How can lions survive

This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo. Share Tweet Email. Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth.

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The main threats are retaliatory or preemptive killing to protect people and livestock, and decreasing natural prey and habitat for example, due to expanding human settlements and therefore less available grazing. When their natural prey is scarce, lions can cause grave losses to livestock, which can destroy the income of local people.

In recent years, the demand for lion bone as a substitute for tiger bone in traditional Asian medicine has risen.

Fundraising Block. Adopt Please select an elephant a lion a panda a turtle an african rhino an orangutan a dolphin an amur leopard a gorilla a snow leopard a polar bear a penguin a jaguar. Choose monthly donation Prefer a one-off donation? Choose one-off donation Prefer a monthly donation? Top 10 facts about lions. Adopt a lion. Lions hunt for food every few days. They will feed from their kill and then rest until they hunt again.

They usually kill medium sized mammals, such as zebra, deer and wildebeest. They often eat animals which have been killed by another hunter, such as hyenas. At Folly Farm we feed our lions chunks of meat. We also give them whole dead animals to eat. Lions have adapted strong, retractable jaws and rough tongues to help them eat their prey, and lions that live in particularly hot environments have adapted to stay cooler in the heat.

All lions share certain traits that the species developed in response to environment. Their tan color allows lions to blend in with the savannas, open woodlands and deserts in which they live. Long, retractable claws help lions snare their prey, while rough tongues make it easy for them to peel back the skin of that prey and expose its meat.

Lions primarily hunt hoofed animals, such as zebras and wildebeest, so they have developed loose skin on their bellies that protects them from the frantic kicks of their prey. In a given region, the male lion with the largest mane is likely to mate with more females and sire more offspring than his mildly maned counterparts. While it has long been thought that mane characteristics are passed along genetic lines, research has shown that environmental factors, such as local temperature, can influence mane growth.

Lions living in colder climates tend to grow fuller, more attractive manes. Lions living in hot climates -- such as Tsavo, Kenya -- have adapted to grow no manes at all. As with the maneless lions of Tsavo, lions living in desert conditions have adapted to survive this punishing ecosystem.