Lion
The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia, with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru. The lion is a vulnerable species, having seen a major population decline of 30–50% over the past two decades in its African range. Lion populations are untenable outside designated reserves and national parks. Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern. Within Africa, the West African lion population is particularly endangered.
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Some articles on lion:
... The American lion was initially considered a distinct species of Pantherinae, with the scientific name Panthera atrox ( /ˈpænθərə ˈætrɒks/), which means "cruel" or "fearsome panther" in Latin ... this view, but other experts considered the American lion most closely related to the African lion (P ... leo) and its extinct Eurasian relative, the cave lion (P ...
... on this topic, see Cultural depictions of lions ... The lion has been an icon for humanity for thousands of years, appearing in cultures across Europe, Asia, and Africa ... Despite incidents of attacks on humans, lions have enjoyed a positive depiction in culture as strong but noble ...
... Il Leone d’Oro (English The Golden Lion) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival ... In 1970, a second Golden Lion was introduced this is an honorary award for people who have made an important contribution to cinema ... The prize was introduced in 1949 as the Golden Lion of St ...
... In late 2005, Lion Nathan made an unsolicited takeover bid for Coopers, which was strongly opposed by the board and by the Cooper family ... permanently removing the 3rd tier purchasing rights of Lion Nathan, effectively preventing any current or future takeover bid ...
... The American lion (Panthera leo atrox or P ... atrox) — also known as the North American lion, Naegele’s giant jaguar or American cave lion — is an extinct lion of the family Felidae, endemic to North America and northwestern South America during the ... shown by genetic analysis to be a sister lineage to the Eurasian cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea or P ...
More definitions of "lion":
- (noun): The fifth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about July 23 to August 22.
Synonyms: Leo, Leo the Lion
- (noun): (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Leo.
Synonyms: Leo
- (noun): Large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male.
Synonyms: king of beasts, Panthera leo
Famous quotes containing the word lion:
“Roused by the lash of his own stubborn tail
Our lion now will foreign foes assail.”
—John Dryden (1631–1700)
“The lion cares less about being king of the beasts than about finding his dinner.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“It is curious how there seems to be an instinctive disgust in Man for his nearest ancestors and relations. If only Darwin could conscientiously have traced man back to the Elephant or the Lion or the Antelope, how much ridicule and prejudice would have been spared to the doctrine of Evolution.”
—Havelock Ellis (1859–1939)