Masai lion
| Masai Lion | |
|---|---|
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| The Masai Lion | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Panthera |
| Species: | P. l. massaica |
| Trinomial name | |
| Panthera leo massaica |
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The Masai Lion (Panthera leo massaica), is a subspecies of the African Lion, it is common (to which its name refers) in the "Masai Mara" game reserve in Kenya, Africa.
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[edit] Etymology
The lion's name, similar in many Romance languages, is derived from the Latin leo;[1] and the Ancient Greek λέων (leon).[2] The Hebrew word לָבִיא (lavi) may also be related.[3] It was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus, who gave it the name Felis leo, in his eighteenth century work, Systema Naturae.[4]
[edit] Characteristics
[edit] Size
Male masai lions are generally 2.5–3.0 metres (8.2–9.8 feet) long including the tail. Lionesses are generally smaller, at only 2.3–2.6 metres (7.5–8.5 feet). In weight, males are generally 145–230 kg (320–510 pounds), and females are 100–165 kg (220–360 pounds). Lions, male or female, have a shoulder height of 0.9–1.15 metres (3.0–3.8 feet).
[edit] Mane
When male lions reach maturity, most grow manes. The manes are to make them look bigger during confrontation,[5] and to protect their neck.[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Simpson, D.P. (1979). Cassell's Latin Dictionary (5th ed.). London: Cassell Ltd.. p. 342. ISBN 0-304-52257-0.
- ^ Liddell, Henry George Scott, Robert (1980). A Greek-English Lexicon (Abridged Edition). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. p. 411. ISBN 0-19-910207-4.
- ^ Simpson, John; Weiner, Edmund, ed. (1989). "Lion". Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-861186-2.
- ^ Linnaeus, Carolus (1758) (in Latin). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae :secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis.. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae (Laurentii Salvii). p. 41. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726936. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
- ^ http://www.lion.my/lion-animal/Lion%20Mane.htm
- ^ http://www.kalahari-predator-conservation.com/en/predators/lions
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