POLAR BEAR FACTS




The polar bear is arguably the most impressive and iconic mammals of the arctic tundra. Unfortunately,  due to a combination of hunting, loss of habitat, increased pressure from an expanding local human population, global warming and the associated melting of the ice caps and accidental poisoning, polar bear numbers are now in decline.

This problem is exacerbated as polar bears have low reproduction rates, but before we can address, and hopefully arrest the decline in polar bear numbers we need to know as much as we can about their behaviour and habitats.

Polar bear facts

1. The polar bear is only found in the Arctic region of the northern hemisphere, and NOT AT ALL in the Antarctic region of the southern hemisphere.

2. The polar bear is not only the world's largest land carnivore, it is also the worlds largest bear! An adult male weighs around 350–680 kg (770–1,500 lb), while an adult female is about half that size. This make a large male twice as big as the Siberian tiger!

3. The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species, with eight of the nineteen polar bear sub populations in decline.

4. The scientific name Ursus maritimus, the Latin for 'maritime bear', due to the animal's native habitat.

5. Polar bears can breed with brown bears to produce fertile grizzly–polar bear hybrids. This indicates that they have only recently diverged and are genetically similar.

6. Research on fossilised bones has shown that there is a giant form of the polar bear once roamed the arctic. Known as Ursus maritimus tyrannus it became extinct during the Pleistocene, and was significantly larger than any living subspecies.

7. Polar bears overheat at temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F), and are nearly invisible under infrared photography.

8. Polar bears are superbly insulated by up to 10 cm (3.9 in) of blubber!

9. The polar bear is an excellent swimmer. In fact they have been seen in open Arctic waters as far as 200 miles from land. It swims in a dog paddle fashion using its large forepaws for propulsion. Polar bears can swim 6 mph.

10. The skin of a polar bear is black while the hair of a polar bear is not white! It is in fact transparent and hollow!

11. When sprinting, a polar bear can reach up to 25 mph!

12. The polar bear has an extremely well developed sense of smell, and is able to detect seals up to 1 mile away and buried under 3 ft of snow.

13. Mature polar bears tend to eat only the calorie-rich skin and blubber of the seal, whereas younger bears consume the protein-rich red meat.

14. A polar bear can kill an adult walrus, although this is rarely attempted. Why? Because a walrus can be more than twice the bear's weight and has up to three feet long ivory tusks that can be used as formidable weapons.

15. Unlike brown and black bears, polar bears are capable of fasting for up to several months during late summer and early autumn.

16. As of 2008, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) reports that the global population of polar bears is 20,000 to 25,000, and is declining.

17. The Inuit (Eskimo) people of North America and Greenland hunt the polar bear for its meat and fur. However, they cannot eat its liver. Why? Because its holds such a high content of vitamin A, polar bear liver is poisonous to humans!

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Images from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7874602.stm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Polar_Bear_Swimming.JPG and http://www.hsd3.org/HighSchool/Teachers/MATTIXS/Mattix%20homepage/studentwork/LYNNZIE%20TOMPKINS%20WEBPAGE/ASSETS/Appetite.html
Based on an article from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear and http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/12/polar-bears-endangered-species-listing
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WHERE DO POLAR BEARS LIVE?



The polar bear - Ursus maritimus, is a bear native mainly found within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, and adjacent land masses as far south as Newfoundland Island.
Polar bears spend most of their time along the southern edge of the Arctic pack ice – a combination of pack ice, open water and coastal land.

Thankfully, due to the absence of human development in its remote habitat, it is able to retain more of its original range than any other carnivore living today.

While polar bears are rare north of 88°, there is evidence that their habitat stretches all the way across the Arctic, and as far south as James Bay in Canada. They can occasionally drift widely with the sea ice, and there have been anecdotal sightings as far south as Berlevåg on the Norwegian mainland and the Kuril Islands in the Sea of Okhotsk.

The range includes the territory of five nations: Denmark (Greenland), Norway (Svalbard), Russia, the United States (Alaska) and Canada. These five nations are the signatories of the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, which mandates cooperation on research and conservations efforts throughout the polar Bear's range.

There are 19 generally recognised, discrete sub populations, and these sub populations display seasonal fidelity to particular areas. However, DNA studies show that they are not reproductively isolated.

The thirteen North American sub populations that range from the Beaufort Sea south to Hudson Bay and east to Baffin Bay in western Greenland account for about 70% of the global population. The Eurasian population is broken up into the eastern Greenland, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and Chukchi Sea sub populations, though there is considerable uncertainty about the structure of these populations due to limited mark and recapture data.

Of the 19 recognised polar bear sub populations, eight are declining, three are stable, one is increasing, and seven have insufficient data, as of 2009.

It is difficult to estimate a global population of polar bears as much of the range has been poorly studied; however, biologists use a working estimate of about 20,000–25,000 polar bears worldwide.

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Images care of http://www.uux.cn/batch.download.php?aid=31682 and http://www.bearsoftheworld.net/polar_bears.asp
Based on an article from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear
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SISSINGHURST




Acquired by Vita Sackville West with her husband Sir Harold Nicolson in 1930, Sissinghurst Castle gardens have become one of the brightest jewels in a spectacular crown of English country gardens. It was their unique vision and uncommon single mindedness that took this dilapidated Tudor estate and moulded it into a breathtaking series of compartmentalised gardens. But there is something at Sissinghurst which makes it quite unique, a quality of peace and tranquillity that has enabled it to become regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

However, scratch the surface and you will reveal a history so sinister that you may never look at this place the same way again. To uncover the truth we must go back to over 250 years to when Britain was in the grip of a punishing war against France.

With the success of the British Navy during the ‘Seven Years War’, many ships from of the French fleet were captured as prizes and their seamen confined in prison hulks at Plymouth. As prisoner populations rose this proved to be an unpopular choice, and so the Government of the time decided that it needed a more suitable location to house them.

With the owners of Sissinghurst being in considerable debt, they leapt at the chance of leasing it to the government, and did so in 1756. If prison conditions were believed to have been bad then, they were about to get much, much worse!

Unfortunately for the French, English prisons were traditionally run by the Royal Navy, and Sissinghurst had extra security in place by way of short term army garrisons. This made the inmates at Sissinghurst not just prisoners but also the enemy and as such, the treatment they received here was significantly worse compared to other British prisons. So powerful became its reputation, that the very threat of being sent to Sissinghurst was often enough to enforce discipline in other prisons across the country.

DISEASE

New prisoners would have been greeted by the stench of overcrowded, dilapidated and unsanitary accommodation, although the word ‘overcrowded’ is somewhat of an understatement. Even after 250 years, inscriptions still survive above the cell door frames indicating the maximum population level’s for each room. For example, one particular chamber of no more than 16ft by 20ft would have been home for up to eighteen men. Another, found under a staircase in the Elizabethan quarters, indicates a population of only 6, but it’s a cell of no more that 4ft square. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was no running water or toilets in these makeshift cells so imagine how intolerable the heat of summer would have been - bringing with it the stink of human faeces, and what would have seemed like a plague of lice and flies.


Of course with this many men living in such poor and barbaric conditions, diseases ran rife through the camp infecting prisoners, guards and the garrison alike.

These were terrible times and instances of smallpox and dysentery were commonplace.

There was enormous pressure to find somewhere suitable for treating the large numbers of infections and so the large Elizabethan brick barn - found to the left of today’s main entrance - was converted into a make-shift hospital.

CORRUPTION

With 18th Century jailers subjected to very poor pay and conditions, it was down to them to come up with ways of making a little extra money, in fact they were expected to. It was common practice for all new inmates to be fitted with heavy irons. This was so that for a small payment they could be replaced with lighter ones, or - for an additional charge - they could be removed altogether.


Unfortunately many of the guards had a strong sadistic side, so on top of stealing prisoner belongings and fiddling the exchange rates of foreign nationals, they also used their position to impose conditions of starvation, isolated confinement, and inadequate clothing.

Although the jailors were widely known for being institutionally corrupt, the French soon learned that it could be used to work in their favour. This was done by using bribes to condition the guard’s behaviour.

In one particular case, the guards were conditioned to such an extent that a number of prisoners were able to smuggle in explosives in an attempt to blow a breach in the castle walls. It was only when guards intercepted a prisoners letter, describing the escape plan to one of their mothers, that the plot was discovered.

MURDER

Murder and fighting would have been commonplace at Sissinghurst, and although you’d think it would be in the guards interest not let such incidences become common knowledge, several letters of complant on the subject managed to find their way to a Court of Enquiry.


Perhaps the most senceless death was that of prisoner Jacobus Lofe who was shot as he lay sleeping in his hammock, secured in one of the topmost rooms in the tower. A statement from the sentinal charged with firing the shot - who was believed to have been drunk at the time claimed that:

 ‘…he called out to the prisoners several times to put out their lights, which they refused to do so, and bid him fire and be damed…’

However, evidence from three other prisoners who were in the room at the time declared that there were no lights on and as such they didn’t feel the need to answer - believing the sentinal was shouting to another room. Unfortunately, this incident was caused by nothing more than a trick of the light because - on certain clear nights - the moon rises to a point where it can shine directly onto the tower lighting up the inside of these topmost rooms. Even today, its reflection in the glass can often look as though there has been a light left on inside.

Once in a while the prisoners managed to get their own back. On one recorded occasion, water was being brought to the top of the tower by a system of ropes secured to the outside wall. Rather than using the steep internal staircases this was the preferred way to supply water to these top most rooms. Unfortunately, once the bucket reached the top it became untethered and crashed down on the head of the supervising sentinal - killing him outright. It was put down as an accident but you can make up your own mind as to the ability of a French sailor to tie a secure knot?

TORTURE


Although associated with medieval times, torture was an accepted part of prisoner interrogation right up until the eighteenth century and would have been authorised in order to retrieve valuable information on enemy troops and fortifications.

Typically, irons and fetters would have been fitted - to prevent sleeping or cause paralysis, and on occasion prisoners were known to have been forced to stand in water until their feet rotted.

However there would have been times when more extreme devices were demanded such as the torture chair, the rack, foot crusher and the little known Scavenger’s daughter.



WHERE DID THEY GO?

By the end of the war in 1763 the prison camp was closed down with the garrison sent back to their regiments. Many of the released prisoners returned home to France, while some opted to stay and work within the grounds. A few even married local girls.

Unfortunately the Elizabethan court yard had suffered tremendous damage during the French occupation, and 15 years later much of the house and furniture had been destroyed for firewood. Sissinghurst and its future looked bleak.

And it was as a soulless shell that Sissinghurst stayed for a further 150 years until it was rescued and loved by Vita Sackville West and her husband Sir Harold Nicolson.

By the creation of these wonderful gardens it has since become a fitting memorial to the atrocities that occurred here all those years ago. May God give peace to their souls.

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WHAT IS WATERCRESS?



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Watercresses (Nasturtium officinale, N. microphyllum; formerly Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum, R. microphylla) are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants. Their netural habitat ranges from Europe to central Asia, and it is one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings. These plants are members of the Family Brassicaceae or cabbage family, botanically related to garden cress, mustard and radish — all noteworthy for a peppery, tangy flavour.

History tells us that the ancient European civilizations had great faith in the health giving properties that watercress had to offer. In fact, Hippocrates - the Father of modern medicine - is said to have deliberately located his first hospital beside a stream so that he could grow a plentiful and convenient supply of watercress with which to help treat his patients.

Through the latter half of the twentieth century the popularity of watercress had been falling, mainly due to increased competition from imported and more exotic ‘fresh produce’. However since its identification as a ‘super food’, watercress has been experiencing something of a revival and has now become one of the most popular salad crops available today.

Brimming with more than 15 essential vitamins and minerals and packed full of beneficial glucosinates, watercress contains- gram for gram - more vitamin C than oranges, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach and more folic acid than bananas.

However what really makes watercress a ‘super food’ is the release of recent research which shows that eating watercress regularly can help cut the chances of developing cancer.

The University of Ulster has published a report in the ‘American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’ that suggests a regular intake of fresh watercress can significantly reduce DNA damage to white blood cells within the human body. In fact, they found that DNA damage to white blood cells was cut by an incredible 22.9%. This is a terribly important find, especially as white blood cell damage is considered to be an important trigger in the development of cancer.

In addition to this, watercress also appears to raise the levels of beneficial compounds within human cells allowing them to protect themselves from the damaging effects of particles known as ‘free radicals’.

When cell samples were exposed to hydrogen peroxide – a highly reactive substance which is used to generates large numbers of free radicals within the body - damage levels were found to be 9.4% lower than would normally be expected. In addition to this, the research found that the blood levels of antioxidant compounds, such as lutein and beta-carotene (naturally occurring chemicals important in combating the effect of free radicals) were also increased significantly. In contrast, levels of potentially harmful triglycerides were reduced by an average of 10%.

With important discoveries such as these being discovered within one of the cheapest and easiest to grow salad plants that you can find, you wold be foolish not to include watercress as a part of your everyday meal plan. Not only can it help reduce the incidence of this countries number 1 killer, it actually tastes good too.

How to grow watercress from seed

Although the natural habitat of watercress is amongst slow moving bodies of water, their seed can be germinated in pots much like any other plants seed. In fact they are so easy to grow they can even be started off indoors. The only thing you need to make sure of – apart from keeping them soaked at all times – is that you are using an alkaline compost. This type of compost can easily be made up by mixing 1 part limestone grit to 2 parts John seed compost.

Start by using plastic pots which have had small holes (approximately 3-4mm in diameter) drilled into the sides. Fill them with the compost mix and push 3 or 4 seeds – evenly spread - into the surface to around about an inch deep. Fill a suitable, high-sided container with water and place the sown pots into it. Leave the water level so that it is about ½ to 1 inch below the soil level. Place the container outside in a bright position, but out of direct sunlight and extremes of temperature. The important thing to remember here is to ensure the soil remains soaked at all times and to change the water for fresh each day to avoid fungal infections. You can expect to see the new seedlings emerging anytime from 7-10 days.

After a further 2-3 more weeks in the pot, the seedlings should be big enough to be transplanted in to their permanent positions. The best times of year for this would be at the end of spring and beginning of autumn as this will give them plenty of time to establish before they need to cope with the extremes of summer and winter temperatures. However, so long as their final position allows them to be covered by at least a few inches of water throughout the year, they can be planted at almost anytime.

Ideally, you would be planting into a shallow river or small stream. Just dig a few holes in the sides of the stream bed, making sure the holes are roughly a foot apart. Make sure that when planted, the leaves of your watercress are comfortably floating on the waters surface.

If the body of water they are being kept in is enclosed - such as a large pond - and fed by a re-circulating pump, then as the watercress plants naturalise they can be propagated by simply breaking off sections of plants - making sure that they have a healthy root system attached – and allowing them to just to float around on the waters surface. There are normally enough nutrients present in the water (especially if you are keeping fish) for the plants to continue growing without the need to take root and receive its nutrients from the soil.

Harvest your watercress leaves as and when you need them from the end of spring and onward into early summer. You will have to wait for late autumn however if you wish to harvest any more, as the leaves will become bitter and inedible once the plant comes into flower.

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Based on an article from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watercress
Images care of http://fraukuchen.wordpress.com/2009/07/06/watercress-auf-deutsche/ and http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7957663/Watercress-may-help-fight-cancer.html and http://www.incredible-edible-todmorden.co.uk/blogs/man-bites-veg-grown-on-fish-poo and http://troutcaviar.blogspot.co.uk/2009_04_01_archive.html
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TIGER



The tiger - more specifically the Siberian tiger - is the largest of all the big cats. It is a heavily muscled, powerful predator that stalks and ambushes large prey, camouflaged by its stripy coat. Unlike other cats, tigers are good swimmers and often cool off in lakes and streams during the heat of the day. Sadly, they have been pushed to the edge of existence through hunting and habitat loss, with three of the nine subspecies already extinct, and the other subspecies at high risk.

Where do tigers live?

We know that tigers are territorial, generally solitary, and require large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey requirements.

However, as they are also indigenous to some of the more densely populated places on earth, wild tiger populations have caused significant conflict with their human neighbours. Because of this, tiger populations - as well that their habitats - have been in decline for decades.

Tigers once ranged widely across Asia, and from Turkey in the west to the eastern coast of Russia. But disastrously, over the past 100 years, they have lost 93% of their historic range, and have been extirpated from southwest and central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia! The main reasons behind their dramatic population decline include habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching by hunters for their body parts and pelts.

Today, they range from the Siberian taiga to open grasslands and tropical mangrove swamps. The extent of area occupied by tigers is now estimated at less than 1,184,911 km2 (457,497 sq mi), a 41% decline from the area estimated in the mid-1990s.

Unfortunately it is now probably far too late to turn back the tide of tiger decline as the world has already lost three sub-species of tiger. However, there is some good news as the remaining six tiger subspecies have now been classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).

The global population in the wild is now estimated to only number between 3,062 to 3,948 individuals, with most of the remaining populations only occurring in small pockets isolated from each other. If circumstances do not change radically over the next few years, then we could be one of the last generations to see tigers in the wild.

What do tigers eat?

To call a tiger a tiger is a little misleading as there are 6 sub-species that make up the tiger family as a whole. The Siberian tiger is the largest living cat in the world, with a grace and beauty to match. Sadly this magnificent creature is becoming an increasingly rare sight in the wild.

The exquisite grace and power of the Bengal tiger evokes both awe and fear. Capable of killing animals over twice its size, it is one of nature’s most feared predators. The South China Tiger, the Indochinese Tiger, the Sumatran Tiger, and the Malayan Tiger make up the rest. Sadly, there were 9 species of tiger previously known but the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers have all become extinct in the past 70 years.

Although scientists no longer classify tigers into subspecies, these names are still commonly used to describe "races" of tigers from different regions.

The Siberian Tiger

Despite the Siberian tiger’s power and acute senses, it has to dedicate a lot of time to hunting. This is because approximately only one in ten of its hunting forays are successful. The Siberian tiger mainly feeds on deer or wild pig, but surprisingly it is also known to eat fish!

Creeping to within 10-25 metres of its victim, the tiger will suddenly pounce and grab the prey by the back of its neck with its feet still planted firmly on the ground.

Small prey are killed by this bite to the neck, but larger prey are brought to the ground before being killed by a suffocating bite to the throat.

What do the other subspecies eat?

The rest of the sub-species tigers hunt by stealth at night. Although powerful and fast over short distances, they cannot outrun fleet footed prey like deer.

A tiger will attack its prey from the side or the rear. Like the Siberian tiger, it will kill small prey with a bite to the back of the neck, and larger prey by a suffocating bite to the throat.

Game is the tigers favourite food. They will hunt wild ox and buffalo. An adult male ox can weigh 900kg which is twice the weight of an average tiger. Although it is clearly capable of taking down such a beast, more often than not the tiger will attack young or old animals as they will put up less of a resistance.

In certain areas, the tigers prey is chital deer, wild boar, monkeys and lizards. Tigers will sometimes even attack porcupines. However, this can be very dangerous. Why? Because if any of the sharp quills become lodged in the face, eyes or paws they can cause infections which in extreme cases can result in death!

Special adaptations

The Siberian tigers winter coat lacks the rich red stripes of the tigers that live in warmer climates, but its white coat helps to hide it in its snow covered habitat. Because of the extremely low temperatures that Siberian tigers have to survive, it can grow a longer and thicker coat compared to other tiger sub-species. It is also unique amongst its relatives because it develops a layer of fat, sometimes 5cm thick, on its flanks and belly which helps to insulate it against the freezing winds crippling temperatures.

Tiger facts

1. Over the past 100 years, tigers have lost 3 subspecies to extinction and 93% of their historic range. and are now locally extinct from southwest and central Asia, from the islands of Java and Bali, and from large areas of Southeast and Eastern Asia.


2. A tiger's stripes are like a human fingerprint, no two tigers have the same pattern.


3. Driven by its need for meat, a tiger can kill the equivalent of 30 buffaloes a year.


4. A tigers roar can carry for over 2km at night.


5. The largest cat in the world is the Siberian tiger, weighing over 100kg more than the Bengal tiger.


6. Tigers purr. Domestic cats purr on the in-breath and the out-breath while tigers purr only on the out breath.


7. Unlike most other cats, tigers often eat meat that has begun to putrefy.
About half of all tiger cubs die before they reach maturity.


8. After running down and catching its prey, the tiger always starts feeding from the rump first.


9. Tigers are so strong that they are capable of dragging prey that is so heavy that it would take several grown men to move.


10. Legend has it that tigers can attract deer by mimicking their calls. Unfortunately, this is not true. In fact, any deer sounds that tigers utter are now believed to be completely incidental.


11. A healthy diet for the tiger consists of 7-10 kg of meat a day. In fact, a Siberian tiger is capable of eating up to 50kg in a single sitting! A skill worth having when you need to sustain your self in a climate that can be as cold as - 45 degrees Celsius.


12. The heaviest Siberian tiger on record weighed in at an incredible 385kg.
To deter intruders, all tigers mark their territory with strong smelling urine and secretions which serve as a warning to other tigers nearby. Shredding the bark of trees is another way to mark territory.


13. Tigers usually cover their faeces with earth. They will also drag the remains of a kill to a thicket and loosely bury it with leaves, then return to it later

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Photos care of http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/28/siberia-tiger-pakistan-sharif and http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soubor:Tiger_chasing_a_deer_cropped.jpg and http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/tigers/about_tigers/tiger_habitat/ and http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/extinction-countdown/2011/09/30/south-china-tiger-conservation-program-mourns-big-cat-lost-in-tragic-fight/
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LION FACTS



The lion is the largest and most powerful of all the African big cats. In fact as world ranking goes, there is only one species of cat larger – the tiger.

Known as the 'King of the Jungle', the lion has been steeped in mythology throughout mans history. And while myths about lions will vary depending on where in the world you are - the facts about lions remain the same.

Lion facts

1.There may be one species of lion but did you know that it was believed that there were up to 12 subspecies of lion? Unfortunately, some of these subspecies are now extinct and others have been discounted for being too similar. So today we are left with 8 - for now.

 2. Lions have been known to breed with tigers (most often the Siberian and Bengal subspecies) to create hybrids called ligers and tiglons (or tigons). They also have been crossed with leopards to produce leopons and jaguars to produce jaglions. The marozi is reputedly a spotted lion or a naturally occurring leopon, while the Congolese Spotted Lion is a complex lion-jaguar-leopard hybrid called a lijagulep. Such hybrids were once commonly bred in zoos, but this is now discouraged due to the emphasis on conserving species and subspecies. Hybrids are still bred in private menageries and in zoos in China.

 3. The lion is the tallest (at the shoulder) of all living cats, averaging about 14 cm (5.5 in) taller than the tiger. Behind only the tiger, the lion is the second largest living big cat in length and weight.

4. The longest known lion, at nearly 3.6 m (12 ft) in total length, was a black-maned male shot near Mucsso, southern Angola in October 1973; the heaviest lion known in the wild was a man-eater shot in 1936 just outside Hectorspruit in eastern Transvaal, South Africa and weighed 313 kg (690 lb).

5. The mane of the adult male lion, unique among cats, is one of the most distinctive characteristics of the species. It makes the lion appear larger, providing an excellent intimidation display; this aids the lion during confrontations with other lions and with the species' chief competitor in Africa, the spotted hyena.

 6. The white lion is not a distinct subspecies, but a special morph with a genetic condition, leucism that causes paler colouration akin to that of the white tiger; the condition is similar to melanism, which causes black panthers. They are not albinos, having normal pigmentation in the eyes and skin.

7. Lions are the most socially inclined of all wild big cats, most of which remain quite solitary in nature.


8. Lions spend much of their time resting and are inactive for about 20 hours per day.

9. Lionesses do the majority of the hunting for their pride, being smaller, swifter and more agile than the males, and unencumbered by the heavy and conspicuous mane, which causes overheating during exertion.

 10. The Nile crocodile is the only sympatric predator (besides humans) that can singly threaten the lion. Depending on the size of the crocodile and the lion, either can lose kills or carrion to the other. Lions have been known to kill crocodiles venturing onto land, while the reverse is true for lions entering waterways, as evidenced by the occasional lion claw found in crocodile stomachs.

11. Although adult lions have no natural predators, evidence suggests that the majority die violently from humans or other lions. Lions often inflict serious injuries on each other, either members of different prides encountering each other in territorial disputes, or members of the same pride fighting at a kill.


12. Lions have an array of facial expressions and body postures that serve as visual gestures. Their repertoire of vocalizations is also large. Lion sounds include snarling, purring, hissing, coughing, meowing, woofing and roaring. Lions tend to roar in a very characteristic manner, starting with a few deep, long roars that trail off into a series of shorter ones. They most often roar at night; the sound, which can be heard from a distance of 8 kilometres (5.0 mi), is used to advertise the animal's presence. Lions have the loudest roar of any big cat.

 13. Lions were kept and bred by Assyrian kings as early as 850 BC, and Alexander the Great was said to have been presented with tame lions by the Malhi of northern India. Later in Roman times, lions were kept by emperors to take part in the gladiator arenas.


14. The lion will only kill when it is hungry. Prey can usually sense when lions are hunting and grazing animals will often ignore lions at other times – even when they close by.

15. Lion-baiting is a blood sport involving the baiting of lions in combat with other animals - usually dogs. Records of it exist in ancient times through until the seventeenth century. It was finally banned in Vienna by 1800 and England in 1825.

16. Lions were once kept in the Tower of London. However, the presence of lions at the Tower of London was intermittent, being restocked when a monarch or his consort such as Margaret of Anjou the wife of Henry VI - either sought or were given such magnificent  -animals.


Want to learn more about lions? Well why not. To find out more information on these magnificent beasts just keep on reading.

Where do lions live?

Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India. Unfortunately, lion populations disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. A small population was once believed to have survived in remote parts if Iran, but these too are now thought to be extinct.

Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. In fact, they were once found in most of Africa, across Eurasia from Western Europe to India, and in the Americas from the Yukon to Peru.

Unfortunately today, the lion has become a species at risk, having seen a possibly irreversible population decline of thirty to fifty percent over the past two decades in its African range.

This means that lion populations are now next to 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.

Breeding

A lioness will produce a litter of cubs about every two years. Shortly before giving birth, she chooses a suitable site for her lair, which must be sheltered, close to water, out of sight, and safe from potential predators. The cubs are born blind, with a spotted coat. For two months they are completely dependent on their mother’s milk.

At six weeks they begin to accompany their mother to the kill, where they acquire a taste of meat and learn how to hunt. A lion cub cannot tear meat until it has permanent teeth - usually produced once it has reached about one year old, so it continues to rely on its mother for food. Slowly the cubs will master the art of hunting and by 15 months the cubs will be able to catch and kill small prey.

When the cubs reach two years of age, their mother is usually pregnant again and they are forced to leave her. However, some female cubs may be allowed to stay in the pride, but the dominant male will drive out all the male cubs. Less than half the young lion survive their first few weeks alone .

What do Lions eat?

Lionesses usually hunt for the pride which is probably why they are more aggressive by nature. However, the male lion will always take precedence at the kill, dragging the prey in to the shade, then gorging himself before the females and cubs begin to eat.

The male lion usually stays and watches its young while waiting for the lionesses to return from the hunt. Typically, several lionesses work together and encircle the herd from different points. Once they have closed with a herd, they usually target the closest prey.

The attack is short and powerful; they attempt to catch the victim with a fast rush and final leap. The prey usually is killed by strangulation, which can cause cerebral ischemia or asphyxia (which results in hypoxemic, or "general", hypoxia). The prey also may be killed by the lion enclosing the animal's mouth and nostrils in its jaws which would also result in asphyxia. Smaller prey, though, may simply be killed by a swipe of a lion's paw.

However, lions are not particularly known for their stamina—for instance, a lioness' heart makes up only 0.57 percent of her body weight (a male's is about 0.45 percent of his body weight), whereas a hyena's heart is close to 1 percent of its body weight. Therefore, they only run fast in short bursts, and need to be close to their prey before starting the attack. They take advantage of factors that reduce visibility; many kills take place near some form of cover or at night. They sneak up to the victim until they reach a distance of around 30 metres (98 ft) or less.

The lions preferred prey are wildebeest and zebra which are slower and easier to catch than small antelopes and gazelles.

When water is scarce, lions will often lie in wait close to a water hole, knowing that its prey will eventually go there to drink.

When prey is scarce, lions will then eat almost anything, including carrion. They may even attack larger prey such as giraffe, buffalo, and hippopotamus. They are have also been known to take on elephants and rhinoceros, but this is rare due to the danger of injury.

Of course, lions will also attack domestic livestock. In India, cattle contribute significantly to their diet. Lions are also quite capable of killing other predators such as leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and wild dogs, though unlike most big cats, they will seldom eat the competitors after killing them.

A lion may gorge itself and eat up to 66 lb in one sitting, and if it is unable to consume all the kill it will rest for a few hours before consuming more. An adult lioness requires an average of about 11 lb of meat per day, while a male needs about 15.5 lb.

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Image care of http://www.deshow.net/animal/wild-lions-645.html and http://www.metrolic.com/roaring-in-the-wild-lions-150877/
Based on an article from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion and http://predatorhaven.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/lions-money-sex-again.html and http://predatorhaven.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/lions-money-sex-again.html and http://animalszooguru.blogspot.co.uk/2010/01/lions-cubs-lions-video-pics-photos.html and http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/184239/20110721/forget-vampires-and-zombies-man-eating-lions-attack-after-full-moon.htm and http://mosaicartsource.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/lions-in-ancient-mosaic-art-cyprus-el-jem-israel-libya-naples-pella-pompeii-sicily-tunis-venice/ and http://modcult.org/tags/lion
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