只有大约26,000狮子s在地球上，其中大多数生活在撒哈拉沙漠以南的非洲[来源：National Geographic]。As with many species, the male lion is typically larger than its female counterpart. While a lioness is usually about 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and around 400 pounds (181.4 kilograms), males can be as long as 8 feet (2.4 meters) and tip the scales at 550 pounds (249.5 kilograms).
世界上最社交的猫，狮子生活在被称为骄傲的小组中。在三到30个狮子之间，骄傲，几乎完全由相关的女性组成。这群紧密的母狮将终生融合在一起 - 无关的孤独女性很难被该组所接受。
The males, on the other hand, generally move on after reaching adulthood -- nature's way of stirring the genetic pot. A pride may have up to two unrelated adult male lions, and these males are under near-constant assault from other males trying to move in on their territory. A male may hold its top spot in the pride for several years, but eventually he will be killed or run off by a younger or stronger outsider. If he isn't killed in the process, the usurped male must leave and become a loner, doing his best to survive alone or looking for another pride with a male he can conquer.
It's good to be king, however. Lionesses do more than 90 percent of the hunting, while the male shows up after the kill, demanding and receiving first dibs on the meat. While the lionesses hunt, the males stay back to defend the territory, protect the cubs and keep watch for overly ambitious lone males who know a good situation when they see it.
母狮比男性轻，更快，更敏捷，这些特征使他们成为致命的猎人。这些杀手通常在黄昏和黎明之间限制受伤。
非洲人buffalo狩猎只不过是草，但是您不想在黑暗的小巷里撞到一个。这种丰富且不可预测的生物身高6英尺（1.83米）和1,500磅（680.4公斤），对猴子业务（或狮子或豹子业务）没有心情。强大，强大且挥舞着一组角，可以从尖端到尖端尺寸为4英尺（1.22米），非洲水牛不是您想要惊吓的生物。许多人认为它们比狮子更危险，这是有充分理由的 - 平均而言，每年被非洲水牛杀死的人比这些大猫杀死的人数更多[来源：National Geographic]。
What they lack in speed, they make up for in stamina, and, like the lion, African buffalo are quite sociable with their own kind, often traveling in herds that range from 350 up to several thousand buffalo. As in prides, these herds consist overwhelmingly of females, and males use their giant horns to jostle for dominance. Male calves, which can walk at birth but are dependent on their mothers in the first year of life, must leave the herd once fully grown. Dominant male buffalo, which physically peak at about 10 years of age, must also leave once they've been conquered and replaced [source:awf]。这些独奏男性曾经是整个牛群的捍卫者，现在很容易成为需要大餐的狮子。
So how does the herd protect itself when a well-organized assassination squad of lionesses is on the prowl?
