This page will contain discussion groups about Lion, as they become available.LionFor other uses, see Lion (disambiguation). |
| Binomial name |
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| Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. It is the largest and most powerful living felid with the exception of the tiger, and the liger. The male lion, easily recognized by his mane, may weigh up to 250 kg (550 lb) Females are much smaller, weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb). In the wild lions live for around 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20. Lions are predatory carnivores who live in family groups, called prides. The family consists of related females, their cubs of both sexes, and one or more unrelated males who mate with the adult females. Although it was once thought that females did most of the hunting in the pride, it is now known that males contribute much more to hunting than the amount for which they had been previously given credit. Both males and females will defend the pride against outside intruders. Typically, males will not tolerate outside males, and females will not tolerate outside females. Males are expelled from the pride or leave on their own when they reach maturity. When or if a male coalition takes over a pride and ousts the previous coalition, the conquerors often kill any cubs even if they did father them.
The last remnant of the Asiatic Lion (subspecies Panthera leo persica), which in historical times ranged from Turkey to India through Iran (Persia), lives in the Gir Forest of northwestern India. About 300 lions live in a 1412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat.
Lions had become extinct in Greece, their last European outpost, by 100 AD. Other extinct subspecies are the Cape Lion, the European Cave Lion (subspecies Panthera leo spelaea) which coexisted with humans throughout the last Ice Age, and the American lion (subspecies Panthera leo atrox), a close relative of the European cave lion (not to be confused with the mountain lion or puma).
Lions are recurring symbols in the coat of arms of royalty and chivalry, particularly in the UK, where the lion is also a national symbol of the British people. Lions appear in the art of China, even though lions have never lived in China. No animal has been given more attention in art and literature. C.A.W. Guggisberg, in his book Simba, says the lion is referred to 130 times in the Bible. The lion can be found in stone age cave paintings.
Although they are not often heard of due to their rarity, white lions do exist, in Timbavati, South Africa. There is a recessive gene in white lions that gives them their unusual color (also causing white tigers, many white tigers with this gene are bred for zoos and animal shows). A white lion has a disadvantage when it comes to hunting; their white color can give away their hiding place.
The main differences between lion subspecies are location, size and mane appearance, however some of the forms listed below are debatable. Genetic evidence suggests that all modern lions derived from one common ancestor only ca. 55,000 years ago, therefore most sub-saharan lions could be considered a single subspecies. Notable exceptions would be the cape lion (P. l. melanochaita) and the kalahari lion (P. l. Verneyi).
Asiatic Lioness Panthera leo persica, name MOTI, born in Helsinki Zoo (Finland) October 1994, arrived Bristol Zoo (England) January 1996While a hungry lion will probably attack a human that passes near, some (usually male) lions seem to seek out human prey. Some of the more publicized cases include the Tsavo man-eaters and the Mfuwe man-eater. In both cases the hunters who slew the lions wrote books detailing the lions' "careers" as man-eaters. In folklore, man-eating lions are sometimes considered demons.
The Mfuwe and Tsavo incidents did bear some similarities. The lions in both the incidents were all larger than normal, lacked manes and seemed to suffer from tooth decay. Some have speculated that they might belong to an unclassified species of lion, or that they may have been sick and couldn't have easily caught prey.
There have also been recorded attacks on humans by lions in captivity.
Lions have also been known to breed with their close counterparts, tigers (most often Amur), while in captivity to create interesting mixes. These two new breeds are called ligers and tigons.
The liger originates from mating a male lion and a tigress. Because the lion passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the female lion is not present, ligers are larger than either parent. It is said that ligers do not stop growing and will grow constantly through their lifespan, until their bodies cannot sustain their huge size any longer, reaching up to half a tonne. Ligers share some qualities of both their parents (spots and stripes) however they enjoy swimming, a purely tiger activity, and they are always a sandy colour like the lion. Male ligers are sterile, but female ligers are often fertile.
The tigon is a cross between the lioness and the male tiger. Because the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene and the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene, tigons are often relatively small, only weighing up to 150 kilograms (350 lb), which is about 20% smaller than lions. They can best be described as "housecat-like" in appearance, although with round ears. Like male ligers, male tigons are sterile, and they all have both spots and stripes, with yellow eyes. Tigons are not as common as ligers because they are not as visually impressive, thus they do not draw as much attention from audiences. Tigons are also more difficult to produce as male tigers are less attracted to lionesses because of their smaller size and are thought to have difficulty with recognizing lioness breeding cues.
Female ligers and female tigons are fertile and can produce offspring if mated to either a pure-bred lion or a pure-bred tiger.
Monumental Lion guarding Britannia Bridge, WalesView 3D animations of juvenile and adult lion skulls -- both inside and out -- at Digimorph.org
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View 3D animations of juvenile and adult lion skulls -- both inside and out -- at Digimorph.org. Perhaps the most renowned work of literature dealing largely with the concept of memory is Marcel Proust's monumental In Search of Lost Time. Tigons are not as common as ligers because they are not as visually impressive, thus they do not draw as much attention from audiences. The film Memento, about a man afflicted with anterograde amnesia, reflects on the nature and meaning of memory, and implications of its loss. Like male ligers, male tigons are sterile, and they all have both spots and stripes, with yellow eyes. Artworks often explore the nature of memory. They can best be described as "housecat-like" in appearance, although with round ears. This method of learning involves repetition, with the assumption that an individual can learn a necessary process or an amount of information through repetitive action or study, such to the point that it becomes near-automatic. Because the male tiger does not pass on a growth-promoting gene and the lioness passes on a growth inhibiting gene, tigons are often relatively small, only weighing up to 150 kilograms (350 lb), which is about 20% smaller than lions. Memorization, or rote learning, is a method of learning that conditions an individual to recall important information verbatim. The tigon is a cross between the lioness and the male tiger. Other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease can also affect memory and cognition. Male ligers are sterile, but female ligers are often fertile. There are many sorts of amnesia, and by studying their different forms, it has become possible to observe apparent defects in individual sub-systems of the brain's memory systems, and thus hypothesize their function in the normally working brain. Ligers share some qualities of both their parents (spots and stripes) however they enjoy swimming, a purely tiger activity, and they are always a sandy colour like the lion. Loss of memory is known as amnesia. It is said that ligers do not stop growing and will grow constantly through their lifespan, until their bodies cannot sustain their huge size any longer, reaching up to half a tonne. Much of the current knowledge of memory has come from studying memory disorders. Because the lion passes on a growth-promoting gene, but the corresponding growth-inhibiting gene from the female lion is not present, ligers are larger than either parent. Learning and memory are attributed to changes in neuronal synapses, thought to be mediated by long-term potentiation and long-term depression. The liger originates from mating a male lion and a tigress. Further, it is not sufficient to describe memory, and its counterpart, learning, as solely dependent on specific brain regions. These two new breeds are called ligers and tigons. However, rather than implicating a specific area, it could be that damage to adjacent areas, or to a pathway traveling through the area is actually responsible for the observed deficit. Lions have also been known to breed with their close counterparts, tigers (most often Amur), while in captivity to create interesting mixes. Damage to certain areas in patients and animal models and subsequent memory deficits is a primary source of information. There have also been recorded attacks on humans by lions in captivity. For example, the hippocampus is believed to be involved in spatial learning and declarative learning. Some have speculated that they might belong to an unclassified species of lion, or that they may have been sick and couldn't have easily caught prey. Brain areas such as the hippocampus, the amygdala, or the mammillary bodies are thought to be involved in certain kinds of memory. The lions in both the incidents were all larger than normal, lacked manes and seemed to suffer from tooth decay. Overall, the mechanisms of memory are not well understood. The Mfuwe and Tsavo incidents did bear some similarities. Cues do not need to be related to the action (as the mailbox example is), and lists, sticky-notes, knotted hankerchiefs, or string around the finger (see box) are all examples of cues that are produced by people as a strategy to enhance prospective memory. In folklore, man-eating lions are sometimes considered demons. Event-based prospective memories are intentions triggered by cues, such as remembering to post a letter (action) after seeing a mailbox (cue). In both cases the hunters who slew the lions wrote books detailing the lions' "careers" as man-eaters. Time-based prospective memories are triggered by a time-cue, such as going to the doctor (action) at 4pm (cue). Some of the more publicized cases include the Tsavo man-eaters and the Mfuwe man-eater. Prospective memory can be further broken down into event- and time-based prospective remembering. While a hungry lion will probably attack a human that passes near, some (usually male) lions seem to seek out human prey. In contrast, prospective memory is memory for future intentions, or remembering to remember (Winograd, 1988). Verneyi). Thus, retrospective memory as a category includes semantic memory and episodic/ autobiographical memory. l. A further major way to distinguish different memory functions is whether the content to be remembered is in the past, retrospective memory, or whether the content is to be remembered in the future, prospective memory. melanochaita) and the kalahari lion (P. So far, nobody has successfully been able to isolate the time dependence of these suggested memory structures. l. Procedural memory involved in motor learning depends on the cerebellum and basal ganglia. Notable exceptions would be the cape lion (P. It is revealed when we do better in a given task due only to repetition - no new explicit memories have been formed, but we are unconsciously accessing aspects of those previous experiences. 55,000 years ago, therefore most sub-saharan lions could be considered a single subspecies. Procedural memory is primarily employed in learning motor skills and should be considered a subset of implicit memory. Genetic evidence suggests that all modern lions derived from one common ancestor only ca. In contrast, procedural memory (or implicit memory) is not based on the conscious recall of information, but on implicit learning. The main differences between lion subspecies are location, size and mane appearance, however some of the forms listed below are debatable. [1]. . Visual memory can result in priming and it is assumed some kind of perceptual representational system or PRS underlies this phenomenon. Although they are not often heard of due to their rarity, white lions do exist, in Timbavati, South Africa. Episodic memory, on the other hand, is used for more personal memories, such as the sensations, emotions, and personal associations of a particular place or time. The lion can be found in stone age cave paintings. Semantic memory allows the encoding of abstract knowledge about the world, such as "Paris is the capital of France". Guggisberg, in his book Simba, says the lion is referred to 130 times in the Bible. Declarative memory can be further sub-divided into semantic memory, which concerns facts taken independent of context; and episodic memory, which concerns information specific to a particular context, such as a time and place. C.A.W. It is sometimes called explicit memory, since it consists of information that is explicitly stored and retrieved. No animal has been given more attention in art and literature. Declarative memory requires conscious recall, in that some conscious process must call back the information. Lions appear in the art of China, even though lions have never lived in China. Long-term memory, the largest part of any model, can be divided into declarative (explicit) and procedural (implicit) memories. Lions are recurring symbols in the coat of arms of royalty and chivalry, particularly in the UK, where the lion is also a national symbol of the British people. The ability to store the information regarding the instructions and intermediate results is what is referred to as working memory. Other extinct subspecies are the Cape Lion, the European Cave Lion (subspecies Panthera leo spelaea) which coexisted with humans throughout the last Ice Age, and the American lion (subspecies Panthera leo atrox), a close relative of the European cave lion (not to be confused with the mountain lion or puma). For instance, when we are asked to mentally multiply 45 by 4, we have to perform a series of simple calculations (additions and multiplications) to arrive at the final answer. Lions had become extinct in Greece, their last European outpost, by 100 AD. Some theories consider working memory to be the combination of short-term memory and some attentional control. About 300 lions live in a 1412 km² (558 square miles) sanctuary in the state of Gujarat. Additionally, the term working memory is used to refer to the short-term store needed for certain mental tasks - it is not a synonym for short-term memory, since it is defined not in terms of duration, but rather in terms of purpose. The last remnant of the Asiatic Lion (subspecies Panthera leo persica), which in historical times ranged from Turkey to India through Iran (Persia), lives in the Gir Forest of northwestern India. Those long-lasting memories are said to be stored in long-term memory. When or if a male coalition takes over a pride and ousts the previous coalition, the conquerors often kill any cubs even if they did father them. On the other hand, we can remember telephone numbers for many years (assuming we use them often enough). Males are expelled from the pride or leave on their own when they reach maturity. If we are given a random seven-digit number, we may remember it only for a few seconds and then forget (short-term memory). Typically, males will not tolerate outside males, and females will not tolerate outside females. Some psychologists, however, argue that the distinction between long- and short-term memories is arbitrary, and is merely a reflection of differing levels of activation within a single store. Both males and females will defend the pride against outside intruders. It may be that short-term memory is supported by transient changes in neuronal communication, whereas long-term memories are maintained by more stable and permanent changes in neural structure that are dependent on protein synthesis. Although it was once thought that females did most of the hunting in the pride, it is now known that males contribute much more to hunting than the amount for which they had been previously given credit. These stores are generally characterised as of strictly limited capacity and duration, whereas in general stored information can be retrieved in a period of time which ranges from days to years; this type of memory is called long-term memory. The family consists of related females, their cubs of both sexes, and one or more unrelated males who mate with the adult females. Sensory memory is characterized by the duration of memory retention from milliseconds to seconds and short-term memory from seconds to minutes. Lions are predatory carnivores who live in family groups, called prides. Some of this information in the sensory area proceeds to the sensory store, which is referred to as short-term memory. In the wild lions live for around 10–14 years, while in captivity they can live over 20. The sensory memory corresponds approximately to the initial moment that an item is perceived. The male lion, easily recognized by his mane, may weigh up to 250 kg (550 lb) Females are much smaller, weighing up to 150 kg (330 lb). A basic and generally accepted classification of memory is based on the duration of memory retention, and identifies three distinct types of memory: sensory memory, short-term memory, and long-term memory. It is the largest and most powerful living felid with the exception of the tiger, and the liger. . The Lion (Panthera leo) is a mammal of the family Felidae. From an information processing perspective there are three main stages in the formation and retrieval of memory:. Distinct behaviour and anatomy has been observed in this subspecies. There are several ways of classifying memories, based on duration, nature and retrieval of information. Panthera leo verneyi - Kalahari lion. In the recent decades, it has become one of the principal pillars of a new branch of science that represents a marriage between cognitive psychology and neuroscience, called cognitive neuroscience. Panthera leo somaliensis - Somali lion. Although traditional studies of memory began in the realms of philosophy, the late nineteenth and early twentieth century put memory within the paradigms of cognitive psychology. Panthera leo senegalensis - West African lion, or Senegal lion. Memory is the ability of the brain to store, retain, and subsequently recall information. Panthera leo roosevelti - Abyssinian lion. Retrieval/Recall (calling back the stored information in response to some cue for use in some process or activity). Once widespread from Turkey, across the Middle East, to India and Bangladesh, but large prides and daylight activity made it easier to poach than tigers or leopards. Storage (creation of a permanent record of the encoded information). 200 currently exist in the Gir Forest of India. Encoding (processing and combining of received information). Panthera leo persica - Asiatic lion. Panthera leo nubica - East African lion. Panthera leo melanochaita - Cape lion; extinct in 1860. Panthera leo massaicus - Massai lion. [1]. Roman notables, including Sulla, Pompey, and Julius Caesar, often ordered the mass slaughter of Barbary lions - up to 400 at a time. Barbary lions were kept by Roman emperors, who ordered the capture of literally thousands of individuals to fight in the gladiator arenas. The last wild Barbary lion was killed in Morocco in 1922 due to excessive hunting. This was the largest of the lion subspecies, which ranged from Morocco to Egypt. Panthera leo leo - Barbary lion; extinct in the wild. Panthera leo krugeri - South African lion. Panthera leo hollisteri - Congo lion. From France to the Balkans. Extinct around 100AD due to hunting and competition from feral dogs. Panthera leo europaea - European lion. Panthera leo bleyenberghi - Katanga lion. Panthera leo azandica - North East Congo lion. |