Lions

This is whether lions eat plants. It depends. So if you want to know all the details about whether lions eat plants, then you’re in the right place. Let’s get started! Lions and Plants  Have you ever seen a cat chew on grass?  So, that means they can eat plants, right?   Well, yes and no, respectively.  In most cases, lions cannot eat plants because their digestive system cannot process plant matter.  Being exclusively a hypercarnivore, meaning meat is the largest component of their diet, lions have evolved with a carnivore-type digestive system that allows them to process and digest flesh, bones, and other bodily components.  On average, a male lion eats about 15 pounds (6.8 kg) of meat per day, while a lioness eats 11 pounds (5 kg). But, in some cases, they can eat up to 66 pounds (30 kg) in one feeding session.  Before going into detail about why lions cannot digest plants, let’s compare three types of digestive systems: Herbivorous  Carnivorous  Omnivorous  Herbivorous Digestive System Many mammalian animals are herbivores, which can digest plant material. Examples of herbivorous animals include, but are not limited to,: Deer Cattle Goat  Sheep  These are classic ruminants, meaning they may chew and swallow their food, but it will come back up (regurgitate) to be chewed again. This is called chewing the cud.  The teeth of herbivores are specialized for grinding and chewing vegetation. They lack canine teeth. Many herbivores, but not all, have stomachs with four compartments: Rumen Reticulum Omasum Abomasum  The rumen is the biggest stomach compartment. It can store the chewed vegetation for a long time. It is also where the fermentation process begins to break down structural bonds within the food to permit digestion.  There are many different types of bacteria and protozoa in the rumen that help break down plant food and aid indigestion. An enzyme called cellulase breaks down cellulose, which is the main component of a plant’s cell structure and is found in most vegetation.  The reticulum functions like a filter, separating particles, allowing smaller particles to move forward into the next stomach chamber.  Larger particles remain in the rumen to be either regurgitated and chewed again or broken down into appropriately sized particles that can pass the reticulum.  The omasum is a mysterious organ because its function varies between different animals. It appears that in most applications, it is a place for the absorption of basic nutrients like water, minerals, and certain fatty acids. It also plays a part in fermenting the cellulose even more to weaken cellular bonds.  The abomasum compartment works exactly like our stomach. This is where the more complicated bonds found in proteins are broken down by the rennet (a type of enzyme) to facilitate absorption.   In addition, there are other non-ruminant herbivores such as rabbits, horses, and mice. They have a simple stomach consisting of one compartment like us.  Herbivores can also be further classified into fruit eaters, leaf eaters, and nectar eaters.   Carnivorous Digestive System This type of digestive system is adapted for processing meat and bones. Meat is easy to digest, and these animals have a short gastrointestinal tract (GIT).  All felids, that is cats, are exclusively carnivores, meaning they eat only flesh and organs of other animals. As a result, they cannot synthesize some of the major nutrients, such as retinol (vitamin A), arginine (a type of protein-amino acid), and taurine (a type of protein-amino acid), and thus require meat as a concentrated source of these substances.  Non-exclusive or facultative carnivores, such as dogs, eat meat along with plant or grain food.  Omnivorous Digestive System Omnivores are flexible eaters with characteristics of both herbivores and carnivores. Their digestive system is adapted for both types of food but does not incorporate extremes of either type.  The key is they have teeth for grinding as well as cutting. The omnivorous mode of nutritional access is one of the most successful adaptations for survival on Earth. Examples of omnivores include: Humans Pigs Badgers Mice  Bears Why Lions Cannot Digest Plants Below we will discuss more in-depth some of the limitations of a lion’s digestive system to explain why it cannot digest plant matter.  Cannot Grind Plant Material The most important tool to break down plant matter is our teeth, especially the molar and premolar teeth.  Plants matter must be ground between the large surfaces of molar teeth before swallowing to begin the process of breaking down the cellulose fibers. Think of these teeth as millstones grinding grain into flour to help illustrate this point.  Similarly, the type of teeth that are designed to cut and tear flesh are canines. Think of them like two little knives, both top, and bottom that help a carnivore or omnivore tear flesh apart.   Then, there are incisors which are usually located at the front of the mouth. They are used for cutting and scraping.  If you do woodworking, these teeth work like a plane does by scraping strips of wood off the surface. But, they are also good for cutting as an ax does. This is why rodents, like beavers, have such large incisors because they need them to cut and scrape trees to eat and to build their homes.   Here is a chart to show you the types and numbers of teeth for the three types of digestive systems. The backslash divides upper and lower teeth.   Notice that lions have only one pair of molar teeth, which means they cannot truly grind vegetation effectively. However, this one set of molars also serves a different purpose. What is important to note here is the dental arrangement and shape of any animal are related to its diet. Molar shapes differ per the animal’s particular needs. Thus, the premolars and molars of the lions are sharp and are designed to break and crush bones.  Lions Cannot Break Down Cellulose A plant-based diet contains a large amount of cellulose which is the main structural component of its cellular wall.  Herbivores such as goats, sheep, cattle, and so forth have an efficient microflora (a …

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This is whether lions eat hyenas. In short: yes. So if you want to know all the details about why and when lions eat hyenas, then this article is for you. Keep reading! Lions and Hyenas: Food? The bottom line is that lions can eat hyenas, but they usually don’t.  But, when the food supply is short, and the lions are starving, they might be desperate enough to attack hyenas to eat them.  Most of the time, lions attack to scare or eliminate the competition to maintain their control over their kingdom and their status as King of the Jungle.  Let’s jump into the details: Consider this: What if there are two kings in the jungle at the same time?  When there are enough resources to feed and shelter all carnivores (predators), no one fights each other.  But when the food is scarce and supplies run down, that leads to increased competition.  There is an innate tendency in every animal to strive to live and reproduce, no matter what it costs.  What this means is two key predators will fight each other if necessary to ensure their kind wins. Does this hold for lions and hyenas? Yes!  These two old rivals have always been in intense competition, so much so that each tries to diminish the other’s population, including the young ones.  Of course, lions have some advantage over hyenas because of their strength, firm bodies, and strong jaws.  Still, hyenas, despite short hind legs and less elasticity, depend more on teamwork and intelligence.  Lions are exclusively predators. While hyenas, such as brown hyenas and striped hyenas, are scavengers feeding upon insects, bones, skins, and whatever remains after other predators have had their fill of the kill. However, spotted hyenas are the exception. They are the most prominent hunters in the family Hyaenaidae. Because of this, they became chief competitors to lions. They offer them a great tough time.  Let’s compare lions and hyenas. Lions vs. Hyenas: How Do They Compare? Here’s a comparison between lions and hyenas: Body Strength  With the ability to break the skull in between its paws, the lion depends most on its power and strength. They usually kill their prey by a strong bite on the throat, which strangles its prey.  Sometimes they may kill their prey by enclosing its mouth and nostrils between their jaws, stopping its breathing.  On the other hand, hyenas have less body strength compared to lions. They have short hind legs, which limits jumping, but helps them to run for long distances.  They also have limited mobility of their vertebral column. Their jaws are strong enough to kill other animals in a single bite and crush the strongest bones.  Yet, their jaw strength is not comparable to lions.  Stamina Lions have small hearts and lungs. Their heart is only 0.45% of their body size. They are not efficient runners, and their speed and stamina impede their hunting efforts.  They cannot outrun or chase their prey for long distances. Often they start losing speed at 218-328 yds. (200-300 m).  They cope with this hurdle by slowly sneaking near to their prey and often use camouflage tactics.  On the other hand, the hyenas have a bigger heart of 1% of their body size and often run down their prey by chasing it for long distances.  Intelligence When it comes to intelligence, Hyenas are smarter than lions. They know how to take advantage of their numbers, when to attack, and when not to attack.  They have a good pack-hunting methodology and communicate with each other well during a hunt.  Group Strength The dominant species in any fight between lions and hyenas are largely determined by the number and male lions present. Hyenas avoid male lions at all costs.  In group strength, both lions and hyenas vary from time to time. Two male lions together are considered enough against a group of 20 hyenas.  Still, sometimes hyenas outnumber lionesses and snatched their prey. Lions, too, often steal prey from hyenas.  Among the different hyenas, spotted hyenas are the most sociable and run in the largest groups.  That is why they are the most adapted and successful type of hyenas on the planet.  On the other hand, the striped and brown hyenas are not successful predators and mostly live as scavengers eating insects and leftovers.  Additional Weapons Hyenas have an additional weapon for defense when compared to lions.  Their anal glands produce a whitish creamy liquid with a stinky odor when chased by their enemies. They spray this liquid on their enemy. This liquid is also used for territorial marking too.  Moreover, spotted hyenas are also called laughing hyenas. Their bark sounds like they are mocking and laughing at the lions during a fight. So do lions eat hyenas? Of course, they can. There is no doubt that lions can eat hyenas.  Lions are cats that eat an exclusively carnivorous diet. Their digestive system is specialized to digest meat, bones, skin, and even hooves of animals. Lions ingest a large amount of meat and efficiently digest it.  But, Do Lions Eat Hyenas, Too? Not usually. In fact, lions usually don’t eat hyenas because they have alternative food sources. Their normal prey species, usually herbivores, are easy to catch, are delicious, and offer very little or no resistance.  When such food is available with ease, why eat hyenas? Who will put up a fight?  Research studies show that while it has been observed that lions kill hyenas, they usually don’t eat them.  In another study, lions left an injured hyena to die rather than kill it.  Here are some speculative explanations:  The lion has a full stomach and is not hungry.  The meat of hyenas may not be delicious or eatable because of the white creamy secretion from their anal glands. Hyenas are carnivores. The meat of carnivores may not be as delicious as herbivores. This is due to the reason that carnivores eat only a single type of food, meat. They have less fat and …

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This is why lions are called the King of the Jungle. Actually, lions don’t live in the jungle. So if you want to know why lions are called the King of the Jungle nonetheless, then you’re in the right place. Let dig right in! Lions: The King of the Jungle? Their terrifying roars (which can be heard almost 5 miles or 8 km away), confident gait, well-muscled body, and bravery qualify the lion to be the King of the Jungle even though it doesn’t actually live in the jungle.  A lion’s preferred habitat are:  Grasslands  Savanna  Open woodlands  Dense scrubs  These types of open environments allow them to find their chief prey: Antelope  Zebra Gazelles  Wild pigs Sometimes they will attack larger animals such as: Giraffes Water Buffaloes   Hippopotamus Wildebeests  Even reptiles, such as crocodiles  Lions (Panthera leo) are powerful, big cats belonging to the family Felidae.  Their proverbial status as “King of Jungle” was bestowed thousands of years ago and continues to be an important element in human culture and history.  Their historical homeland once covering much of Eurasia and Africa. They are now mostly confined to central Africa, south of the Sahara. The behavior of lions depends on their mood. The most important times for their hunting activities are dawn and dusk but can vary according to the prey.  They communicate by vocalization, facial expressions, head rubbing, chemical, visual marking, and licking. They also produce varieties of sounds, from heavy roars to gentle meows. So How Did Lions Get This Moniker? Here’s why lions are called the King of the Jungle: Does it rule by its physical power? No!  The physical size of the lion is not very impressive, with the average animal being 4.5-6.5 feet (137-198 cm) long, up to 3.5 feet (107 cm) high, and can weigh at the maximum of 500-550 pounds (227-250 kg).  It is also not the fastest animal in the jungle. That honor belongs to the cheetah. Nor does its terrifying face or body shape earn it that title. Then what entitles it to rule?  The lions are rulers because of their:  Sheer strength Grace Physical beauty  Massive raw power Lack of fear  Enemies such as hyenas The lifestyle of a lion also resembles that of kings: A lion can sleep as much as 20 hours a day. Their eating, drinking, and walking habits resemble a king’s.  Other princely features of lions can be summed up as: Defense of Their Kingdom Lions bravely defend their territories like kings. Being social cats, lions live in defined social groups, called prides, which hold specified territory.  Their female partners are responsible for hunting prey and feeding the pride (like royal ministers and administrators).  Male lions themselves are responsible for the defense of the pride and its territories.   Survival Instincts Young male lions are forced to leave their parent’s pride around the age of 2-3 years.  They travel hundreds of miles in hostile territories to find and conquer their own prides.  They have to engage and defeat the current owner of the pride they chose to conquer. This is perhaps the most princely feature of a lion’s behavior.  Protection of Kingship  Upon taking over the charge of new pride, the first action as king is to murder all his potential rivals to the throne (male cubs of the previous pride leader).  Then, they reproduce with lionesses to produce their own heirs.  Find Any Resemblance of These Behaviors in History? Historically, many human societies had a fratricide law, which entitled the new king, emperor, or sultan to murder his brothers and nephews to remove any potential challengers to his absolute power.  Probably the most famous one was the Ottoman Fratricide Law.  Some societies even permitted the killing of female relatives if she tried to save her male relatives. This also runs true within a pride of lions.  Lions vigorously defend their pride, cubs, and females. The roars you hear at night are actually warning other lions that they will pay the price if they dare enter their territory.  The male lion enjoys the most prestige and respect within the pride because the very existence of the pride is endowed to him.  They are offered food first of all. For the first year or so, cubs are solely dependent on the ability and ferocity of their father to defend them.  The primary male lion keeps the balance and maintains the social equilibrium of their societies.  They will not shirk killing an intruder or a threatening member of the pride so they can retain their throne and keep peace in their “kingdom.”  This includes killing prey, like antelope, to prevent overcrowding or disease from destroying the balance of power.  How Do Lions Stack Up Against Other Contenders? Let’s look at some more intriguing qualifications of the lions because there are other candidates for the kingship, too.  Animals like elephants (sheer size and strength), tigers (fast motion and hunting abilities), hyenas (only known rivals of lions), and wolves (fearsome temperament and clever hunters).  Why does literature only mention lions?  Let’s compare: Lions vs. Tigers  The closest rival to lions for the kingdom of the jungle are tigers.  Both are powerful beasts, but in one-on-one combat, the tiger has many advantages, such as its massive front paws, its ability to stand on the hind legs, and also the ability to fight with its front legs.  So, the lion resorts to other advantages to maintain its hegemony.  The king is not necessarily the strongest with his kingdom but will use all available means to retain claim to the throne.  Lion maintains its kingdom by using its pride (group). Since the tigers are solitary hunters, they don’t have a chance against the full might of a ferocious pride under the leadership of their king.  Lions vs. Elephants Lions have the same advantages over elephants that tigers have on lions.  The lion uses its army (its pride) to take on the largest and strongest mammal on the planet—the elephant.  The lion’s maneuverability, speed, and combat strategy, …

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