Furthermore, inform them to hunt in a pack if they see prey around. They have an instinct to protect their family and cubs from danger. As they are extinct in the wild, the Kruger National Park has artificially created the environment for these lions. Unlike, Siberian Tigers White male lions live with their family consisting of few lionesses and cubs. Nevertheless, the white coat color could be a disadvantage, as far as hunting is concerned. However, this does not turn out to be true as it lacks any scientific basis. Poachers and hunters easily spot them in the wild. It is also said that white lions are not fit for wildlife due to their white coat, which does not provide camouflage in the wild.
So these lions may have a coat color that ranges from pale blond to almost pure white. source: Ī cub is born white only if both of its parents carry the recessive ‘white’ gene. Lion’s cubs are born blind and dependent on the mother for the first two years. They mate once every two years in the wild, but they are made to mate once a year in captivity. As of now, most of the white lions are in captivity, so they are bred there.Ī lioness usually gives birth to 2-4 cubs. ReproductionĪ white lion reaches sexual maturity between ages three and four. Some scientists also claim that this condition is in the lions living in the Timbavati area. This proves that white lions are not albinos. The white color is the result of the recessive gene. White lions have normal-colored eyes, lips, and paw pads, unlike albinos. Because of the leucism, pigmentation is lost in fur but is present in the eyes. The white lion varies in color from blonde to near-white and even red.Ī white lion possesses a genetic condition known as leucistic. White lions are not albinosĪlbinism is a disorder characterized by an absence of pigmentation in the skin, eyes, and hair. The study suggests that white lions are equally apex predators as tawny lions. The pack patiently stalk the prey and attack at the right moment. Lions typically kill their prey by strangulation, and the pack consumes the carcass at the site of the kill. The presence of sharp teeth and claws makes them great hunters. They prey on zebra, buffalo, gazelles, tortoises, reptiles, small birds, and hoofed mammals. The white lion has been successfully introduced into certain areas of the wild. The first white lion cub was born in 2006 using a selective reintroduction technique. The Global White Lion Protection Trust (GWLT) initiated a world-first re-establishment of white lions within their natural habitat in 2004. Savannas, woodlands, and desert areas are the natural habitat of a white lion.ĭue to excessive hunting, they went extinct once but are currently protected at the Central Kruger Park in South Africa. They are indigenous to the Timbavati region in southern Africa. White lions are native to southern Africa. The male white lion is up to 10 feet long and 4 feet high and 6 feet long, and 3.6 feet for females.
Their average lifespan is about 18 years. Male white lion weights up to 530 pounds and female up to 400 pounds. The White male lions have yellowish blonde or white color mane and the same color at the tip of their tail.
White lions have blue or golden color eyes, black noses, and dark-spotted color patches at the rear of the ear. The color of fur in White lions ranges from blonde to near-white Normally lions have hazel or golden-brown fur, but the white lions have entirely white or an extremely pale version of the usual fur. Let us find out some interesting facts about White Lions. However, the brink of extinction is roaming around these African species. They can hunt and have other features, same as purebred. Some tribes in Southern Africa revered White Lion as sacred beings because of their majestic coloration. The main reason why most of the white lions are settled in zoos/captivity. White lions have also been hunted to extinction in the wild, but they have been reintroduced to their natural habitat by Global White Lion Protection Trust (GWLPT). White lions are not pure white, so they are also referred to as blond lions. However, they first came to public attention in the 1970s.
White lions are believed to be natives of the Timbavati region of South Africa. The white lion results from a genetic rarity, a recessive gene responsible for white coloration in furs. White lions are just as much of an apex predator as wild tawny lions in their natural habitat. Panthera leo is the scientific name for a white lion. So these animals are also referred to as African white lions. White lion belongs to this particular subspecies of lion, Panthera leo Kruger, known as the Southeast African Lion. The white lion is not subspecies of lion.