ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS What is an African Lion? What makes the
African Lion so unique and beautiful? Where does an African Lion
come from? Why is it important to preserve the African Lion? What
challenges or threats does the lion face? What is extinction and
what effect does it have on our eco-system?
LEARNING OUTCOMES Students will be able to understand the
importance of preserving the wild. Students will be able to
identify, locate and describe where the African Lion lives.
Students will be able to define extinction and understand its
effects on the eco-system. Students will learn what an African Lion
is and how it lives. Students will be able to explain what makes a
Lion special and beautiful.
THE AFRICAN LION African Lions Live in groups called PRIDES
They are the only member of the cat family that lives in a group A
pride usually includes 2 male lions, 12 females, and their cubs The
young males within a pride eventually leave to take over their own
pride headed by another male
LETS COMPARE! CLICK THE LINK AND LIST THINGS YOUVE LEARNED
ABOUT EACH LION A FEMALE LION A MALE LION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmb_HtuugfY 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3.
MALE FEMALE
BEAUTY OF A LION The body of a lion is extremely muscular
Including its tail a lion can grow up to nine feet long A lion can
weigh anywhere from 265-420lbs Even with its great size and weight
the lion is very difficult to hear coming because of its unique
soft pads on its paws which keep their movements quiet A lion can
run up to 30 miles per hour on these quiet paws!
HUNTING AT NIGHT Lions have extraordinary eyes and are great
hunters at night The eyes of a lion contain a reflective coating
that will even reflect moonlight enabling them to see every
possible movement in the dark Unlike humans who can move their eyes
from side to side a lion needs to move its head to see things that
arent in its direct line of sight
SENSE OF SMELL Lions have a great sense of smell and use it to
mark their territory. This sense of smell helps them find prey and
also find kills made by predators. They scare off the predators and
steal the meal. Lions steal 40% of all the food they eat! All lions
contain a Jacobsons organ inside of their mouth that they use to
help them smell. The lion will grimace opening its mouth to let the
air into the organ.
WHAT DOES A LION EAT? Label the Animals Word Bank Leopard
Baboon Cheetah Antelope Hyena Wildebeest Zebra Giraffe Name: Name:
Name: Name: Name: Name: Name:Name:
LION HABITAT African Lion Range Use your Google Earth App on
your IPAD or Google Earth on the internet to locate some of the
countries that the African Lion Range Falls into.
THE SAVANNAH The African Savannah is where you can find most of
the lions remaining in the world. Africa has a wet season and dry
season. In the wet season there is an average of 15-20 inches of
rain. In the dry season there is only an average of 4 inches of
rain fall, and no rain at all from December to February. There are
45 species of mammal in Africa and some of them help to feed the
Lions. All of the mammals of the African Savanna are co-dependent
living out their lives together in freedom as they fight to
survive. Within the Savannah lions enjoy scrub, woodlands, or
grasslands They like to also be near streams this way they can
catch prey off guard while they stop for a drink Check out the
Savannah on this link! http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=lV_zhl0KKnc
PRESERVING THE LIONS Check out this video from National
Geographic! http://video.nationalgeographic.com
/video/player/animals/mammals- animals/cats/animate-url-bci.html
Lions have declined at alarming rates. We had 100,000 lions in the
1980s and now lion population is down to about 20,000 If we
continue at the pace we are at now, lions are doomed for extinction
within the next ten to fifteen years Take a look at this scary
timeline from the National Geographic!
http://animals.nationalgeographic.co
m/animals/big-cats/lion-decline- map/ Poaching, hunting, and
disease have decimated the lion population. Many people hunt the
animals because the lions come on their land and eat their animals.
It is difficult for the lion population to grow quickly because
when a pride is taken over by a male they kill all of the cubs and
it can take up to 18mnths to produce new cubs
LIONS FACE EXTINCTION Extinction- is the end of an organism or
of a group of organisms, normally a species. The moment of
extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last
individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and
recover may have been lost before this point. Extinct is forever
and never again will that specific animal or organism roam the
earth again. Check out these animals that you could have enjoyed if
only they were still around today by clicking the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRN1Cu_6zlM
REMEMBER ME!? I am the king of the Jungle. I roam the earth as
the fiercest predator alive. I am 42ft long and 13ft tall.
Extremely sharp teethe line my mouth. The earth rumbles as I walk
on my two legs. My arms are small and serve very little function.
Who can I be?! Click here for a hint!
I AM AN EXTINCT TYRANNOSAURAS REX Imagine how fascinating it
would be to go to the zoo and see a T-Rex roaming the forest
Imagine if you could travel the world to see living dinosaurs
eating, sleeping, and prowling the jungle The only problem is this
is not possible. The only place you can find a dinosaur now is in a
book, on a website, or in the movies This could happen to the
African Lion
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN LIONS BECOME EXTINCT? If lions become
extinct it will start a very large and sweeping change in the
savannah. African lions control the populations of many of the
animals such as zebras, wildebeests, giraffe, and antelope All of
these animals are herbivores and therefore eat leaves and grass. If
these animals populations grow out of control then their eventually
wont be enough food for these animals causing mass deaths in the
savannah! Every animal is connected to another animals survival If
the top of the food chain goes extinct so will most of the animals
in its habitat
OR It is time to concentrate on preservation and conservation
Humans cant survive without animals, plants, or water If we
continue at the pace we are the African Savannah can turn into a
parking lot
CULMINATING ACTIVITY Choose two of the letters A. Youre a male
lion in the African Savannah. Youve just left your pride and are
looking for your own. Write a story about your trials and
adventures using the knowledge youve learned. B. Draw a picture of
what you think the African Savannah would look like if lions were
extinct. C. Write a song that could be used to teach children about
the issues facing the lion today. D. Using the information youve
learned create a scene in a diorama involving a pride in the
African Savannah.
