Savannah

Hieroglyphic python (Python sebae) — Savannah StranglerAnatomical featuresThe largest snake in Africa, which can exceed 5–6 meters in length and weigh 60–90 kg. It hunts near watering holes. The python grabs the victim (antelope, warthog or even a young leopard) with its teeth bent inward, and then instantly wraps rings around its body. With each exhalation of the victim, the python squeezes the rings tighter and tighter until the animal's heart stops. Bot skill idea: "Stranglehold" - immobilizes the target for 2 turns, dealing physical damage every turn. The target cannot attack or use skills while choking.

CATEGORY: UNIQUE AND VENOMOUS REPTILES24. Noise Viper (Bitis arietans) – Ambush MineAnatomical FeaturesA thick, massive snake about 1 meter long and weighing up to 6 kg. Its pupils are vertical, and its head has a clear triangular shape (a sign of high toxicity).Hunting tacticsThe noisy viper is one of the laziest snakes. It does not crawl away when approached by a person or large animal, but relies on its camouflage. If stepped on, it emits a loud, frightening hiss (hence the name) and makes a lightning dash at a speed that the human eye does not have time to fix. It has long hollow fangs with a strong cytotoxic venom that destroys tissues. The first ambush strike deals double damage and hangs the Gangrene debuff (reduces the target's maximum health by 10% each turn).

Quagga/Cape Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra) – Mountain FighterSubspecies FeaturesUnlike the common plains zebra, the Mountain Zebra is smaller (weighing 200–260 kg), has thicker stripes all over its body, and has a distinctive leather fold on its throat ('wallet').Hard hooves: Their hooves have evolved to become very narrow and hard, like those of mountain goats. This allows them to develop great speed on steep stone slopes and crumbling rocks, where ordinary predators break their legs.Idea for the skill in the bot: "Mountain maneuver" - gives a 50% chance to dodge attacks if the battle takes place on the "Rocks", "Hills" or "Rocky Savannah" locations.

CATEGORY: ARMORED AND STRANGE CREATURES22. Steppe pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) — Living shieldAnatomical featuresThe only mammal on Earth whose body is completely covered with large scales (similar in composition to nails). Weight - from 5 to 15 kg. Pangolin has no teeth, but its sticky tongue is longer than the body itself and is attached deep in the chest cavity. The edges of its scales are incredibly razor-sharp. Even a pride of lions is not able to unwrap or bite through this ball - they only roll it around the savannah until they lose interest. Immune to all physical damage, and attacking enemies take 10% return damage from Sharp Scales.

Black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas) — Sly shadowFeatures and social lifeA small dog (weight 6-13 kg) with a bright appearance: a red body and a contrasting black and white "saddle" (saddle) on the back. They live in monogamous couples for life. The pair hunt together and fiercely guard their site.Survival tacticsJackals are incredibly brazen and intelligent opportunists. They circle around lions and leopards during their meals, seizing the moment to snatch a piece of meat right from under the nose of a sleeping or tired predator. Have a lightning-fast reaction.Idea for the skill in the bot: "Stealing loot" is a passive skill. If an ally or enemy deals a fatal blow, the jackal steals 15% of the gold or experience for that fight.

Caracal (Caracal caracal) — Desert lynxAnatomical features and dimorphismA medium-sized slender cat (males — 13–20 kg, females — 10–14 kg) with a solid sandy coat color. Scientists believe that these tassels help to catch the slightest sound vibrations from the movement of birds in the air, and also serve to communicate between individuals through twitching their ears. It flies into a flock of flying birds (for example, sandgrouses or pigeons) and manages to knock down several birds at once with its front paws in one jump.

CATEGORY: STEALTHY AND EXOTIC PREDATORS19. Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) – Lone scavengerAnatomical featuresIt is smaller and more graceful than its spotted relative (weight 25-45 kg). Covered in gray fur with distinct black transverse stripes.Transforming Mane: It has a tall, coarse coat all along its back. At the moment of danger, the hyena raises this mane on end, which is why it visually almost doubles in size, frightening opponents.Behavior and tacticsUnlike spotted hyenas, striped hyenas are strict loners and lead an exclusively nocturnal lifestyle. They are cowardly and almost never attack large animals, feeding exclusively on carrion, bones, insects and desert melons (for moisture).

CATEGORY: REPTILES AND OTHER THREATS18. Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) — Speed and venomAnatomical featuresOne of the most dangerous snakes in the world. The body length can reach 3-4.5 meters. The name "black" comes not from the color of the scales (the snake itself is olive or gray), but from the completely black color of the inner cavity of the mouth, which it threatens to open when defending.Features and parameters for the botSpeed: The fastest snake on land (reaches speeds of up to 11-19 km/h at short distances).Venom: Has the strongest neurotoxic venom. Without the introduction of an antidote, the mortality rate from a bite is 100%. In the bot card, this is an ideal creature for the position "Deal damage over time (DoT)" or "Instant poison".

African marabou (Leptoptilos crumenifer) — Savannah undertakerAnatomical featuresA huge bird from the stork family (wingspan up to 2.5–3 meters). It has an extremely specific appearance: a bare pink head and neck (so as not to stain the feathers when digging inside the carcasses) and a massive beak up to 30 cm long. This is the highest scavenger. Together with vultures, they play the role of savannah orderlies, preventing epidemics. With its powerful beak, the marabou is able to tear even the thick skin of a dead large animal, which is not always possible for ordinary vultures.

CATEGORY: BIRDS AND SCAVENGERS16. Secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius) — Snake killerAnatomical featuresA large bird of prey up to 1.2–1.5 meters tall. It was named so because of the feathers on the back of the head, which resembled goose feathers behind the ears of scribes (secretaries) of past centuries.Behavior and tactics of battleUnlike other birds of prey, the secretary almost does not hunt from the air. It walks the savannah on foot (walking up to 20-30 km per day) in search of venomous snakes (including vipers and cobras), lizards, and large insects. Then she delivers a swift and incredibly powerful paw blow from top to bottom. The force of the blow is up to 5 of its own weights, which instantly breaks the spine of a snake or breaks the skull of a rodent.

Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) — Needle shieldAnatomical featuresThe largest rodent in Africa (weighing up to 20–25 kg).Quills: The entire body is covered with stiff quills up to 30–50 cm long. Contrary to myths, the porcupine does not know how to "shoot" them, but they easily remain in the body of the attacking predator, causing severe inflammation. Inexperienced young lions often starve to death after porcupine quills get stuck in their mouths.

CATEGORY: UNIQUE AND STRANGE HERBIVORES.14 African aardvark (Orycteropus afer) – Living excavatorAnatomical featuresA strange nocturnal animal weighing between 50 and 80 kg. It is capable of digging up a mound as strong as concrete in a few minutes.Behavior and role in the ecosystemNocturnal lurker: It sleeps underground during the day, and at night it goes out to eat termites and ants (it can eat up to 50,000 insects per night with its long, sticky tongue).Savannah Engineer: The aardvark digs huge underground burrows. When he leaves his home, his old burrow is immediately inhabited by other animals - porcupines, warthogs, hyenas and snakes. Without aardvarks, many of the savannah's animals would have nowhere to hide from the heat and predators.

Serval (Leptailurus serval) – Radar catAnatomical featuresA slender medium-sized cat (weight 9-18 kg).Body proportions: It has the longest legs and the largest ears of all cats relative to body size. Its head appears small against massive locators.Behavior and huntingThe serval is a solitary nocturnal hunter who specializes in rodents, birds, and lizards in tall grass.Ambush Jump: With its huge ears, the serval can hear rodents rustling underground or in dense thickets. Sensing prey, it makes a vertical jump up to 3 meters high and up to 4 meters long, landing exactly on the victim with its front paws. It is also capable of shooting down birds taking off right in the air.

CATEGORY: UNUSUAL AND SECRETIVE PREDATORS12. African Wild Dog / African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus) – Ideal TacticianAnatomical Features and Sexual DimorphismThese are not feral domestic dogs, but a unique, evolutionarily isolated canine species. Sexual dimorphism is practically absent: males and females are the same size (weight 20-30 kg). The black, yellow, and white spots on the coat are unique to each individual.Structure: They have only four toes on their front paws (ordinary dogs have five). They have huge rounded ears that serve as locators and help cool the body in the heat.Social organization (Altruism in a pack)Live in packs of 10 to 30 individuals. Unlike wolves or hyenas, there is no fierce struggle for power within the pack.Caring for the weak: They have developed absolute social altruism. The pack takes care of the wounded, sick and old who cannot hunt: healthy dogs return from hunting and regurgitate meat for them. The more dogs sneeze, the more likely it is that the pack will go hunting right now (a kind of democratic vote)Hunting strategy (Highest success rate in Africa)Tactics: The most effective predator of the savannah. The percentage of successful hunts in them is up to 80-85% (in lions - only 20-30%). They hunt in a pack by the corral method. They distribute roles: some dogs run after the victim (kudu, impala) at speeds of up to 55 km/h, exhausting it, and others cut corners, replacing tired relatives. The victim simply physically cannot run away from the constantly changing pursuers.

Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) — Collective intelligenceAnatomical featuresSmall mammals from the mongoose family (weighing less than 1 kg). They have black spots around their eyes that work like built-in sunglasses.Social organization (Sentinel savannah)Live in colonies (clans) of up to 30-40 individuals in underground labyrinths. Their survival depends entirely on teamwork.Sentinel's post: While the group searches the sand for scorpions, snakes and spiders, one or two meerkats always stand on their hind legs on a hill (stone or termite mound) and inspect the sky and surroundings.Signal language: Meerkats have a complex spoken language. If the sentry notices danger, he emits a whistle. Moreover, the sounds differ: "danger from the air" (eagle) requires you to immediately run to the burrow, and "danger from the ground" (jackal) means that you need to hide or group.

CATEGORY: CUNNING, SMALL AND RESISTANT10. Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis) - Fearless TankAnatomical FeaturesA small animal from the mustelid family (weight 9-14 kg), included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most fearless beast in the world.Leather armor: The skin of the honey badger is incredibly thick (up to 6 mm) and durable. It "sits" so loosely on the animal's body that if a predator grabs a honey badger by the scruff of the neck, it can easily turn around inside its own skin and bite the enemy in response. The skin of a honey badger is difficult to bite through with your teeth or pierce with an arrow.Immunity: It has phenomenal immunity to poisons. If a honey badger is bitten by a deadly cobra or viper, he simply falls asleep for a couple of hours, and then gets up and eats this snake. He can single-handedly attack lions or leopards if they come near his burrow. Predators prefer to avoid it, as the battle with the honey badger takes too much effort and is not worth the effort.

Zebra (Equus quagga) — Striped camouflagePhysiology and protectionWeight — 200–350 kg Each pattern of stripes on the zebra's body is unique, like human fingerprints. When a herd of zebras runs, for the eyes of a lion or cheetah, they merge into a continuous shimmering mess, where it is impossible to distinguish the contours of a particular animal for attack. The stripes also repel blood-sucking tsetse flies.Character: Zebras are extremely aggressive and do not lend themselves to domestication. Defending themselves, they beat their hooves backwards and can inflict fatal injuries on the predator.

Wildebeest (Connochaetes) – Eternal wandererAnatomical features and behaviorA strange-looking animal that looks like a bull, a horse and an antelope at the same time. Weight - up to 250 kg.Great migration: Wildebeest is the most abundant species of ungulates in the savannah. Each year, herds of more than 1.5 million individuals move in circles between the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems in pursuit of rain and fresh grass.Survival tactics ("Flooding" predators): Female wildebeest give birth to young at the same time for 2-3 weeks. Up to 500,000 calves are born. Predators are simply physically unable to eat them all. The wildebeest calf gets up on its feet 15 minutes after birth and is immediately able to run on a par with the herd.

CATEGORY: MEDIUM AND SMALL HERBIVORES (UNGULATES)7. Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) – Savannah TowerAnatomical featuresThe tallest animal in the world (males are up to 5.5-6 meters tall, weighing up to 1200 kg)Neck and heart: The giraffe's neck has only 7 vertebrae (the same number as a human), but they are very elongated. To deliver blood to the head at a height of 6 meters, the giraffe has developed a giant heart (weighing 11 kg), which creates a pressure three times higher than that of a human. Special valves in the neck make sure that when the giraffe's head is tilted to the water, there is no cerebral hemorrhage.Tongue: Reaches 45-50 cm in length, has a purple-black color (so as not to get sunburned). The tongue is so tough that the giraffe calmly wraps it around the branches of acacia with huge sharp thorns and licks the leaves. The main weapon of defense is the blow of the front leg. This blow is so powerful that it can decapitate a lion or break its spine. Lions risk attacking giraffes only in groups when it bends down at a watering hole and loses its balance.

African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) — Black DeathAnatomical features and sexual dimorphismOne of the most massive bulls on the planet. Males weigh up to 900-1000 kg, females - up to 600 kg. In adult males, the bases of the horns on the forehead grow and merge, forming a continuous bony shield ("boss"), which cannot be penetrated even by a bullet from a large-caliber weapon. Defense: When attacked by lions, a herd of buffaloes does not scatter in panic. They build a defensive circle, hiding calves inside, and put forward a wall of horned heads. Buffaloes often counterattack themselves: they are able to chase and trample lions, as well as purposefully search for and destroy lion cubs by smell in order to reduce the number of enemies.

Black and White rhinos (Diceros bicornis / Ceratotherium simum)Species differences and anatomyThe names "white" and "black" arose due to a linguistic error (the Dutch word wijd is wide, the English translated it as white). The white rhinoceros is larger (weighing up to 2.3-3 tons), it has a wide flat lip for eating grass from the ground. The black rhinoceros is smaller (up to 1.5 tons), it has a pointed, mobile upper lip-proboscis, with which it plucks the branches of bushes. The length of the front horn can reach 1.5 meters.Sensory organs: Rhinos have catastrophically poor eyesight (they do not see a person beyond 30 meters). But this is compensated by phenomenal hearing and smell.Behavior and tacticsRhinos are mostly solitary (white rhinos can form small groups of females). Due to poor eyesight, they are extremely shy and aggressive at the same time: noticing any suspicious silhouette or movement, the rhinoceros prefers to immediately ram at speeds of up to 45 km/h

CATEGORY: LARGE HERBIVORES (GIANTS)4. African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) — Landscape architectAnatomical features and sexual dimorphismThe largest land animal on the planet. Males are much larger than females: the weight of an old male can reach 6-7 tons with a height at the withers up to 4 meters. Females weigh about 3–4 tons.Proboscis: A unique organ (fused nose and upper lip) made up of more than 100,000 muscles. The elephant breathes with its trunk, drinks (collects water and pours it into its mouth), plucks grass, fells trees and communicates. There are two sensitive "fingers" at the end of the trunk.Tusks: Modified incisors that grow throughout life. They are used for digging up roots, protecting against enemies and stripping bark from trees. In males, the tusks are more massive (up to 2-3 meters in length).Ears: Huge locators that act as cooling radiators. Blood, passing through a dense network of vessels in the ears, is cooled by fanning, lowering the temperature of the whole body. The herd consists of an old experienced female head (matriarch), her daughters, sisters and their cubs. The matriarch remembers watering holes and migration trails from the past 50 years.Males: Young males are expelled from the herd between the ages of 12 and 15. They live alone or form temporary bachelor groups.Must: From time to time, adult males experience a period of "must" - a sharp surge in testosterone (60 times higher than normal). In this state, the elephant becomes insane, hyper-aggressive, and will attack any living creature, including rhinos and machines. No lion would risk attacking him. However, small elephants that stray from the herd can be hunted by large prides of lions at night.

Anatomical features and sexual dimorphismThe spotted hyena is a large predator that is mistakenly considered a relative of dogs (in fact, they are closer to cats). They have a unique sexual dimorphism: females are larger and more aggressive than males (weigh up to 70–85 kg, males — up to 50–65 kg). Females have masculinized genitals due to the highest level of testosterone, which is why they were considered hermaphrodites for a long time. This gives them incredible endurance - the hyena can jog after prey for many kilometers without stopping.Super jaws: The pressure of the hyena's jaws is about 70 kg/cm² (more powerful than that of a brown bear). They are able to bite and digest the thigh bones of buffaloes and zebras. Their gastric juice dissolves even their teeth and horns.Social Organization (Matriarchy)Hyenas live in huge clans (up to 80 individuals) with a rigid matriarchy.Hierarchy: Absolute power belongs to the dominant female. Even the lowest-ranking female cub is higher in the hierarchy than the strongest adult male. Males in the clan are subjected to constant humiliation and are the last to access food.Clans: Members of the clan know each other well, together they guard the common territory and wage war with neighboring clans of hyenas and prides of lions. Hunting strategy and feeding behaviorThe myth of scavengers: Contrary to stereotypes, hyenas kill up to 80-90% of what they eat. They hunt in packs by attrition. They choose a victim (zebra, wildebeest) and chase it at a speed of 60 km/h, literally tearing it alive into pieces.Conflict with lions: There is an eternal war between lions and hyenas for resources. If there are 3-4 times more hyenas than lionesses, they will easily take prey from them. However, the appearance of an adult male lion with a mane usually puts the hyenas to flight.

Leopard (Panthera pardus) — Ghost in the treesAnatomical features and sexual dimorphismThe leopard is the standard of camouflage and physical strength among cats of the middle weight category. Sexual dimorphism is strongly expressed: males weigh 60–90 kg, females are much smaller — 30–50 kg. Color - rosettes (ring black spots on a yellow background), perfectly merging with the foliage and glare of the sun.Jaw and paw strength: Possesses incredibly powerful shoulder muscles and neck. This allows the leopard to drag animal carcasses weighing 2-3 times more than the predator itself onto vertical tree trunks. Each male and female has their own isolated territory, which is marked with scratches on the bark of trees and urine. Contacts occur only during the mating period. The meeting of two same-sex individuals almost always ends in a violent fight.Hunting strategy and feeding behaviorTactics: Night ambush predator. The leopard watches for prey (from small rodents and monkeys to large antelopes) on tree branches or sneaks up in dense grass at a distance of one jump. His attack is silent.A tree is like a home: Trees are a fortress for a leopard. There he sleeps, hunts primates and, most importantly, hides food. To prevent lions or hyenas from taking away the prey, the leopard drags the strangled antelope to a height of several meters and feasts there for days. ReproductionPregnancy lasts 3 months. The female gives birth to 1-2 kittens in deep caves or dense thickets. She hides them very securely, as lions and hyenas kill leopard cubs at the first opportunity to eliminate a competitor.

Social organizationCheetahs have a unique social structure:Females: Lead a strictly solitary lifestyle (except during the period of raising offspring). Their hunting grounds are huge and often overlap with each other.Males: Young male brothers from the same litter often unite in lifelong coalitions (2-3 individuals). Coalitions together hold small but game-rich territories and fiercely defend them from outsiders. Hunting strategy and feeding behaviorTactics: The cheetah is a diurnal predator, which allows it to avoid competition with lions and hyenas. It does not sit in ambush for hours, but sneaks up on the victim (usually a Thomson gazelle or impala) at a distance of 100-150 meters and begins a rapid run. The maximum speed reaches 110-120 km/h, but it can run no more than 400 meters (about 20-30 seconds), otherwise it will cause fatal overheating of the brain. At this moment, he is absolutely defenseless. Any large predator (lion, hyena, leopard and even a flock of vultures) can come and take away the food. The cheetah never fights for prey, since any injury for him is equal to starvation. Reproduction and survivalGestation lasts 90-95 days, 3-5 kittens are born. Kittens are born with a thick gray "mantle" on their backs - this is a camouflage that makes them look like a honey badger (which predators are afraid to touch). Despite this, the mortality rate of cheetah kittens in the savannah is colossal - up to 90% die in the first months from the paws of lions and hyenas.

CATEGORY: LARGE PREDATORS1. Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) — Savannah sprinterAnatomical features and sexual dimorphismThe cheetah is the most specialized cat planet, fully adapted for high-speed running. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed: males are only slightly larger than females (males weigh 40–65 kg, females 35–50 kg). Unique feline features: Unlike other cats, the cheetah's claws do not retract fully (except for kittens up to 15 weeks old). They work like studs on sneakers, providing traction on the ground. The tail is long and muscular, acts as an air rudder during sharp turns at full speed. They absorb excess sunlight, helping the cheetah to see prey clearly from a distance in the scorching noon.

Lifespan and current status of the speciesIn the wild, the lifespan of males and females varies greatly. Females live up to 12-14 years on average (up to 16 in nature reserves). Males rarely cross the threshold of 10-12 years, as their lives are filled with violent territorial skirmishes, injuries and difficult periods of nomadic life after being expelled from prides. The historical habitat, covering all of Africa, Southern Europe and the Middle East, has shrunk by 90%. Now lions live mainly in protected national parks in sub-Saharan Africa. A tiny, isolated subspecies, the Asiatic lion (about 600 individuals), has also been preserved, living under strict protection in the Gir Forest in India.

Reproduction, motherhood and infanticideLions do not have a strictly fixed breeding season, females can go into heat at any time of the year. Often, in females from the same pride, this process is synchronized, which allows them to give birth to cubs at the same time.Birth of offspring: Pregnancy lasts an average of 110 days. Before giving birth, a pregnant lioness leaves the pride and finds a safe, hidden place (dense bushes, crevices of rocks). From 1 to 4 lion cubs are born. They are born completely blind, helpless and weigh about 1.2-1.5 kg. Their coat is covered with dark spots that provide camouflage from enemies and completely disappear as they grow older (usually by six months). Since many females have the same age of cubs, they organize the so-called "nurseries". Lions are characterized by allomaternal care: any lactating lioness is able to feed someone else's lion cub with her milk without showing aggression. Females together protect their cubs from external threats.Infanticide phenomenon: The life of lion cubs is in great danger during the change of power in the pride. When a coalition of new strong males expels the old ones, they first of all seek to physically destroy all existing offspring (lion cubs under one year old). This is cruel, but biologically justified behavior: having lost their cubs, lionesses become ready to mate in a few days. Thus, new males do not spend the resources of the pride on protecting other people's genes and quickly acquire their own offspring. About a quarter of all lion cubs die precisely because of infanticide.

Hunting strategy and feeding behaviorLions occupy the top of the food chain in the savannah ecosystem (superpredators), but their hunting behavior is strictly divided by gender. They hunt in groups, coordinating actions with the help of a look, head tilt and tail movements. Hunting is based on an ambush: some lionesses bypass a herd of ungulates downwind and drive them to ambush hunters hiding in the grass. The maximum speed of the lioness at short distances reaches 60 km / h, but they are not capable of a long chase, so they try to get close to the victim at a distance of up to 30 meters before the final dash. However, their help becomes decisive when the pride attacks super-large prey: adult African buffalo, hippos or young giraffes. The physical strength of the male is necessary to break the resistance of such an animal.Hierarchy at the table: The principles of food division in the pride are rigid. The first right to a meal always belongs to dominant males, even if they did not take part in the hunt. A lion can eat up to 30-40 kg of meat at a time. After the males are satisfied, lionesses are allowed to the carcass. The lowest priority for lion cubs is that they eat last, which is why during periods of drought and lack of food, mortality among young animals increases dramatically. The basis of the diet is zebras, wildebeests, buffaloes and warthogs. In the absence of large game, lions do not disdain locusts, rodents and actively take prey from cheetahs, hyenas and leopards.

Unlike most solitary cats (tigers, leopards, jaguars), lions lead a strictly collective lifestyle. Group structure: A classic pride consists of a nucleus of related females (mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts), their offspring of both sexes, and a coalition of adult males (usually 1 to 4 individuals). The total number of the group can vary from 5 to 40 animals. Females themselves determine the composition of the pride: foreign lionesses are almost never accepted into the group.Matriarchy within the group: The internal structure of females is built on complete equality. They do not have a rigid hierarchy and the dominance of one lioness over another. They hunt together, defend the den and collectively take care of the cubs. Lionesses stay in their native pride for life.Coalitions of males and territory protection: Adult males in a pride are not related to females. They seize power in the group by force, driving away the previous masters. Males can hold the pride alone, but more often form coalitions (usually brothers from the same litter). Their key function is the total protection of the territory (with an area of 20 to 400 square kilometers) from wandering lone males and other predators, for example, spotted hyenas. Males regularly mark the borders with a mixture of urine and gland secretion, and also emit a powerful roar that spreads for 8 kilometers, claiming their rights to the land and females. Upon reaching 2.5-3 years of age, young males are expelled from the pride by their fathers or dominant lions, switching to a nomadic lifestyle until they are strong enough to capture their own pride.

Anatomical features and sexual dimorphismLions (Panthera leo) are the second largest large cats after tigers. Their evolutionary success is due to a powerful physique adapted to capture large prey, and a sexual dimorphism unique to felines - the external differences between males and females are visible to the naked eye. Males (Lions): The weight of an adult African lion ranges from 150-250 kg, in rare cases reaching 270 kg. It begins to grow at the age of about two years and is fully formed by the age of four or five. The mane visually increases the size of the lion, which helps to scare away competitors, and also protects the neck and throat from bites during fights. The color and density of the mane depend on testosterone levels, age and climate: a darker (almost black) and lush mane indicates excellent health, strength and high reproductive potential of the male. Females (lionesses): They weigh much less - from 110 to 180 kg, and their height at the withers rarely exceeds 100-110 cm. Such a structure is critically important for their main role - the rapid pursuit of prey. The lack of excess hair also helps lionesses blend in with dry savannah grass during camouflage and prevents overheating during long runs. General physical parameters: Both sexes have extremely developed muscles of the shoulder girdle and front legs, which allows them to hold and overwhelm animals that exceed them in weight by several times. The paws are equipped with retractable claws up to 8 cm long, the jaws contain 30 teeth, among which massive fangs (up to 7 cm) stand out to suffocate the victim and carnivorous teeth that work as scissors for cutting meat. At the end of the tail there is a unique leather tassel, inside which a small spine (modified vertebra) is hidden. The purpose of this brush is not fully understood.