KIDS
African
Do you know all there is to know
about the african wild cats?
Cats
The African wild cats are very different to our domestic cats, but not all that
different. Most of them still purr, growl, have claws like our domestic cats and
are in fact from the same species.
There are four cats that they term the Big Cats, these being lions, leopards,
tigers and jaguars. But only two of these are from Africa? Do you know which ones they
are? Of course you do it's the lion and the leopard of course. While they are trying to
introduce tigers into Africa they aren't natural to the environment.
We are also going to take a look at four cats but they aren't the BIG FOUR they are in
fact four of Africa's most loved cats. They are the lion, cheetah, leopard and the caracal.
The LioN
Perhaps more famous for their appearance
in the Lion King the lion is the biggest
cat of all and some think he is the most
intimidating too. The lion is in fact the
biggest of all the cats.
Did you know the lion lives to only 14
years old in the wild? Not very long, but
about the same age as your domestic cat
at home would live if he didn't get fed by
you everyday and didn't have a basket or
a bed to snuggle up on every night.
Lions are found in grassland or
savannah areas and are excellent hunters.
They live in what we call a pride, which
is made up of a family of lions. There are
always more female lions in a pride and
she is also the best hunter of the lot. In
fact she is so good that the male lions,
even with their big mane, rely on her to
catch all of their food.
Did you know the lion is the laziest
of all the cats? He is indeed! He can
sleep up to 20 hours a day! What are the
differences between male and female
lions? Well it's the mane of course, the
female has no mane whereas the male
has a dark brown main that looks like a
crown all around his face.