Asiatic Lion :: Biology and Behaviour

Biology and behaviour

Compared to their African cousins, Asiatic lions have shaggier coats, with a longer tassel on the end of the tail and longer tufts of hair on the elbows. Both sexes have a distinctive fold of skin that runs along the belly. Males are 1.7-2.2 m long and weigh 150-225 kg, while females are 1.4-1.7 m in length and weigh in at 100-150 kg. The largest known wild male was exactly 3 m (9.9 ft) in length.[1]

Asian lions are highly social animals, living in units called prides. Asiatic lion prides are smaller than those of African lions, with an average of only two females. The African pride has an average of four to six. The Asian males are less social and only associate with the pride when mating or on a large kill. It has been suggested that this may be because their prey animals are smaller than those in Africa, requiring fewer hunters to tackle them.[2]