in such a way. Lolling about on a branch may offer the cats relief against the tetse flies or the heat.

5. Mountain gorilla, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Mountain - as opposed to lowland - gorillas only became known to the western world in 1902, and are one of the most sought-after animals for wildlife lovers across the planet.

6. Giant groundsel, Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Despite the prosaic name, giant groundsel is a must-see. This member of the sunflower family can grow to 20m (65ft) high, creating candelabra-like structures in the process.


1. What’s in a name

The Latin name for orca or killer whale is Orcinus orca. Orcinus translates to “of the kingdom of the dead” and is probably derived from Roman God of the underworld Orcus, a reference to the fierce hunting reputation of this animal.

2. A case of mistaken identify

Commonly known as killer whales, orcas actually belong to the dolphin family Delphinidae. The world’s largest dolphin species uses its teeth to breakdown food.

3. Heavy weight

When born an orca weighs as much as a motorbike at about 180kg and is 2 to 3m long. An adult male can weigh about 8600kg and grow up to 10m in lenth and an adult female can weigh about 5400kg and grow up to 9m in length.

4. Diverse diet

Orcas have separated into two ecotypes (a distinct form or race of a animal species occupying a particular habitat). Northeastern Pacific residents are fish-eaters whereas their transient counterparts eat mostly marine mammals for example. Orcas residing in waters off New Zealand have even been known to eat sharks and rays.

5. On the hunt

Orcas are very fast swimmers and have been recorded at speeds of up to 54km/h. Herding fish before stunning them with tail strikes is one of many ways in which these predators hunt their prey. Orcas also work together in coordinated attacks to create waves that can knock prey off floating ice into the water.

6. Clear identity

Orcas have a distinctive appearance, a large black body, a white underside, a white patch above and behind the eye, ‘saddle patch’ behind the dorsal fin.

7. Half asleep

Cetaceans, including orcas, have the ability to rest one side of their brain at time. This allows the side that’s awake to regulate breathing and prevents drowning, while the other side takes a nap.

8. Marine herd

A group of orcas is known as a pod. It usually consists of a mature female, her adult offspring, and her daughters’ offspring.

9. Whale talk

In the ocean orcas rely on using clicks and whistles to exchange information with the rest of the pod. At the surface they have been known to use body language to communicate, including breaching, slapping their flippers or tail, and spyhopping (bringing their head out of the water).



How to take part in Orca Watch 2016

This year’s Orca Watch takes place on 21 to 28 May to coincide with the annual passage of orcas observed in the Pentland Firth. The aim of Orca Watch is to collect vital data on this and other cetacean species in the area, while informing the public about these enigmatic animals. Find out how you can get involved.


Butterfly chrysalises are naked, vulnerable and apparently defenceless, since they are not hidden inside a tough or camouflaged silken cocoon as moth pupae are.

They rely on being disguised as dead grass stalks (skippers); buds (orange-tip); curled leaves (speckled wood); bird droppings (black hairstreak); or another bit of ignorable plant material. Some have warning colours, such as the mottled black and white of the large white, which contains distasteful chemicals sequestered from its cabbage foodplant.

Nevertheless chrysalises are frequently attacked by parasitoid wasps, which try to lay eggs inside the nutrient-rich soup of rearranging organs and musculature, as metamorphosis performs its magic.

Many will writhe to try to dislodge an attacker, and this has produced the oddest defence – squeaking. This is particularly apparent in hairstreak chrysalises, which have rows of microscopic grooves and teeth on adjacent abdominal segments that produce an audible ‘song’ when rubbed together.


However, they do this not to deter attackers, but to attract ants. Confused, the ants take the pupae down to the nest where they can transform into butterflies in the relative safety of their host colony

Sea otters use rocks and empty shells to feed on marine snails, crabs, sea urchins and mussels. There are only a handful of non-primate species known to use tools, including dolphins and octopuses.

2. Back from the brink

Sea otters were brought close to extinction in the 19th century, widely hunted for their fur. This was stopped by the establishment of the International Fur Seal Treaty in 1911. Populations in Canada and California are now doing well.

3. Guardians of the ecosystem

Sea otters are vital to the health of carbon-absorbing kelp forests. They prey on sea urchins that feed on kelp. In environments where sea otter populations have been reintroduced, tall kelp forests are flourishing.

4. Big appetites

A sea otter can consume up to 11kg of food every day to support its high metabolism – that’s about a quarter of its own body weight! The energy demands of a sea otter mother increases by 17 per cent after giving birth.

5. Fur coat

A sea otter’s pelt is the thickest of any mammal. It is made up of a waterproof top layer and a short underlayer, which can contain as many as one million hairs per square inch. This makes up for its lack of blubber in the cold Pacific water.

6. Dedicated mothers

Sea otters give birth in water. Most females have only one pup at a time. The mother will produce milk, hunt and teach the pup how to dive for food until the youngster is five to eight months old and can fend for itself.

7. Lazy days

While extremely agile, sea otters are slow swimmers. They spend the majority of their lives on their backs, only flipping over onto their fronts when greater speed is required. To swim faster they use their webbed feet for propulsion and undulate their bodies.

8. Making friends

Sea otters are polygynous. While mothers and pups are usually solitary, sea otters can form social groups of up to a few dozen. A group of up to 2,000 sea otters is the largest recorded.
1. Muck-spreader

When defecating, hippos swish their tails back and forth, scattering their droppings like a muck-spreader. The resulting slapping noise echoes downstream and helps proclaim territory.

2. Surprising history

Hippos, along with other megafauna such as lions and elephants, would have been a common sight in prehistoric Britain – their remains have been found underneath Trafalgar Square.

3. Small appetite

Male hippos weigh 1,600–3,200kg, and females 650–2,350kg. Despite their size they eat just 1–1.5 per cent of their body weight every day.

4. Sinking feeling

Hippos sink in water. They run along the river bottom instead of swimming.

5. Teething problems

The international ban on trade in elephant ivory led to an increase of 530 per cent in the annual export of hippo teeth within two years. The animal’s canines measure upwards of 50cm in length.

6. Four stomachs are better than one

A hippo’s stomach has four chambers in which enzymes break down the tough cellulose in the grass that it eats. However, hippos do not chew the cud, so are not true ruminants like antelopes and cattle.

7. Home from home

A wild hippo named ‘Jessica’ often visits (and wanders into) the waterside home of South Africa’s Tonie and Shirley Joubert, who helped her out as a calf.


1. Hawaiian hoary bat, Koke'e State Park, Kauai

Experts believe that Hawaii's only endemic terrestrial mammal must have been blown over from either North or South America, where it is known simply as the hoary bat.

2. Manta ray, Olowalu, Maui

Olowalu Reef has a cleaning station visited by 350 filter-feeding elasmobranchs. The Hawaii Association for Marine Education and Research is campaigning for better protection for these gentle giants.

3. I'iwi, Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge

The I'iwi, or Hawaiian honeycreeper, is just one of at least 51 honeycreepers that evolved from a single ancestor between four and five million years ago - and may be the most spectacular of them all.

4. Néné, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park

Reduced to a population of about 30 in the 1950s, the Néné, or Hawaiian goose, has recovered thanks to captive breeding. Look for it in the parking lot of the Jaggar Museum or at the Volcano Golf and Country Club.

5. Hawaiian monk seal, O'ahu

A remote beach on O'ahu is as good a place as any to try to see this endangered endemic mammal, though the largest population (up to 800) is in the distant and rarely visited northwestern Hawaiian islands.

6. Spinner dolphins, La Perouse Bay, Maui

Known for their amazing breaches, spinner dolphins are usually found out to sea, but in Hawaii they come quite close to the shore.


Scientists have found fragments of a camel’s leg bone from over 3.5 million years ago in the Canadian Arctic.

These early camels were nearly twice the size they are now – over 3m tall – and evolved their fat-filled hump to help them survive the cold. The Arctic was warmer back then and forested with conifer and birch.

As the Ice Age came, the camels moved south. On reaching the deserts they found themselves surprisingly suited to their new environment.

Their big flat feet, evolved for spreading their weight over snow, helped them to walk on sand. The thick fur on their backs, originally developed to keep them warm, now shielded them from the sun. And their three eyelids, once so effective against snowstorms, now protected their eyes from wind-blown sand.

The camel’s hump is also useful in the desert. Almost all of its fat is stored there, rather than being evenly distributed over its body, so it stays cool in warm environments.

The hump isn’t rigid: if a camel uses up its supply of fat, the hump shrinks and flops over to one side, only reverting to its upright shape when the animal has fed and slept.



Hyenas are famed for their bone-cracking jaws and ability to eat everything, bones and all, but bone only counts for a small part of their diet, while polychaete worms in the genus Osedax digest the fat and bone of dead whales worldwide.

The true ‘bone eaters’ though are the lammergeiers. These vultures have behavioural and anatomical adaptations that allow a diet of up to 90 per cent bone.

Able to carry bones that weigh half as much as they do, the birds fly up using thermals and drop them from a great height, smashing them on rocks below – a skill that can take seven years to master.

An extra-long intestinal tract helps the lammergeiers digest bone, as does their gastric acid, which has a pH of about 0.7, close to pure hydrochloric acid.

In addition many herbivore species, including giraffes, practise osteophagia, in which they chew bones to obtain crucial minerals that are missing from their regular plant diet, such as calcium and phosphate.


18 February 2016

“As I’ve mentioned before I think that two of the things that make Panamanian birding so special are that the backyard birding is epic, and that when you travel even the smallest bit the species you see can change dramatically.

Panama has been under siege from super windy weather in the last month (apparently it had something to do with this) and the weather led to me having to differentiate where I normally bird.

Some of my favourite more mountainous areas were just too wet and windy to head to, but luckily I was able to receive a few invitations to bird at different peoples houses away from the horrible weather.

You see it’s not just the birds that change dramatically by travelling just a short distance, it’s the weather in Panama too. Not only did these places offer different elevations, habitat, and species, but simply by driving 20-40 minutes I was able to have dry and sunny days out.

For many people backyard birding makes them conjure up images of cardinals, blue birds, robins and a couple other species of ever present US birds.

I personally love having a cup of coffee while watching any species of bird grab a bit of breakfast.

Many people find this same relaxation and sense of tranquility from backyard birding, and I even know a few people who find it meditative.

Panamanian backyard birding can be much, much, more intense than this. It’s basically backyard birding on steroids.

People's lists for their property (or their property and immediate area) can number well over 100, and this isn’t just with counting rare visitors.

There is an abundance associated with Panamanian backyard birding that I have encountered no where else.

Identifying the large amount of species in your backyard and immediate neighbourhood gets much more interesting and involved than any other place I have been.

Besides the sheer number of species you can see, we all know that sitting back and allowing birds to come to you as opposed to actively seeking them out can afford you some really great looks and interactions.

But let’s not forget some of the reasons backyard birding is so enticing – everyone likes birding with a clean bathroom and access to hot coffee, cold water, and even colder beer!


Cheetah Classification and Evolution
The Cheetah is a large and powerful feline that was once found throughout Africa and Asia and even in parts of Europe. Today however, it is found in only a few remote regions of its once vast natural range, primarily due to growing Human settlements and the hunting of them for their fur. There are widely considered to be five different subspecies of Cheetah that vary only very slightly in colouration and are most easily distinguished by their geographic location. Although they are not considered to be part of the 'big cat' family as they cannot roar, Cheetahs are one of Africa's most powerful predators and are most renowned for their immense speed when in a chase. Capable of reaching speeds of more than 60mph for short periods of time, the Cheetah is the fastest land mammal in the world.

Cheetah Anatomy and Appearance
The Cheetah has a long and slender body that is covered in coarse yellowish fur and dotted with small black spots. Its long tail helps with balance and changing direction quickly and unlike the rest of the Cheetah's body, there are ringed markings along the tail which ends in a black tip. Cheetahs have small heads with high set eyes that aid them when surveying the surrounding grasslands for potential prey. They also have distinctive black "tear marks" that run from the inner eye, along their nose and down to the outside of their mouths, which are thought to help protect them from being blinded by the bright sun. The exceptional speed of the Cheetah is caused by a number of things including having strong and powerful hind legs, and an incredibly flexible and muscular spine which allows the Cheetah to not only sprint quickly but also makes them very agile. They also have non-retractable claws which dig into the ground, giving the Cheetah better grip at high speed.
Cheetah Distribution and Habitat
The Cheetah once had a vast historical range that stretched across a number of continents, but their distribution today is much more scattered with a small number found in Iran and the majority found in sub-Saharan Africa. Although Cheetahs are still found in a few different parts of eastern and southern Africa, the highest population of wild Cheetahs is now found in Namibia in south-western Africa. Cheetahs are most commonly found stalking prey on the vast, open grasslands but they are also found in a variety of other habitats as well including deserts, dense vegetation and mountainous terrain, providing that there are both adequate supplies of food and water. Cheetahs are one of Africa's most vulnerable felines with population numbers being mainly affected by growing Human settlements that encroach on their native habitats.

Cheetah Behaviour and Lifestyle
The Cheetah is unique amongst Africa's felines primarily because they are most active during the day, which avoids competition for food from other large predators like Lions and Hyenas that hunt during the cooler night. They are also one of the more sociable Cat species with males often roaming in small groups, generally with their siblings, and oddly enough, it is the females that are more solitary animals apart from the 18 months or so that they spend looking after their cubs. Cheetahs are fiercely territorial animals that patrol large home ranges and often overlap those of other Cheetahs, and indeed Lions, with females tending to roam across a much larger range than males. They are typically shy and very stealthy animals so that they are able to hunt for prey in the hot daylight hours without being spotted so easily.

Cheetah Reproduction and Life Cycles
After a gestation period that lasts for around 3 months, the female Cheetah gives birth to between two and five cubs that are born blind and incredibly vulnerable in the African wilderness. The cubs suckle from their mother for the first few months when they begin eating meat, and start to accompany her on hunting trips as they are able to learn how to hunt from watching her. Cheetah cubs learn the majority of their hunting techniques through playing with their siblings, and remain with their mother until they can hunt successfully and leave to find their own territory at between 18 months and 2 years old. Sadly, one of the main reasons for such drastic declines in Cheetah numbers is that up to 75% of Cheetah cubs don't live to be older than 3 months, as their mother has to leave them everyday to find food to feed them, leaving the vulnerable cubs helpless in the face of predators.


Lion Classification and Evolution
The Lion is one of the largest, strongest and powerful felines in the world second only in size to the Siberian Tiger. They are the largest cats on the African continent and are unique among felines in a number of ways but the biggest difference between Lions and other cats is that they are incredibly sociable animals that live together in family groups known as prides. Lions are also part of the big cat family meaning that both males and females are able to roar. Despite having once roamed across much of Africa and even parts of Europe and Asia, the world's remaining Lion population now resides in sub-Saharan Africa. However, with Lion numbers thought to have dropped by 30% over the past 20 years these enormous predators are sadly becoming more and more vulnerable in their decreasing natural environment.

Lion Anatomy and Appearance
Lions have a short coat of tawny or golden fur with a long tail that has a tuft of longer fur at the end. The markings on their coats are much fainter than the bold stripes and spots displayed on other felines which helps these large carnivores in going unseen when stalking prey in the long grasses. The Lion is one of the largest cats in the world with males being taller and heavier than females and displaying a mane of long hair around their faces (in fact, it is the only case in the feline world where males and females actually look different). Thought to be connected with testosterone levels, the mane of the male Lion ranges from blonde, to red, brown and black in colour and covers their head, neck and chest. Lions have strong and powerful jaws that contain 30 teeth in total which includes four fang-like canines and four carnassial teeth that are perfectly designed for slicing through flesh.
Lion Distribution and Habitat
Historically, Lions would have been found throughout much of Africa and even in parts of Europe and Asia as well. Today however, they have been pushed into more isolated pockets of their once vast natural range with the remaining African Lion population now only found in countries in sub-Saharan Africa. There is also still a small population of Asiatic Lions found inhabiting a remote part of the Gir Forest in India where there are an estimated 300 individuals remaining. Despite their dwindling numbers, Lions are actually incredibly adaptable animals that can and will inhabit very dry climates as they get most of the moisture they need from their food. They prefer areas of open woodland, scrub and long grasslands where there is not only plenty over cover but also a wide variety of prey. They are only not found in areas of rainforest or far into deserts.

Lion Behaviour and Lifestyle
Lions are unique among cats as they live together in strong social groups. A pride is made up of 5-15 related females and their cubs along with a generally single male (small groups of 2 or 3 though are not uncommon). Male Lions patrol a territory of around 100m² marking trees and rocks with urine and roaring to warn off intruders. Although male Lions can defend their pride to great effect, their position in the pride is constantly under threat from other males who try to take over their patch and if successful, they will kill any cubs that were sired by the previous male. Despite their enormous size, male Lions actually do hardly any of the hunting as they are often slower and more easily seen than their female counterparts. The Lionesses in the pride hunt together meaning that they are not only more successful on their trips, but they are also able to catch and kill animals that are both faster than them and much bigger.

Lion Reproduction and Life Cycles
Both male and female Lions are able to reproduce between the ages of two and three but despite this, they will often not breed until the pride has been firmly established. After a gestation period that lasts for nearly four months female Lions give birth to between one and six cubs that are born blind and are incredibly vulnerable in their new surroundings. The fur of Lion cubs is covered in darker spots that help to camouflage them into their den to protect them whilst the adults have gone out to hunt. Sadly however, less than half of cubs make it to be a year old and four out of five have died by the time they are two, generally either from animal attacks or starvation. Remarkably though, the female Lions in the pride will have their cubs at around the same time and will help to suckle and care for the cubs of other females. Lion cubs suckle on milk until they are about six months old and although they won't begin actively hunting until they are about a year old, Lion cubs start to eat meat after 12 weeks or so.


Hi thank you for reading my blog or looking at it thank you
especially thanks to Mr. Jonathan my IT teacher, he teaches me everything about technology, big thanks.
everyone who is deciding to come next year you or your child will have lots of fun in Al Shomoukh International School trust me all the teachers are awesome maybe strict but funny and awesome if you come to Al Shomoukh International School your going to have the fun of your life and education.

thank you Mr.Jonathan Miss.Rania Mr.Steve mrs.siobhon mrs.debby mrs.patrice mrs.carolyn mrs.doreen and mr.majed mrs.layal mrs.Eman mrs.channele mr.josh all thanks to those who teaches me and the ones that teaches my best freinds even if you weren't there you are in school of SIS

All the thanks from Noora al marjan



The life of the wild (Countries of the World - Wild life)    -    Author : Noora - Oman



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