Mammals

It makes its home in a great tangle of fallen trees and shrubs. When

it kills smaller animals it devours them right away. But when it comes to

larger prey, like deer and wild goats, the leopard drags the animal home to

save for several meals.

Don't be scared. The teeth of this snarling leopard won't hurt you.

On the contrary. It's the snow leopard that should be afraid. Its

relatives in the wild are in constant danger from poachers who want to

shoot them for their pelts and teeth.

Even though shooting leopards is illegal, it's considered "good

business." That's because some people still wear leopard fur coats, and

others believe that leopard teeth earrings and necklaces have special

powers.

SNOW LEOPARD: COLD WEATHER CAT

The shy, nocturnal and virtually unknown Snow Leopard is classified

with the big cats, but shares some small cat characteristics, for example

it doesn't roar and it feeds in a crouched position.

The Snow leopard has to contend with extremes of climate and its coat

varies from fine in summer to thick in winter. The surfaces of its paws are

covered by a cushion of hair, which increases the surface area, thus

distributing the animal's with more evenly over soft snow and protecting

its soles from the cold.

Snow leopards are solitary except during the breeding season, (January

to May), when male and female hunt together, or when a female has young.

One to four young are born in spring or early summer in a well-concealed

den lined with the mother's fur. Initially, the spots are completely black.

The young open their eyes at 7-9 days, are quite active by two months, and

remain with their mother through their first winter

Snow leopards are extremely rare in many parts of their range due to

the demand for their skins by the fur trade. Although in many countries it

is now illegal to use these furs, the trade continues and the species

remains under threat.

SNOW LEOPARD

They live in the snow-covered mountain peaks of Central Asia. How

high do these Asian Mountains rise? They reach 20,000 feet in altitude.

The snow leopard's long, thick fur keeps it warm even in the frosty

air, and its creamy white and gray color camouflages it in the snow.

Because humans are fond of turning its beautiful coat into coats for

themselves, the species is on the brink of extinction.

HYENS

SPOTTED HYENA

This hyena is also known as the "laughing" hyena. Sometimes a hyena

lets out a cry that resembles a wild human cackle.

Did you know that a hyena can gorge up to 33 pounds of meat extremely

fast? It needs to eat fast because as many as 50 other hungry hyenas may

be next to it, noisily feeding on the same piece of meat. Scientists have

seen 38 hyenas devour a zebra in 15 minutes, leaving only a few scraps

behind.

The hyena is famous for eating animal parts that other meat-eaters

won't touch. You might even see it stamping and biting on an ostrich egg,

trying to eat it. After devouring everything in sight, the hyena spits out

the horns, hooves, and bone pieces, ligaments and hair. If there are

leftovers, it buries the meat in a muddy pool. The hyena's good memory

leads it back to the hidden food when it's hungry again.

The spotted hyena hunts at night. Hyenas were once thought to be just

scavengers (animals that eat the meat left behind by predators). But now we

know that they're very good at finding their own food, too.

Hunting together in large packs, hyenas have a very effective way of

catching their favorite food. One hyena scares a herd of wildebeest, looks

for the weakest member of the herd, and then begins a chase. The other

hyenas join in the attack, and a wildebeest feast is soon ready.

If you've ever heard the expression "laughing hyena" and wondered

where it came from, it was inspired by the strange, laughter-like sound

hyenas make when they're being attacked or chased.

EATING HABITS

True hyenas have thickset muzzles with large ears and eyes, powerful

jaws and big cheek teeth to deal with a carnivorous diet. They walk on four-

toed feet with five asymmetrical pads and nonretractile claws. The tail is

long and bushy (less so in the spotted hyena). Spotted hyenas will eat

almost anything, but in the wild much of their food comes from mammals

heavier than 44 lb. which they mostly kill for themselves. The frequency of

hunting depends on the availability of carrion; spotted hyenas will loot

the kills of other carnivores, including lions. Group feeding is often

noisy, but rarely involves serious fighting. Instead, each hyena gorges

extremely rapidly on up to 33 lb. of flesh. Pieces of a carcass may be

carried away to be consumed at leisure or, occasionally, stored underwater.

It seems that the success of spotted hyenas is ensured through

individual and cooperative hunting and sharing of food between adults.

Cooperation also extends to communal marking and defense of the territory,

in which both sexes play a similar role, whether or not they are related.

Competition within the clan can, however, be intense. The system of

communication shows adaptations, which reduce aggression and coordinate

group activities. Such competition probably provided the selection pressure

whereby females evolved their large size and dominant position, which in

turn relates also to levels of testosterone in the blood that are

indistinguishable from those of the male. Thus female spotted hyenas are

able to feed a small number of offspring alone and protect them from the

more serious consequences of interference by other hyenas, particularly

unrelated males.

WHY THEY LAUGH

Hyenas are often called "solitary," a label which obscures the fact

that their social systems are among the most complex known for mammals.

Spotted hyenas employ elaborate meeting ceremonies and efficient long-range

communication by scent and sound. Even when moving alone, spotted hyenas

maintain some direct contact with their fellows. They respond to sounds,

which are only audible to humans with the aid of an amplifier and

headphones.

Calls audible to the unaided human ear include whoops, fast whoops,

yells and a kind of demented cackle that gives this species its alternative

name of laughing hyena. Whoop calls, in particular, are well-suited to long-

range communication as they carry over several kilometers; each call is

repeated a number of times, which helps the listener to locate the caller,

and each hyena has a distinctive voice. Infant hyenas will answer the pre-

recorded whoops of their mothers, but not those of other clan hyenas.

LIONS

AFRICAN LION: FAMILY CATS

Lions are among the most admired animals on earth. Their strength and

beauty, combined with their bold nature, have fascinated people for ages.

In fact, the lion has often been called the "king of the beasts." And when

you see a big male lion, with its magnificent main and proud walk, it's

easy to understand why. Lions really do look like kings.

But lions don't always lead the easy lives of kings. They often need

to work hard to survive. Lions are meat eaters, or carnivores, so they must

hunt other animals for food. And sometimes prey is hard to find. When food

is scarce, a lion may go for days without eating.

Lions are members of the big cat family, which includes tigers,

leopards, and jaguars. The main difference between the big cats and all

other cats is that generally big cats can roar but cannot purr. Other cats

can purr but cannot roar.

The lion is one of the biggest cats in the world. Only the Siberian

tiger is larger. A male lion may be 9 to 10 feet long (3 meters) and can

weigh 500 pounds (227 kilograms) or more. Female lions are smaller. The

average female is 7 to 8 feet long (2 l/2 meters) and weighs 270 to 350

pounds (140 kilograms).

Lions are different from most other cats in that they live in groups

called prides. They hunt together, guard their territory together, and

raise their young together. Lions that live in groups can catch more food

than a single lion can. And they can protect themselves better. Also, lions

that are born into groups have a large family to care for them.

There are two different kinds, or subspecies, of lions: the African

and the Asiatic. Most of the lions in the world today are African lions.

These animals live on the grassy plains of Africa. The few Asiatic lions

that remain live on a small wildlife preserve in India. There were once

many other kinds of lions in the world but all of these are now extinct.

Lions sometimes climb high up into trees to rest on their branches and

escape the biting insects below.

The body of a lion is made for catching prey. Most of the time, lions

try to get very close to their prey before they attack it. Then they make a

big leap and grab the prey. To help them get close without being seen,

lions have golden-brown coats that blend in with the land around them. And

to help them leap, they have strong muscles in their legs. A lion can leap

35 feet (10.5 meters) through the air in a single jump.

Lions do most of their hunting at night, so they have wonderful

hearing and eyesight to help them find prey in the dark. Their hearing is

so sharp, they can hear prey that is more than a mile away. Lions can turn

their ears from side to side to catch sounds coming from almost any

direction. When a lion is moving through tall grass, it may not always be

able to see its prey -- but it can always hear it. The eyes of lions are

the biggest of any meat-eating animal. Like the eyes of other cats, they

are specially made for seeing at night.

Lions often work together when they hunt. By doing this, they increase

their chances of getting food. A lion that hunts alone may have a hard time

catching prey.

Most of the hunting is done by a team of females. They divide the job

among them, with each female doing part of the work to catch the prey. Some

of the females scare prey animals and make them run -- while other females

lie in ambush to grab the fleeing animals.

The extra strength of a male is sometimes needed to bring down larger

animals, like wildebeest or buffalo. And larger animals are the best prey,

because they provide more meat.

No matter how good a lion is at hunting, it misses more prey than it

catches. Sometimes lions will go for days without eating. If lions can't

find enough of their regular prey, they will eat smaller animals like hares

and tortoises -- and even porcupines.

When they can, lions get their food by taking it away from other

animals. This is often easier than hunting. In some parts of Africa, much

of the food that lions eat is taken away from hyenas. When food is really

scarce, lions will eat almost anything they can find -- including snakes,

locusts, termites, peanuts, fruit, and rotten wood.

Baby lions are called cubs. And like most baby animals they need lots

of loving care. A lion cub is totally helpless at birth. It is blind and

can barely crawl. And it weighs less than 5 pounds (2 kg).

Cubs are born in-groups called litters. Usually, there are three cubs

in a litter. But sometimes there are as many as five. For the first few

weeks of their lives, the cubs stay hidden in a safe place away from the

pride. Then their mother brings them out to join the "family."

In a pride, all of the females help take care of the cubs. When one

mother is away hunting, the other lions feed and watch over her young. But

sometimes, all of the adults join the hunt. Then the cubs are hidden in the

tall grass or among the rocks.

A cub is born with dark spots all over its body. Some people think

that the spots may make it harder for predators to see the cubs when they

are hidden.

A mother lion carries her babies in her mouth -- just like a

motherhouse cat. To keep predators from finding the cubs, she moves them to

a new hiding place every few days.

AFRICAN LION: FUTURE

Asiatic lions are endangered, and African lions have less living space

than in times past. This is because people are taking away their homes, or

habitats. The human population in Africa and Asia is rapidly growing, and

people are turning more and more land into farms and ranches. This means

that the lions have less food to eat and so it is harder for them to live.

Fortunately, wildlife organizations throughout the world are working

hard to save the lions' habitats. And governments in both Africa and India

have set aside special land where lions can live in safety.

AFRICAN LION: THE MANE CAT

Most experts agree that a lion will attack a human only if provoked.

But the experts also suggest that knowledge of the warning signs are

mandatory for anyone who travels by foot in the bush. An angry lion will

drop to a crouch, flatten its ears, and flick its tail tip rapidly from

side to side. Low grunts and growls can often be heard; and just prior to a

charge, the tail is jerked up and down. While these warning signs are

important, it is perhaps of greater importance that a lion can bolt from a

crouch and travel 40 yards in less than 2.7 seconds.

The lion is the largest of the African cats, weighing up to 200

kilograms (440 pounds). Of the big cats, only the tiger is of greater size.

The mane of a male lion is the most distinguishing characteristic of the

species, although a small percentage of lionesses also have manes. The mane

adds to the apparent size of a male lion, and it is believed that the mane

provides added protection during male-to-male combat. The mane begins to

develop at about one year of age but remains short and scraggly until the

male is three or four years old. Another physical characteristic of lions

is the tuft of long hairs at the end of the tail. This black tassel occurs

in both males and females. Often, when females have cubs or are being

courted by males, the tail tassel is carried high above the ground.

Researchers believe that this behavior allows cubs or males to maintain

visual contact with the female when she moves through dense vegetation.

Fortunately for us, it is also an excellent way for humans to maintain

visual contact.

LION: NO LONGER KING

You may have believed that African lions are the kings of the jungle.

Well, that's just not true. But the reason isn't because lions aren't the

lordly animals that you thought them to be; it's just that lions don't live

in the jungle. They live in the open savannas in Africa, which are grassy

plains with a few scattered trees.

Lions, of course, are big cats, but they're different from tigers,

leopards and other big cats because they are very social animals. They live

in a group called a "pride," which can have as many as 35 lions in it.

Adult female lions, or lionesses, and cubs make up most of each pride,

although two or three adult males live in it, too.

Hunting is how the lions get their food. They eat animals such as

zebras, gazelles, hartebeests, gnus and even buffalo. Lionesses do most of

the hunting but when it comes to eating, the adult males get their share

first.

Lions often hunt together. A couple of lions may chase the prey and

herd it toward other lions hiding in the grass. Then the hiding lions leap

out and ambush the prey.

When lions eat, they often eat a whole lot of meat all at once. It's

possible for a wild lion to eat up to 40 pounds of meat at one sitting. But

then it may fast for several days and not eat anything. While it's fasting,

the lion may be very, very lazy and just sleep a lot ... until its time to

eat again.

If you've ever heard the roar of a lion, you know what a thundering

sound it is. It's very possible for a lion's roar to be heard five miles

away if the wind conditions are right. Lions often roar just after the sun

goes down.

Male lions have manes around their necks. A young male will start to

grow a mane when he's about a year old. It's believed that the mane helps

protect the neck areas of males when they fight with each other.

Baby lions are called cubs. A lioness will usually have three or four

cubs in an area protected by rocks or brush. Many animals are born with

their eyes closed, but it's possible for a lion cub to be born with its

eyes open. The cubs are very playful and love to wrestle and stalk each

other. Lionesses often care for each other's cubs, which is a little bit

like baby-sitting.

Although African lions aren't an endangered species, there's a lion

subspecies that lives in Asia that is very rare and endangered.

So remember: While you may not be able to call a lion the king of the

jungle, there's certainly no reason you can't call him the king of beasts.

ASIAN LION

In the past, you could find hundreds of thousands of these lions in

the Middle East and Asia. Now, they number only 180, living on a small

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