Lion

Description

The lion is the larger second Félidé, after the the tiger, and thus largest carnivorous of Africa. A male makes 170 to 250 centimetres length (except tail), a size (with the shoulder) of approximately 120 centimetres and a tail of on average 100 centimetres. The males reach a body mass ranging between 150 and 225 kilograms at the adulthood. The adult females have, as for them, a body length from 140 to 175 centimetres (except tail), a size (with the garot) of approximately 100 centimetres, a tail measuring 85 centimetres, more fine that of the males and weigh between 120 and 150 kilograms: they make on average 60% of the size of a male. On average the lions have a size (with the shoulder) more important than that of the tigers, but are less long. The largest lions live in the south of the Africa, smallest in Asia. In the zoos and circuses, unquestionable male captive can reach, by an important food, a mass higher than 300 kilograms (the world records held by a Lion of Transvaal are 312 kg). The lions of the National park of Serengeti in Tanzania tend to be smaller than the average.

The lions have eyes amber or yellows and a black truffle. Their ears, black with the reverse, are round and carry a white spot. They have retractile claws which are protected by sleeves from flesh. Their canines can reach six centimetres length. Their language is covered with papillae bent corneas enabling them to seize food, but also to get rid of the parasites.

Their short Pelage is of color sands, yellow-but even ocher dark. The interior face of the legs is increasingly clearer, just like the belly, tawed in the male, almost white in the female. The young lion cubs have dark spots on the whole of the body, but which disappears already during the first year. In very rare cases, these spots remain still visible with the adulthood, but remain unimportant, being visible only of near.

Mane

The males have long a Crinière, generally brown dark, but also in certain cases, black, brown clearly or fawn-coloured. This mane appears towards the 3 years age and extends from the cheeks until - above shoulders, sometimes also on the belly and the chest. The shape and the color of the males can vary not only between the individuals, but also at the same individual during his life according to his physical constitution.

A mane long and sunk, in particular, is an indicator of a good constitution and a great force of combat, because the hormonal statute and the nutrition have consequences on the thickness like over the length of the mane. Experimental examinations with manes empaillées showed that the females react positively to the models with a mane long and sinks, whereas the males avoid the models with the manes marked. The explanation (according to the sexual Sélection) is that a mane dark and thick constitutes a handicap, because it collects and stores the heat. The males thus handicapped, but nevertheless “surviving”, thus prove to be the carriers better genes. That is proven by the fact that an animal weakened in one way or another presents a mane clearer and less important (of the changes of aspect of the mane were observed at the same individual during time).

In practice, the mane could be a protection against the blows of claws at the time of engagements with rival males.

In addition, last research also proved that the temperature has also an important effect over the length of the mane, and the males of colder areas, even independently of their subspecies, form an alive mane more important than those in very hot areas. Thus the male individuals of the zoos of areas to the more continental climate generally form a mane much more important than that the their congeneric ones remained in hotter countries.

In the lions of Asia, like certain specimens of West Africa (with the park of Pendjari to the Benign , for example), the mane is clearly less marked than in their cousins of Africa, the hairs have the characteristic to be also finer. The young males do not have any at all; it is necessary nearly five years so that they have a mane complete.

Musculature

The lions have an imposing and very developed musculature. Their body is lengthened and squat on thick muscular legs. Those make it possible to put at ground preys being able to make several times their own size. Their jaw powerful is able to tear the thick skin of the preys (such as the gnou S), and is enough powerful to hold hung on a prey which would seek to make fall the predator from its back. The muscles of the legs are also able to inflict serious damage. A great blow of leg of a lion is enough powerful to cause the rupture of the internal bodies and to even break bones.

Case of the white lions

Geographical distribution and habitat

Formerly, the lion was to have the most spread out geographical distribution of all the terrestrial mammals. The lion of America ( Panthera leo atrox ) was present of Peru at Alaska during all the higher Pléistocène, while cousins occupied Siberia and the Central Europe, and others still were distributed between India and South Africa. The extent of the distribution lost however of its importance at the end of the era of glaciation.

The distribution of the lion at the historical times, more restricted, however was important. It covered most of the Africa, but also the Europe of the South as well as the the Middle East and the India. Until the Antiquity, lions still lived in the Balkans, the south of the Europe ( Panthera leo europaea ) like in Anatolia or in the Middle East, and of many authors who were contemporary for them submit a report of it (Hérodote, Aristote or the Bible, inter alia). It is supposed that in Europe, the lion disappeared because of man with.

Today, its diffusion is largely limited to the sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, the extreme south of Africa does not count any more lions since the Années 1860, time of the extinction of the lion of the Cape ( Panthera leo melanochaita ). In North Africa, the lion of the Atlas ( Panthera leo leo ) died out in the Années 1920. And in the same way, the populations of lions of Asia ( Panthera leo persica ) in quasi-integrality disappeared at the 20th century. A last group of survivors however took refuge in the National park of the forest of Gir in the state of Gujarat, in India where there remain only approximately 300 specimens. The significant populations of African lions are localized in the national parks of the Kenya, of Tanzania and of South Africa and is done rare apart from the protected areas. Classified like “vulnerable” by the International union for the nature conservation (UICN), the lion is exposed at the risk of extinction.

The lions have a great capacity of adaptation and many different habitats. The preferred natural habitat of the lion is the Savane, but it also appears in the dry forests and the half-deserts. One never finds it however in the dense and wet forests or the arid deserts. Consequently, the species naturally misses in the wet tropical forests Central African and the driest deserts of Middle East and North Africa. Designations “king of the desert” and “king of the jungle” are thus, actually, false.

Lifestyle

Social behavior

Contrary to the other deer, rather solitary, the lions live in troops, which are permanent social units, made up of females connected between them, not-related males to the females and their offspring. The dimension of the territory and the number of preys determine the dimension of the group which varies from 3 to 30 individuals. There is usually in the group one to seven adult males and from one to eighteen females. The territory of a troop covers 20 to 500 km ². In the National park of Serengeti in Tanzania, the density of the lions can reach an individual by km ². In the old crater of Ngorongoro, the maximum number individuals is from 1,6 to 2,4 to the km ². The borders of their territory are delimited by their droppings and their urine, which are a “claim” of the owners and indicate that there is defense to penetrate in the zone. They also scrape the ground with their legs before and back, depositing on the ground a substance secreted by glands located in their Coussinet S.

The young males remain approximately two to three years in the group, until they reached their sexual maturity. They are then driven out. The females on the other hand generally pass all their life in the group of birth and reproduce there. This makes it possible to avoid consanguinity.

When the young males were driven out group by their fathers, they become wandering and form a “coalition together”, sometimes joined by other young males. The bond between the males is very strong. The young males traverse very important distances together, do not respect the borders of the territories, but do not found their own territory. Since the males have very little success to hunting, compared to the females, the young nomads nourishes especially Charogne S.

Such coalitions of young males will try to take the head of a troop by évinçant the males resident of the troop. However, that is not always a success. Such fights are generally bloody, and it is not rare that they are completed mortally. If the old males of the group lose the fight, they are driven out and lead then a life as recluses. Often, they die of the consequences of their wounds. If the newcomers gain, they frequently come to the Infanticide, i.e. they kill small their predecessors. This behavior authorizes the females to find, after one brief moment, a œstrus because the nursing females do not have any. The males can thus couple themselves earlier and ensure their own descent. This behavior is adaptive: indeed, the competition is hard between the coalitions of males and from young males will come soon to test to them détrôner to take in their turn the head of the group. The males thus do not have time to lose and they must hold with the head of the group until the lion cubs are enough tall to be saved. The males remain seldom more than three or four years with the head of the group, and thus do not have time to wait until the ranges of the predecessors became adult to reproduce. It frequently happens that the females attack the male assassin.

In general, the lions do not practice complete mutual toilets, only the back of the nose is cleaned; but at the time of coarse stains, such as for example by the blood of the preys, it can happen that a member carries out care of fur.

Communication

The lions communicate between them by many means. They are social animals, we saw it, and of this fact the communication is more important for them than for the other cat-like ones and is developed thus. Their voice communication is composed of growls, grondements, whistles, moanings, mewings, and of famous howling. Their Os hyoïde is only partially ossified, it is this provision which enables them to howl, but so they are not able to hum strictly speaking; but they do it, like others Fauve S, by expiry. It is heard it when two lions act one on the other on a friendly basis. The purring does not resound like that of a kitten, but rather like a growl or a serious whirr. Howling has various significances, according to the situation in which it is employed. To howl is employed to delimit the territory, to call the other members of the group, to intimidate the rivals and to reinforce the “family” bond between the members of the group. Howlings of the male are stronger and deeper than those of the female. By a powerful expiry, the lions howl, returning their sides and inflating the chest, often in a bottom grondement starting with some low growls and moanings, which indicate to other lions that a group lives in the sector, and to remain apart from the territory. By one night clear, it can be heard up to eight kilometers of distance. A strong furtive howling is often heard at the time of a combat between two individuals. The females employ a low growl to call their small.

The body language is of equal importance. All the lions seem to us more or less identical and it is very often difficult to differentiate two lions and more particularly two lionesses. The lions have the same problem as us. So it is important that the lions have an air of confidence by greeting other members of the group. If a member shows the least apprehension by greeting another lion, then this last can feel threatened, think that this lion is a foreigner and to attack it. The lions have a complex ceremonial of greeting during which they groan gently one and the other, balance the head laterally and keep the tail raised upwards, and even posed on the back of the other lion. Like some other cats, the lions knock the head while greeting themselves. The licking of the head, the shoulders and the neck is also a sign of affection. The lions, just like of other wildcats, have the black ears with large white circles on their back. These large white circles make it possible to indicate mood: when they are annoyed, the lions and other carnivores flat extend their ears against their head. It is difficult to say if cat-like is annoyed remotely, but if you see the white circles flickering, you can know remotely that this last is furious and that it is not to better approach some. That makes it possible to avoid many engagements. If a lioness agrees to reproduce, they will be coupled every 15 minutes and this, on average 40 times the day (but that can go until more than 100 times), in which case each report/ratio lasts approximately 30 seconds, until the œstrus of the female is finished, approximately five days later.

After a Gestation of approximately four months, the lioness, hidden far from the group, puts at the world one to four small blind lion cubs of approximately 1,5 height kg and 50 cm. During six to eight weeks, they will only be nursed by the mother in the hiding place by her four glands mammaires. If the latter is rather far away from the group, the mother will only go to hunting. It can happen that the small ones remain up to 48 hours alone in the hiding place. That is very dangerous, particularly because of the Hyène S and good of other predatory. After maximum eight weeks, the lioness brings its small in the group and they mingle with other lion cubs. There are seldom problems of acceptance.

As from this moment, the young lions tètent not only their mother, but also the other lionesses, so that education falls on all the females of the group. Towards the six months age, the lion cubs are separated, they remain still approximately two years near their mother.

The lifespan of a lion rises from fourteen to twenty years. However only the females reach such an age. The males are generally killed by a younger competitor or, after a long wandering, do not find any more a group and die of hunger. They thus reach most of the time seven to twelve years. Some lions however lived in Zoological gardens until the 34 years age.

Certain observers reported that two males or females could also interact between them and show signs of homosexuality. In nature, approximately 8% of the sexual relations are done between males, while the activities between females are observable only in captivity.

Food

Relation with the man

The man and hunting for the lion

As a long time as the lions will not have their historian, the accounts of hunting will always turn to the glory of the hunter.

Since the Antiquité the man drives out the lion. It is besides, when the animal is adult, its only predator (the lion cubs left only can be the prey of the leopard S, the Hyène S or even of foreign lions to the group). The man drives out the lion to ensure the safety of his herds, to protect himself, but also like proof of a sign external of valiancy or even for the spectacles which the Roman plays constituted. Consequently, huntings and beaten made disappear good number of subspecies. The invention of the firearm and “sporting hunting”, will accelerate the process, at the rate/rhythm of the disappearance of the other large mammals, the Big five .

In East Africa, as of the Years 1900, of the protection measures, which consisted of the creation of Hunting preserve like the National park of Kilimandjaro and with a prohibition to drive out in these zones, were taken. Right to kill buying itself, the cost limiting the catches by a kind of bidding calculated on the last requests. Ritual huntings also continue and it is not rare to see mutilated lions. Practiced ritual huntings end in the sale of the trophies, binding this practice to economic interests. The Kenya Wildlife Service reports that between 1999 and 2003,49 lions were killed by the Masaï. The populations of lion continued to fall so that in the Années 2000, this method of management of fauna was called into question. Indeed, the total population of the African lions passes from 50.000 specimens to 15.000 (in the worst case) during the Années 1990. Hunting, the poaching and the reduction in the wild surfaces make the species vulnerable so that new protection measures should have been taken. The lions of circuses, those intended for the Taming and the zoos are not taken any more in nature. Traditional hunting and the poaching are fought. Sporting hunting for the Botswana is prohibited in February 2001 by the service of management of local fauna although, with 53 trophies entered in 2000, hunting brought back 5 million dollars to the industry of hunting and 100.000 dollars with the cases of the State. The office of the management of fauna Zambia even did not take a measure of prohibition to him the same year. A law would aim at prohibiting this practice.

In Asia, the lion practically disappeared since the medium from the 19th century in a wild state, as much by hunting that by the reduction of its habitat.

Consequence of the reduction of the habitat

The diseases represent another problem, especially in the National park Kruger in South Africa. Since in 1995, a first fatality of Tuberculose appeared in the lions, of the thorough studies were carried out in the park. According to the assessment, the rate of contamination of the animals of the southern sector of the park by the bacteria mortals rose with more than 90%. The infection came from the Buffle S driven out by the lions which, by contact with domestic bovines, introduced the disease into the park and contaminated the lions. Approximately 70 % of the bovines suffer from a pulmonary tuberculosis (Phtisie), while in the lions, the disease appears especially in the digestive system. The animals become weaker, lose enormously and die in a few years. Beside tuberculosis, there exists one second very frequent disease. Approximately 60 with 70 % of the lions of the Kruger park are contaminated by the Virus of the cat-like immunodéficience, which “paralyzes” the Immune system animal and thus opens the way with tuberculosis. Against the two exterminating viruses, there does not exist any vaccination.

In 1994, a third of the lions of the national park of Serengeti died following the contraction of the Maladie of Square, for which they are very vulnerable.

Currently, the populations of lion are very concentrated because contained in parks or reserves, the other zones becoming unsuitable with their survival while becoming arable lands. The genetic loss of diversity involves the appearance of disease as one could observe it in Réserve of Hluhluwe-Umfolozi in South Africa where the 120 lions present in years 2000 go down from 3 lions of the Années 1960. However certain biologists consider at 500 to 1000 adult individuals genetic diversity necessary so that one of their population is regarded as viable, i.e. having the minimum of genetic diversity necessary to survival. Few of these populations correspond to this criterion. In 2007, these populations of lions are however not regarded as populations at risk although aucunes studies on this problem is not carried out. Contrary to other species, no preventive transfer to large scales in order to decrease the risk of loss of genetic inheritance, is carried out. However, to solve specific problems of the reserve of Hluhluwe-Umfolozi, attempts at Artificial insemination were carried out with difficulty to avoid the problems of social integration related to the introduction. It seems that they attack only because their preys become rare. In Tanzania, these attacks took place in the Réserve of Selous, the District of Rufiji and the area of Lindi where the man extends his establishment and where the population of the lions increase thanks to the protection measure had a defect of tooth.

There were some lions which seemed to seek human preys. The history of the trackings and of died of these rare specimens called man-eaters were written by their hunters. John Henry Patterson in 1907 wrote The Man-eaters off Tsavo from which one drew several films like Bwana the devil in 1952 and the Shade and the prey in 1996. The specimen of Mfuwe is also known.

Protection

Roughly: 16500 with: 30000 lions still live in freedom. Another subspecies lived, as for it, in north-Eastern Asia, Béringie (at the level of current the Bering Strait), called lion of Eastern Siberia and Béringie ( Panthera leo vereshchagini ). In Central Europe, Asia of North and in America, the lions were, until the end of the Pléistocène, a frequent species of local fauna, but disappeared at the end from the last period from glaciation.

Subspecies

One counts approximately twenty Sous-espèce S of lions, from including seven disappeared. Each subspecies has different characteristics, those of the African lions are in general similar.

“Modern” subspecies

the Lion of Asia ( Panthera leo persica ) is very similar to the African lion. According to biomolecular research, it separated there is: 50000 with: 100000 years of his/her African cousin. He has a mane less important and a fold in the middle of the belly. For that it is still necessary to add a pilosity much more important to the level of the elbow. The Asian lion is in general smaller than African. An adult male has a body mass ranging between 160 and 190 kilograms, a female between 110 and 120 kilograms. It formerly extended on the unit from the Indian Sous-continent. The size of the group is on average less important than that of its African counterpart. Among its favorite preys, we can quote the Cerf axis, the Sambar, the Sanglier, the Antilope Nilgaut, the Indian Gazelle and the Antilope tétracère. At the beginning of the 20th century, the subspecies seemed intended to disappear: there was not then more but one score of individuals. The forest of Gir and its neighborhoods were then declared “protected” and in 1965 was created the National park of the forest of Gir; the population could again increase with height of 300 animals, which however are threatened by a territory well too small (250 km ²) and by a strong crossing of related animals (Consanguinité), which led to the loss of the genetic Diversité of these lions.

the Lion of the Atlas ( Panthera leo leo ), still called lion of Cruelty lived in North Africa and had a mane obviously particularly important. Excessive hunting led in 1922 to died of the last specimen of this subspecies in freedom which thrived hitherto in the massive of the Atlas. Certain zoological gardens, like that of Amnéville, cross lions which still indeed have in them blood of this disappeared subspecies. The Moroccan ministry charged with water and the forests announced in 2000 to want to reintroduce the species on ten years (the total extinction being envisaged in a score of years) in an protected area of a surface: 10000 hectares; end 2006, it still does not have there new information on the subject: it seems that the idea was abandoned.

the Lion of the Cape ( Panthera leo melanochaita ) died out in 1865, drove out with excess by the Boers the English and colonists in South Africa. It was formerly present in all the south of Africa and formed the most important subspecies.

the Lion of Congo ( Panthera leo hollisteri ) still exists in Democratic republic of Congo, in Zambia, with the Botswana and the Malawi.

the Lion of Europe ( Panthera leo europaea ) extended during the Antiquité until the south from the Western Europe as with the Moyen and the Middle East. One often compares it (wrongly) to the lion of Asia.

the Lion of Katanga ( Panthera leo bleyenberghi ) still exists with the Katanga, in the Democratic republic of Congo, in Angola and with the Congo.

the Lion of Massaïs ( Panthera leo massaicus ) is distributed between the Ethiopia, the Kenya, the Tanzania and until the Mozambique.

the Lion of the North-East of Congo ( Panthera leo azandica ) present at the north of the Democratic republic of Congo, at the Chad, in Central Africa, at the Niger and the Cameroun.

the Lion of Senegal ( Panthera leo senegalensis ), very threatened, extends on the western from Africa from the Senegal to the Nigeria.

the Lion of Somalia ( Panthera leo someliensis ) exists in Somalia and in part of the Djibouti.

the Lion of Transvaal ( Panthera leo krugeri ) of South Africa does not exist practically any more but with the National park Kruger. There still exist some rare specimens with the Lesotho and the Swaziland.

Subspecies “of the caves”

The lions of the caves are all today extinct. They lived in Eurasia and America. One can just like suppose that they had a tuft of black hairs at the end of their tail, the modern lions. It is thought that, contrary to the current lions, they only drove out or in couple. That was proven by the lions of Rancho Brea, in California, where the young people had teeth more used than the young modern lions. They could live caves or in faults during the winter, by hiding the opening by branches and dry grass to protect itself from the cold, like the tigers of Siberia, which are adapted to the same climate, do it. The shelter was not necessary any more to the south where the winter was less hard.

the primitive Lion of the caves ( Panthera leo fossilis ) is the lion of the Pléistocène lower and average. It was formerly present in a good part of the Old world.

the Lion of the caves ( Panthera leo spelaea ) is the lion of higher Pleistocene. It was present in whole Europe. The extinction of these animals associated with mediums open with moderate or cold climate is undoubtedly related on a climate change (and possibly to disappearance of the preys they were nourished) rather than with an intensive hunting by the human groups. Discovered at the 19th century, it was first of all brought closer to the modern species of close size, namely the tiger S and the lions. By describing standard cranium of Gailenreuth, Georg August Goldfuss estimated that it was distinct from tax modern. He is regarded today as an independent subspecies, with however sufficient leonine natures justifying his fastening with the species Leo . It is about the direct ancestor of the modern lion.

Hybrids

Lions and imaginary human

Lions in the religion and mythology

The hunters of the Paléolithique superior (Aurignacien) represented already the lion there is more than 30.000 years. the man lion , sculpture of Ivory of Mammoth of almost 30 centimetres in height, representing the body of a surmounted man of a head of lion of the caves, counts among the most impressive works of art of this time, but also among oldest of all the history of humanity. Perhaps she incarnated a divinity.

In many cultures, the lion endorsed the statute of “king of the animals”. This name goes back to the Physiologos , ancient Bestiaire, treating in particular symbolic system of the animals, which largely influenced the Occidental culture, in which the lion blows in naseaux of three lion cubs still-born children which ressuscitent three days afterwards.

The fascination of the men for this animal is visible in the multiplicity of escutcheons on which it is illustrated, so much so that a proverb affirmed: “which does not have blazon carries a lion”. Thus, it is found, inter alia, on the escutcheons of Bohemia, Zurich, Lyon; but although he is regarded as the “king of the animals”, he is without authority on the birds. It is this antagonism between the eagle, lord of the skies and symbol of the imperial capacity, and the lion which will justify the choice to make be reproduced the animal on armorial bearings. That it was made known Europeans, goes back to time when it extended around the the Mediterranean. In the Greek Mythology, the lions appear in various functions: The Lion of Némée, represented like a mangeuse animal men with the impenetrable skin, was killed by Héraclès, during its twelve work. In the history of Androclès, one of the fables of Ésope, the hero, an escaped slave, withdraws a spine of the leg of a lion; when later, to punish it of its escape, it was thrown by its Master with the lion to be devoured, the animal recognized it and refused to kill the man.

In many ancient cultures , the lion played an important symbolic system part. In Egypt, the Pharaon S were represented by sphinx, lions with the human head. Most famous of these representations is the Grand Sphinx of Gizeh. Sekhmet was venerated as a goddess, here contrary, with the human body and head of lioness. Moreover, the Egyptian Mythologie also gives a report on the god Dédoun, the “Lord of Nubie”, represented by a lion starting from the Nouvel Egyptian Empire.

In the firmament of the northern Hemisphere, there exist two Constellation S named for this animal: the Lion and the Small Lion, located just above the first. The first, like all the constellations of the Zodiac, car its origins of the ancient Greece. Thus, it was mentioned by Ptolémée in its Almageste and would correspond to the lion of Némée killed by Hercules. An astrological sign is associated with this constellation, also named Lion. The second constellation was introduced well later, at the 17th century.

That the lion has the image of a strong and courageous animal explains by the fact that until there is little, of the men of war were called by its name. Among most recent, the Afghan lord of war , Ahmed Chah Massoud was called by his followers the “lion of Panshir”, the emperor Ethiopia N Hailé Sélassié was made call the “lion conquering of the tribe of Juda”. With contrario, for Richard I {{er}} of England they are neither its force, nor its courage, but its jumps of mood which were worth to him, in France, to be called “Lion-hearted”, in reference to the unpredictability of the animal.

In the tradition judéo - Christian, the lion is a polysemous animal . Sometimes it is the positive substitute, as it is the case of the lion symbolizing the evangelist holy Marc; this last treated in particular the Résurrection in three days of Jesus-Christ; the origins of the choice of the animal are varied: the legend of the Physiologos (also making state of resurrections in three days), vision of Ézéchiel or the Apocalypse of holy Jean. It is also the symbol of the tribe israëlite of Juda. Sometimes the lion has a negative connotation and it is associated with the demon, a passage of the first letter of Pierre referring to Satan which saunters a such lion seeking a prey to devour. At the time Roman, during persecutions, the Christians were thrown to the lions; this connoted them also negatively and was at the origin of expression like “being thrown with the lions”.

The lion seen by arts

The lion is a recurring figure in literature; Jean of the Fountain, imitating Ésope, did of them in several of its fables one of the main characters (in particular the lion and the rat where cat-like the, impetuous one, is opposed to the rodent, small, weak but patient). Joseph Kessel, in 1958, in made a novel: the Lion , telling the history of the girl of a director of natural park in Africa which is dependant of friendship with King, a lion of the reserve and which sees itself requiring in marriage by a Masaï warrior; this last, to conquer its heart, wants to show him its value by killing a lion which is King being. C.S. Lewis in her saga of the Monde of Narnia uses the symbol of the lion, “king of the animals”, through Aslan, god alive combatant the evil, being sacrificed for the safety of its people and ressuscitant shortly after.

The lion is also described like a threat for the man such as for example in The Man-eaters off Tsavo of John Henry Patterson in 1907 and from which one drew several films like Bwana the devil in 1952 and the Shade and the prey in 1996. In this direction, it can be only symbolic system as in the Tartarin de Tarascon of Alphonse Daudet.

The lion is also often represented by the representational arts: in sculpture the Lion of Belfort is a famous example; in painting, whose fabric of Albrecht Dürer is an illustration. In the cinema with, inter alia, cartoon film to success of the Studios Disney: the King Lion .

Commercial use of its image

The figure of the lion is used by many marks, not only for the symbol considered positive, but also by recovery. For example, the mark Peugeot uses as symbol the armorial bearings of Sochaux since 1847. This heraldic lion is deposited as a logo since 1858. Several banks also use the positive symbolic system related to the lion. The banking group ING also uses a logo under which contains a lion, this time, orange. The Crédit Lyonnais, by analogy homophonic, uses in a recurring way, a fawn-coloured color in these publications and of the effigies of lion.

Appendices

Lion (symbolic system)
Lion (heraldic) and Armorial with the lion
Lion (constellation)
Lion (astrology)
National park of Gir Forest
Lion of Némée
Lion of Belfort
Lions of Cairo
Lion of Gold

Sources

Documentary

James Algar (réal.), The African Lion , Walt Disney, the United States, 1955,75 minutes

Random links:

Merry Odette | Wencheng (princess) | Henri Crolla | Pete Patterson | Chang (film)