Serengeti National Park Lions : Serengeti National Park is the spectacular wildlife sanctuary well-known worldwide by any safari goer. It is just located in the northern part of Tanzania and it hosts varieties of very attractive species that turn everyone an animal lover once visits this park. The park is 14, 763 square kilometers. The whole Serengeti Ecosystem stretches from Serengeti in Tanzania to Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya. This park is famous as it is home to the world’s spectacular natural wonder, the Great Migration. The Maasai named it “Siringet” that means “endless plains”. It flat terrain covered with grasses, shrubs, acacia woodlands and kopjes stretches to unknown place making the Maasai to call it as an endless park.
Serengeti is home to various animal species including the Big Five animals namely; African elephants, Cape buffalos, lions, black rhinos and leopards. The park also hosts the varieties of plant species including grassland for the herbivores and also tall trees that favors large and tall animals like elephants and giraffes. Since Serengeti is home to various beautiful animals, birds, events and landscapes, you have to be specific to at least one or two attractions. For instance, you may be interested in viewing the Big Five or being part of the Great Migration. Now, am going to detail to you about the majestic prides of lions in the lions which maybe one of your targeted attractions in Serengeti.
Tanzania is proudly the best home of the Big Cats comprising of lion, (the King of African Savanna), leopard and cheetah (world’s fastest land animal). Tanzania is home to the largest population of lions. It is estimated that 50% of the total population of lions in the world are found in Tanzania. Interestingly, this large population of lions is highly concentrated in Serengeti National Park. There are best times to visit Serengeti which will reward you with much interaction with the Big Cats. These times commence on June to October. During this time the lion prides are usually spotted in the short and long grasslands. Another best time is between January and February. This is the calving season, when wildebeests give birth to about 500, 000 calves in the Southern Serengeti. Lions migrate to this region for easy predation of young wildebeests. Therefore, you should plan the best time to observe these predators in the Serengeti National Park.
Lions are one of the beautiful animals to spot at Serengeti National Park. They are famously known as Kings of the Jungle due to their power for domination, ability and skills of hunting. When you will have a chance to observe them at a close distance, you will remain with unforgettable memory. Wondrously, Serengeti National Park is the one of the conserved area with an estimated population of more than 3000 Lions. The lions at Serengeti National Park are somehow easy to spot as they live in variety of habitats including grasslands, dense shrubs and open woodlands. Their favorite activity which they do in most time within a day is snoozing under a tree.
Lions are very social animals. They live in groups called pride. These 3000 lions in Serengeti are divided into 300 prides. Each pride consists of at least of 22 lions depending on how much food and water is available. Few lion prides reach a special status called Super Pride. This situation of forming super Pride is almost occurs at night condition. On the case of hunting moment female lions (lionesses) are more hunters compared to males lions. Therefore, plentiful preys are a great favor to strong pride males.
You may have a mind question to why do lions lives in social by forming groups? Lions stay social forming groups in order to win and defend the best territories as well as expanding those territories. Then, this behavior is passed to their offspring for better adaptation throughout all areas they dominates. Lions live in group to protect their cubs from other dangerous predators such as hyenas, leopards, and male lions of other prides trying to take over a pride.
Lions of the Serengeti unlike others predators have more skills for hunting. They feed on fresh meat obtained by killing zebras, antelopes and wildebeests. They also hunt other preys which no other predators can kill at all. Such preys are like buffalos, giraffes and warthogs. During hunting moment lion can able to hunt alone or even with group. Lions have a very short lifespan to spend within wild. For instance, those that are stronger like an adult male lion might reach the advanced age of 12 years in the wild. Adult females have more chance to survive and can live to even 19 years long. They have lower life expectancy at birth, since most of them die when they have 2 years or below that. The cause of that mortality is sometime due to aggressive behavior of other lions, especially male lions. Sometimes, the death of adult lions results from conflicts with the humans who living close to the parks. The tendency of lions to get near human settlements and kill cattle may lead to death of such lion. However, the world’s famous tribe, the Maasai which had spent their lives in the African jungle can fight lions with their locally made weapons.
The Tanzania National Park Authority (TANAPA) is the body in charge of protecting wildlife in all parks. They have played a great for their great protection for this lions. They provide education to citizens who living just near the park to manage their areas. They do all these to ensure that the generation of lion prides never be endangered. And this is the reason Tanzania remains to be host of largest population lions in the world. Some lions have been transferred to other parks for preservation. For instance, about 36 Lions were taken and being transferred to Burigi Chato National Park located in the Western Circuit in the shore Lake Victoria.
Among of the funniest moments I can advise you to experience and understand, is that lions are the only cats that stay in groups for their cooperation. A lion roar can be heard up to 8 kilometers far away. The lion’s roar marks a limit of their territories. They also make a scent mark by using their wee in order to; protect their borders and to know easily when the preys are within their territories so they can catch and feed on them. Another thing to understand is that female lions are the main hunters while males protecting the prides territory, young and cubs.
Lions have no specific time for breeding. They do so especially after a pride take over. Male lions are sexually matured at 2 age to 3 age, but they have right to breed at the age of 4 aged old and 5 age when they are large enough to take over a pride. Male lion is able to mate up to a 100 times per day and this process lasts within 17 minutes only per each mate. It does this for a round of 4 days to 5 days, depending on the female’s estrus cycle. Females become sexually matured and have right to breed until they have 15 years old. Though at the age of 11 years old they can mate but their maturity is not enough to respond the pride mechanism of the estrus. Pregnancy lasts for about 100 to 120 days. In Serengeti National Park lions give birth at a range from March to July. After birth, the new ones are now called cubs. A single female can able to give birth to between one up to four cubs.
Serengeti National Park has a lot to offer to every visitor who dares to step into its “endless plains”. Lions are just a fraction of the total wildlife residing this spectacular national park. If you are interested at discovering various attractions and spectacular moments, planning a Tanzania safari Tour is an inevitable.
