MEET THE FAMILY NORTHERN LIONS of Pendjari National Park Benin beh-NEEN a small West African nation is about the size of the state of Ohio On Benin’s far northwestern edge cheetahs antelopes baboons and other animals roam the rocky cliffs sparse forests and grasslands of Pendjari National Park Slicing through the park the Pendjari River is home to hippopotamuses crocodiles and a variety of wading birds This area is one of the last remaining protected habitats for elephants and lions in West Africa It is late November the start of harmattan the dry season named for the cool dusty winds that blow southward from the Sahara Desert A Northern lioness has left her family and hidden under a rocky outcropping beneath a thicket of flowering kwandari For three and a half months she has been carrying the developing offspring inside inside her body Now in this private place the time has come for them to be born
CLOSE-UP Sharp tongues A lion’s tongue is covered with hundreds of backward curving projections called papillae These tiny sharp spikes scrape meat from bones They also help lions keep clean by combing out fur as the lion licks itself or its offspring
CHAPTER ONE life begins Lions are members of the cat family They are one of the four species of big cats that can roar Baby lions called cubs cannot roar It takes about two years for them to develop that ability Lions were once divided divided into numerous subspecies However in 2017 genetic studies separated lions into just two subspecies Southern lions and northern northern lions Southern lions are spread throughout southern and eastern regions of Africa Northern lions are found in Central and West Africa as well as India Since lions have adapted to diverse habitats their appearance appearance differs slightly depending on where they live For this reason reason unofficial descriptive names are often used to identify lions from different geographic regions PENDJARI NORTHERN LION MILESTONES DAY 1 Born Woolly fur with dark spots Weight 3 pounds 1 4 kg 01 7
