Lions all over the world are in danger. They are hunted and many are running out of habitat as cities grow. The Asiatic lion is particularly affected by habitat loss and poaching because it lives in such a small region. Asiatic lions are only found in India, specifically around the Gir Forest. This forest is a national park and the people work very hard to protect the lions.
While Asiatic lions might look the same as the African lion, there are some key differences between the species. Perhaps the easiest to notice is a large flap of skin that runs along the lion’s belly. They also have much smaller and thinner manes, but thicker elbow and tail tufts. Their coloring can range from a light, sand brown to a very dark almost blackish brown. It varies from lion to lion. The darker the mane the more attractive a male lion is considered. They also have slightly different behavior. Asiatic lions have smaller prides that do not include the males.
• They are carnivores
• Their prey is usually deer, antelope and boar
• They are also known for killing livestock on farms
• The largest Asiatic lion was 9 ½ feet long
• The average Asiatic lion is between 4.5 and 6.5 feet long
• The largest African lion was 11 feet long
• Asiatic lions weigh between 350 and 420 pounds
• African lions weigh between 330 and 500 pounds
• They can live both in savannah and forest
• It is estimated that only around 200 Asiatic lions remain alive in the wild
• Only male lions have the dark brown manes
• They live in small prides so that they can hunt together
• Asiatic prides are entirely made of females
• The males are very solitary
• Females do all of the hunting
• They often ambush their prey
