- Masai lion
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Masai Lion 
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 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.
Contents
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]
Characteristics
Size
Male masai lions are generally 1.7–2.5 metres (5.6–8.2 feet) long including the tail. Lionesses are generally smaller, at only 1.6–1.9 metres (5.2–6.2 feet). In weight, males are generally 150–240 kg (330–530 pounds), and females are 120–180 kg (260–400 pounds). Lions, male or female, have a shoulder height of 1.1–1.2 metres (3.6–3.9 feet).
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]
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
Categories:- Lions
- Carnivora stubs
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