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| Abby Moore & Morgan McDougal, Grade 4, Caswell |
By Abby Moore and Morgan McDougal
Grade 4, Caswell
White Lions are not exactly albinos. White lion parents have a rare gene, so when they mate, the cub will be white and the breed will expand.
Normal colored lions are a light brown, or a tawny color. The lifespan of a wild lion is 15 years. In captivity, they’re better off at 25 years. Lions can sleep 14-16 hours a day and usually don’t hunt that much. Male lions can weigh a top notch at 600-700 pounds, even though the lionesses only weigh 200-300 pounds.
A mature male lion has a mane that covers the back of the head, and most of the shoulder blades. When on a hunt, lions can run up to 48 mph. There’s lots of lions rescued into a zoo.
Lions’ pelt color changes sometimes in the summer and more white lions are expanding. White lions eat the same things as normal colored lions; wildebeest, warthogs, impala, gazelle and zebra. White lions can have blue, green, amber or yellow eyes. They can have 3 cubs. The cubs’ eyes are blue and change to green or amber when they grow up. Sometimes they have one of each color; one green eye and one amber eye.
