Realised Niche: Lion

Ecosystem: African grasslands

Spatial: Lions live in plains or savannah habitat, with a large prey base.
Reproduction: Lions breed year-round, though breeding peaks during the rainy season, and
are usually polygynous. They usually breed in elevated rocky areas.
Feeding: Lions are apex predators. They hunt at dawn and dusk, with their main
competition being hyenas. Their prey consists mainly of medium hoofed mammals such as
wildebeests and zebras.
Behaviour: Lions live in prides that can range from 2 to 40 individuals. The average number
of lions in a pride in the Kruger and Serengeti National Parks is 13 lions. Prides are
composed or related families, with lionesses being lifelong residents of the pridelands and
the lions being part of the pride until about 2.5 years of age, at which point they become
nomadic and search for another pride to take over. Lions spend up to 22 hours a day
sleeping or resting, with activity peaking at dusk and dawn, at which point socialising,
grooming and hunting occurs.
Competition: Lions have no natural predators, with the exception of human persecution.
Hyenas are their main competition in terms of food: they may steal each others kills.
Hyenas are known to kill lion cubs or weak and sick adult lions. Lions, for their part, often
kill cheetah and jaguar cubs.


http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Panthera_leo.html#behavior