Trivia question for May-15-2011

We recently partnered with an amazing organization from the Northeast called Hope-2-O whose goal is to put a Stainless Steel Water-bottle in the hands of every person in America.  Together they will be helping us with our “Plastic Awareness Week” program as we create an educational curriculum which we plan to roll out to schools nationwide.  When Carter found out that the founder of Hope-2-O had two sons (about the same age) and that they liked lions, he decided to do his trivia about lions.  So here goes:

Lion populations are declining fast.  Although the cause of the decline is not fully understood, habitat loss and conflicts with humans are currently the greatest causes of concern.  Competition from humans for grasslands has led to a drastic reduction in some areas.

With some males exceeding 550 lb in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with an endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times.  Lions live for ten to fourteen years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than twenty years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than ten years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity.

So here are Carter’s questions:  Wild lions once roamed in North America, tell us how long ago that was.  Also, tell us what the purpose of their mane is?  Finally, we all know that male lions lock their jaws around the neck of their prey to bring it down.  Their grip is so strong that they can usually suffocate their prey with one bite.  Tell us what tactic female lions implement since their jaw strength is less than that of the male?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations, go to Pierson and Spencer for answering our trivia correctly.   You boys just got the answer posted in time. I was literally ready to send out a notice that no one answered correctly.  Great job!!!

Lions (and we are not speaking about mountain lions etc) once roamed North America some 10,000 years ago. Highly distinctive, the male lion is easily recognized by its mane, and its face is one of the most widely recognized animal symbols in human culture. The mane of a lion is thought to help the lion appear larger and therefore more fierce to its opponent. It also serves to protect the lion during fights since their natural tendency is to attack for the throat.

As for how females make up for their inability to suffocate its prey with a single bite to the throat, they have successfully learned to achieve the same results by clamping their jaws over the mouth and nostrils of their victims and they will even use their paws to help block the animals airways. Here is more on these ferocious felines: Lions

Thanks for playing along 😉